How to prepare for the LAT (1 Viewer)

[4lulai]

Hey im thinking about enrolling to sit my LAT but i had a few questions before i drop a few shifts worth of cash on this (i work minimum wage smh).

Considering the price (& the fact that i might pay to enrol again next year if my scores aren't high enough), should i do the LAT? Im only in year 11 so im not sure what my predicted ATAR will be so im scared of spending money to do my LAT for nothing as i might get an ATAR thats not really "appropriate" for doing an LLB. Does UNSW consider applications with lower ATARs if the LAT scores are good? if so, how low are we talking?

Also, how should i go about preparing for the LAT? i know i should be doing practice questions and looking over past sample papers but is there anything else i should do to ensure my score is high enough to be considered for an LLB at UNSW?

 

[kingpalindrome]

Hi! Firstly, it's up to you whether you do it now or wait a year. There are benefits to doing it now (eg not having to think about it later, a chance to re-do it if your score is lower than you wanted) but there are also benefits to waiting a year (more time to develop your analytical and writing skills = likely to get a higher mark).

im scared of spending money to do my LAT for nothing as i might get an ATAR thats not really "appropriate"

In terms of whether it's worth spending the money: Yes. It's expensive, and I know it feels like a 'waste' if you're not sure of your ability to score high/get a high atar, but if you don't do it, you'll be left wondering 'what if I had done it?'. If UNSW is one of your top 3 universities, do it. If you've got a million other universities that you'd prefer to go to even if you got an offer to UNSW, don't do it.

Does UNSW consider applications with lower ATARs if the LAT scores are good? if so, how low are we talking?

Yes - it operates on averages (ie higher LAT score = lower ATAR needed and vice versa). Not sure how low they go but I got an offer with a mid-90s ATAR and a score of 98 in the LAT. I'd say that with a 95+ LAT result you should be competitive with a high 80s/low 90s ATAR. This is what they've got on the website:

Also, how should i go about preparing for the LAT?

I didn't prepare at all (other than googling 'argumentative techniques' while on the train to the exam centre!) I wouldn't necessarily recommend not preparing, but bear in mind that as long as you've got good writing skills, there's not much else you can do. Doing a practice paper is a good idea to get a feel for how the exam is structured.

I've attached a pdf with more detailed advice that I put together for a friend:


Good luck! If you have any more questions feel free to dm me

 

[4lulai]

This is of so much help tysm!

I got an offer with a mid-90s ATAR

I just wanna ask, how hard was it to get an ATAR in the 90s range? obviously any ATAR in the 90s is hard but realistically, when should i start preparing for the HSC in order to get a high ATAR? i dont want to start too early in risk of getting burn out

 

[kingpalindrome]

This is of so much help tysm!



I just wanna ask, how hard was it to get an ATAR in the 90s range? obviously any ATAR in the 90s is hard but realistically, when should i start preparing for the HSC in order to get a high ATAR? i dont want to start too early in risk of getting burn out

Start explicitly preparing when you start HSC content in class (i.e. when you start year 12). It's no use starting earlier, because chances are you'll 1) forget everything 2) misinterpret everything 3) study the wrong things or 4) get burnt out. Although it is important to start preparing healthy study habits and strengthening your writing now!

Honestly if you're getting mostly band 5s and 6s in your internal assessments, you're on track to get a 90+ if you perform similar in the HSC. (Bear in mind though your school assessments might be easier/harder depending on your school)

It's really not that difficult if you're a decent student. Getting a 99.95 would require putting a million hours into studying, but a 90-95 should be achievable even while maintaining a more than healthy work-study-life-sport balance (which is arguably more important than the atar)

 

[rickypontingdagoat]

Hey I just wanted to ask if there was any exam papers that were similar to the style of the LAT section 2, where you have to write the argumentative paper

 

[kingpalindrome]

Hey I just wanted to ask if there was any exam papers that were similar to the style of the LAT section 2, where you have to write the argumentative paper

honestly any persuasive essay question would be good prep. also they've got a practice LAT somewhere on the website so definitely check that out if you haven't already