For any HSC student hoping to study law at university, the pressure is on to get a high ATAR. But for those of you who wish to attend UNSW’s Law School, there’s the added hurdle of their Law Admission Test (LAT) to consider. While the prospect of yet another exam might seem daunting, with the right preparation it doesn’t have to be insurmountable - and from my (admittedly biased) perspective as a current UNSW Law student, it’s well worth the effort!
What is the LAT?
The Law Admission Test is a selective exam developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for prospective applicants to the Law program at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
The exam is an in-person test completed on the computer (with remote options available) and will take 2 hours, including 10 minutes for reading and planning. In that time, you’ll be answering two unseen essay questions. The first question will require you to critically evaluate an argument in the presented material, and the second will require you to craft your own critical argument on a designated topic using a variety of provided sources. Its purpose is to assess whether applicants have the necessary skills for studying law - these are skills like critically analysing information and being able to construct fluent and effective arguments.
While this might seem like overkill - after all, isn’t that what the HSC does? - you should instead think of this as a bonus opportunity to prove your abilities. The HSC is a stressful and unpredictable time, and it’s possible that your ATAR will be lower than you were hoping for. The LAT is a second chance to prove that you’re law school material. There are no pass or fail marks in the LAT. Instead, your ATAR and LAT marks will be combined on a sliding scale, so if you score extremely high on the LAT then you won’t need to perform as well in the HSC and vice versa. Really takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?
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How do I enrol for the LAT?
So you’re up for tackling the LAT? Great! But before you blaze your way through the exam and into law school, there are a few things you need to check.
1) Are you eligible?
In order to be eligible for the LAT, you need to be planning on commencing your studies at UNSW Law within the next two years, since that’s how long your LAT score is valid for. This means that you need to either be:
- in Year 11 and planning to go to uni straight after graduation,
- in Year 12 with the intention of going to uni within 2 years of graduation,
- on a gap year with the intention to start uni the following year, OR
- attending another university with the intention of transferring within 2 years.
There is also a select criterion of prospective students who don’t need to sit the LAT to get into UNSW Law. Feel free to skip the rest of this article if you are either:
- An Indigenous student completing UNSW’s Pre-Law Program (see requirements here)
- A student eligible to apply through UNSW’s Gateway Admission Pathway )see requirements here)
- A current UNSW student applying for an Internal Program Transfer into Law (see requirements here)
(See more about LAT eligibility here.)
2) Key Dates
You could be the smartest student in all of NSW, and it won’t matter one bit if you miss the registration date. If you’re planning to sit the LAT in 2024, put these dates into your calendar:
Make sure to double-check these dates on the official LAT site in case the schedule is altered.
3) Cost
Unfortunately, the LAT gets a head start on preparing you for the financial realities of studying Law by requiring a registration fee. You can expect to pay either $199 (GST included) for the regular fee or $100 (GST included) for the concession fee.
You are eligible for the concession fee if:
- You hold a valid Health Care Card (HCC),
- You hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), or
- You are listed as a dependant on the current HCC or PCC of a parent or guardian
Keep in mind that there’s an additional $55 late fee if you register during the late registration period. I wasn’t joking about those key dates above being important!
(See more about LAT costs here.)
4) Reasonable adjustments
If you have a disability or other health condition that you think might impact your performance on the LAT, don’t worry! Reasonable adjustments are available so that you can do your very best. You can apply for reasonable adjustments after registering through your online ACER account, under the ‘Manage Registration’ portal.
To qualify for reasonable adjustments, you’ll have to provide supporting documentation from a registered health practitioner that is no more than 3 years old for learning disabilities and no more than 1 year old for other conditions. The documentation must:
- Give a clear diagnosis and description of your condition(s)
- Explain how the condition(s) will affect you in the test
- Include recommended test accommodations and adjustments
- Be typed on the medical professional’s official letterhead
- Include the date of appointment/writing, and the title, name, registration number, contact details, and signature of the medical professional
Please apply for reasonable adjustments as soon as possible after registering - you can’t apply for mark adjustments after taking the exam on the basis of a disability or health condition!
(See more about reasonable adjustments here.)
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Written by KIS Academics tutor for HSIE/English, Adam Hughes. Adam is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts/Law at UNSW and is always happy to take on new students. You can view Adam’s profile here and request him as a tutor.
