Jodhi’s LAT Success Story: Exact Steps To Get Into UNSW Law

Jodhi Kanthan a past LAT Academy Student - scored in the 89th Percentile in 2024. She is currently studying at UNSW Law.

“You can’t study for the LAT!”

That’s what everyone kept telling me - friends, teachers, online forums - and honestly, it terrified me. 

But here's the truth: they were wrong, and I'm proof that you absolutely can.

Hi! I’m Jodhi and I am currently studying Arts/Law at UNSW, majoring in Politics and International Relations & French. My current degree couldn’t be more perfectly suited towards my interests and passions and I absolutely love everything that UNSW has to offer. Thus, I am very keen to share my journey and advice with those aiming to follow a similar path. 

Personally, I hadn’t seriously considered UNSW Law enough to do the LAT until I was in year 12, meaning that I wasn’t able to make use of the 2 attempts that were offered. This is something I definitely do regret as it placed unnecessary pressure on myself in year 12, while simultaneously tackling the HSC, knowing that I had just one shot to get it right. So, if you’re in year 11 and not sure yet about which course you’d like to pursue, I would definitely recommend doing the LAT, to keep your options open. However, if you are in year 12, know that it is possible to get through it in one attempt, just as I did in ultimately achieving in the 89th percentile. 

If you’re reading this, you’re likely in the midst of preparing the LAT yourself and it probably all seems like a major undertaking. With all the myths and misinformation surrounding the LAT, I want you to know that it isn’t just “natural talent” and that there are so many steps you can take to hone your skills. With that being said, here’s my honest guide on everything you can do to be confident in your own success in ACER’s Law Admission Test.

Where to Begin

At first, the LAT can definitely feel overwhelming as it seems like a major daunting task and you don’t know where to begin. It is a very different exam structure and style to anything you would be used to, and so it is very easy to fall into the trap of constantly pushing it back and leaving it as something to deal with ‘later’ while you have all your focus on maximising your ATAR. Below, I have outlined some ways that you can take to break it down into actionable steps that you can tick off your to-do list. 

LAT Academy Masterclass: My Game Changer for LAT Prep

The start of my journey and secret to success was the LAT Academy Masterclass. Honestly, before that, I didn’t even know what was involved in the exam. I had briefly skimmed through practice questions but I found that there was not an abundance of information online. I had definitely heard myths flying around that “you can’t study for the Law Admission Test”, which just left me feeling frustrated – because then what differentiated the high-achieving students from the rest? How could I do the same? 

The LAT Masterclass changed it all for me. It kickstarted my LAT journey in the best way possible by providing such a thorough breakdown of what was involved in the LAT. I learned about the writing style I would have to adopt, debunking myths surrounding the exam, and helping me to distinguish between good vs poor argumentation. It provided me to the chance to solidify my understanding of logical fallacies and exposed me to practice questions and responses, allowing for increased familiarity with the exam.

Most importantly, it taught me how to think in the shoes of a marker; understanding what they are looking for and the ways in which they want the arguments to be presented. I remember by the end of the Masterclass, being told to start practicing as soon as possible, which was such an invaluable piece of advice. Implementing these newfound skills so soon after the Masterclass allowed me to solidify them and practice putting them into application while they were still so fresh in my mind. 

Thus, instead of seeing the LAT as this immense challenge, it helped me in knowing what to expect and allowed me to start seeing it as something that I could work towards over time. 

How to Actually Maximise Your LAT Preparation Resources

The LAT is definitely not something that you can cram for the night before. It is so crucial to expose yourself to as many resources as possible. For me, that meant immersing myself in the news as much as possible to better understand current affairs and arguments. 

I subscribed to ABC News using my school email address, which sent daily headlines straight to my inbox. Whenever something seemed particularly interesting, relevant or thought-provoking, I would click on it and dive deeper. In doing so, I could critically analyse the arguments being presented and formulate my perspectives on the issues. Even during dinner times, my family would usually have the Channel 7 or 9 News playing and we would regularly discuss different stories that came up on the TV, which ensured I always had an understanding of current affairs. Further, I enjoyed reading opinion articles (I mainly used The Guardian for this, but any reputable source works) as this constant exposure to different perspectives helped me build a mental library of argument structures and nuanced viewpoints. All of these things combined will help you perform better and prepare more effectively for the law admission test and optimise your chances to get into UNSW Law!

Beyond just reading material, I took advantage of other opportunities available to me that force me to think critically and perceptively on my feet. The most invaluable of these being my 5 years of experience in high school debating wherein during this time I learnt to articulate arguments on the spot, respond to counter-arguments and work under pressure. Another avenue in which I could apply these skills was in my study of the French Extension HSC course (2024 syllabus) which focused on analysing current issues in the news and completing assessed spoken monologues on issues being presented. My point in this is that you can find a range of opportunities– beyond just strictly reading and writing– wherein you can hone your skills and implement it more naturally into your life. To prepare for the LAT, you can find activities that you enjoy and feel you can most engage with - this might look like watching video essays on Youtube, engaging with political podcasts or taking up public speaking opportunities. It doesn’t matter how you do it—just make sure you’re practicing ways of critical thinking that you can engage with on a regular basis. 

