Pearson VUE
National Admissions Test For Law 
Pearson VUE developed an electronic admissions test for
law degree courses.
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“It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between candidates purely on the basis of school predictions of A-level performance, so with the help of Pearson VUE we have introduced an electronic admissions test for law degree courses.”
quote by Dr Phil Syrpis, Chair - LNAT 
case study

“In the United States, university admission tests are the norm and I believe they will become increasingly popular in the UK. For universities or consortiums wishing to introduce similar tests we can assist with test design, item writing, registration and booking services as well as test delivery via our network of secure, conveniently located test centres.” Suzana Lopes, Commercial Director, Pearson VUE

Discussions about setting up an admissions test for law degree courses began in September 2003. An agreement between the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, East Anglia, Nottingham, Oxford and University College London was reached and the Law National Admissions Test (LNAT) Consortium was set-up.

Dr Phil Syrpis, the first Chair of the LNAT Consortium explained. “The purpose of the LNAT is to provide a useful measure of a candidate’s potential to thrive as an undergraduate student on a demanding academic law programme. The test provides a way to differentiate between the many excellent candidates who apply each year and it reduces the extent to which we have to rely on school predictions of A-level performance.”

The onscreen test was launched on 5 September 2005 and is available for UK candidates to take at 150 high street test centres owned and operated by Pearson VUE. The test is also available globally in over 300 Pearson VUE authorised test centres, which makes it easier for international students wishing to study law in the UK.

Dr Syrpis added: “Through the Pearson Professional Test Centre network, candidates can now choose when and where they wish to take the test. Additionally, by delivering the exam electronically, we will increase the efficiency of the admissions process by providing a quicker turnaround of LNAT scores to the universities.”

The students’ perspective
“I can’t say that I was looking forward to taking the test, I had never been to a Pearson Professional Centre before so I was surprised how easy it was to use the computer for the test. It was a lot more fun than sitting exams in the school hall.”

About LNAT
The LNAT is a two-hour test in two parts: a multiple choice element (80 minutes) and an essay element (40 minutes). Pearson VUE working in partnership with the LNAT Consortium and Edexcel, one of the UK’s leading awarding bodies and a Pearson subsidiary, set and calibrate the LNAT questions.

The multiple-choice questions are designed to test the powers of comprehension, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction. These are considered the verbal reasoning skills at the heart of legal education.

The essay element gives the candidate a choice of questions on a range of different subjects. Although these typically require some rudimentary knowledge of everyday subjects, the point is to test the ability of the candidate to argue economically to a conclusion with a good command of written English.

 Pearson VUE marks the multiple choice element of the test automatically and returns the test results to the particpating universities and the candidates. The essay questions are passed unmarked to (only) those LNAT participating law schools to which the candidate has applied. The essays are then used by each university in the way that best suits its own admission system.

Pearson VUE Registration
Candidates register and pay to take the LNAT through the Pearson VUE registration system. The sophisticated online system keeps constant track of the status of test bookings and enables secure online financial transactions. This means that candidates can choose when and where they wish to take the test and may reschedule without charge up to two working days before their scheduled slot.

Customer Service
Pearson VUE is commited to providing outstanding service. In partnership with the LNAT Consortium Pearson VUE set Key Performance Indicators to provide clear benchmarks to measure performance and to drive continual improvement.

If you would like further information about Pearson VUE and our assessment solutions please email pvemeamarketing@pearson.com or visit www.pearsonvue.co.uk.