Just got my LNAT results back and I scored 21 out of 42 on Section A, which puts me somewhere around the 62nd percentile from what I can tell. I know that's not a disaster but it's not what I was aiming for either. My A-level predictions are AAA and my personal statement is strong, so I'm trying to figure out whether 21 is competitive enough for Bristol or Durham specifically.
I spent about 5 weeks preparing, doing roughly 1.5 hours per day of argument analysis practice and three full timed Section A mock sets. I genuinely underestimated how fast 95 minutes goes when you're working through 42 MCQs. My accuracy was fine on standalone inference questions but I kept losing time on the longer passage sets near the end.
The essay in Section B I felt better about — I picked the question about judicial independence and wrote about 650 words. I'd done a lot of EPQ work on constitutional reform so the material felt familiar. But I know most universities weight Section A much more heavily in their decisions.
Anyone with recent admissions data on what Bristol and Durham actually look for? I've used a LNAT practice test series that had some historical score benchmarks but they were from 2021 so I'm not sure how current they are.
Also worth knowing that LNAT scores are only valid for the cycle you're applying in. If you're considering reapplying next year, you'd retake it then anyway. But honestly 21 with a strong academic profile is worth submitting to both schools.
The timing issue you described is really common. Most people who underperform on Section A aren't failing on comprehension — they're running out of time on the later passages. 95 minutes for 42 questions is about 2 minutes 15 seconds each and you need to bank time on easier questions to cover the hard ones.
I got into Durham last year with a 20. My A-levels were A*AA and my personal statement focused heavily on a specific legal research project I'd done. The tutor feedback I got afterwards mentioned the essay more than the Section A score, so don't completely discount that component.
Apply. A 21 doesn't close the door at those schools.
Bristol's average LNAT score for admitted students has been hovering around 22-24 in recent cycles from what I've seen in UCAS data. A 21 with AAA predictions isn't a write-off but it's probably on the lower edge of their comfortable range. Durham tends to be slightly more forgiving on LNAT if your academic profile is strong.
I was in almost the exact same position last year — scored 19 on my first attempt and thought I'd tanked my chances at any decent uni. What actually moved the needle for me was stopping the timed practice papers for a week and just doing argument analysis drills instead. I wasn't reading the passages properly, I was rushing through them and missing what the question was actually asking. Once I slowed down and started breaking each argument into premises and conclusions, things clicked pretty fast.
For your retake prep, it's worth mixing your sources up too. I spent a lot of time on free lnat science passages because the dense technical writing is genuinely harder to skim-read, which forced me to be more disciplined. With a 21 you're already competitive for Bristol and Durham — a bit of targeted work on the question types you're dropping marks on and you could push into the 25+ range pretty comfortably. Don't panic yet.