Timed Practice Is Your Secret Weapon (with a TIMER)

Test of Skills, Not of Content 

Unlike most exams you’ll ever do in high school, the LAT exam tests purely skills rather than content. Thus, you must approach it accordingly. This isn’t a test about cramming as much information into your head as possible, using flashcards to remember little nitpicky details or memorising paragraphs and paragraphs that you can regurgitate on the day. Rather, preparation is all about developing your own ‘toolbox’ of skills that you can pull out on the exam day. Over time, this comes naturally with practice. You will learn how to master the writing style, which is very different to HSC English! (though more similar to HSC Economics). You’ll also develop skills in structuring your writing and identifying arguments to group them into broader issues.

Self Evaluation 

Being able to self-evaluate your work is so important. After editing and completing a practice response, I would step back and leave it for a few days while I moved onto HSC study or another practice question. Then, I would come back to it and evaluate it. 

This idea of coming back to it with a fresh pair of eyes is crucial as I would read the prompt again and approach my writing more like an unbiased marker. 

• Was my argument clear enough for someone else to easily understand? 

• Is my point sustained throughout my paragraph?

• Did I address counterarguments well enough? 

• Was my language precise and persuasive? 

• Have I avoided repetition and redundancy of language? 

• Did I integrate the evidence naturally? Is there enough of it?

• Does my conclusion tie in well? Effectively summarise my points?

  
  

Self-evaluation helped me identify areas that needed work. Then, at the bottom of the document, I would compile a list of specific skills that I could work on.

This is such an invaluable skill as you need to be able to read over your own work and really accurately identify your own strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to prevent recurring mistakes throughout your written responses and immediately rectify issues. 

Power of Good Feedback

As important as self-evaluation is– there is only so much that you can recognise and pick up on yourself. Thus, it is also of paramount importance that you receive as much feedback as possible. This is essential as you can hear other perspectives on your writing wherein markers may pick up on issues you might not have ever considered– further giving you insights into the ways in which people receive your writing and what markers are looking for in your work. LAT Academy's offers exceptional feedback in their Platinum Bundle's of 1 on 1 tutoring.

Implementing Feedback

Getting feedback is essential, but it is only half of it. I was lucky enough to have markers who gave detailed comments on my work, and upon receiving feedback I would read through all of it in one go to gauge a general gist of my strengths and weaknesses. 

I would save the feedback onto my laptop so that I could come back and refer to it in my future study. I would then duplicate the document in which I would go through each piece of feedback and see HOW it applies to my work and WHERE I went wrong. Then, I would rectify my written expression and delete/resolve each digital comment once I felt I had adequately addressed it. With this, upon revision, I’d often aim to resubmit my improved drafts to receive confirmation that there were no longer any pending errors and then save it to my folder of “perfect” responses. 

I would clarify my expression by rewriting the sentences that didn’t flow so well into clearer and more concise versions. If a feedback comment indicated a more vague phrase, I would think to myself “what am I really trying to say?” Sometimes this would even require a restructuring of the entire paragraph. Finally, I would ensure that every argument I made was relevantly linked to a specific section from the problem question to allow for improved specificity and analysis.

This recursive process allowed for two things. 1) It helped me work on clarity and concision in my writing 2) I had a compilation of my own pieces that had been revisited multiple times, which I could refer upon and re-read through my law admission test journey. 

Simulating Exam Conditions

Try to simulate the exam conditions as much as you possibly can. The LAT is a timed exam, so you must practice within timed conditions. Be sure to eliminate any distractions or noise and ensure you have your phone silenced. Personally, I found Forest or Flora (free version) to be helpful as it blocked off other apps on my phone and showed me how much focused time I had achieved each week. If you are someone that struggles with staying off your phone, I highly recommend this app as it makes focusing that little bit more fun! 

If you are sitting the exam in person, as I did, be aware that the test is done in a room full of other students who are all sitting at their own computer. Be prepared for the loud violent tapping away at the keyboard keys around you (I hadn’t expected this!). To be more familiar with this environment, you can try to complete a couple practice papers from your laptop in a library. Throughout my year 12, I usually studied at libraries anyway so most of my law admission test practice was done here too. 

The Exam Day  

Leading up to the Exam Day

Tips: 

1. SLEEP: Make sure you have sleep every night throughout the week leading up to the exam. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it’s all about the night before. Make sure you have a good sleep schedule established to sustain you for the high-order thinking required for the 2-hour exam. You must allow for sufficient time in the morning to make the commute to the testing centre, without adding to your stress. 

2. TIME: Make sure you are aware of how long you require for planning, as well as between each of the questions. Be confident that you can complete practice papers within the time limits. 

3. FOOD: Your brain needs food to function. For a brain-boosting breakfast on exam day, try incorporating some protein into your breakfast (for any exam days I always had a couple slices of bread and a fried egg!) You do not want to risk getting hungry during your exam. 

4. CURRENT AFFAIRS: Keep reading/watching the news in the leadup to your exam

5. READ: Skim over past questions and review your edited responses to remind yourself of the improvements and to keep the style of legal writing fresh in your mind. 

   
   

Test Day Mindset 

When the test day rolled around, I knew I had worked on my skills and all I had to do now was execute. My focus was on staying calm and just remembering that all I had to do now was execute everything I’d learnt one final time.

Key things to focus on are: 

• Planning (allows for concision & coherence of arguments) 

• Ensuring adequate time for each section and constantly looking back up at the clock (as soon as I could, I grabbed a pen and quickly jotted down the time that I wanted to start the second section)

• Maintaining a clear structure 

• Leaving time at the end to quickly read over your work 

& the BIGGEST TIP: read the question CAREFULLY.

It may sound very obvious and unnecessary to mention but it is such an easy area to make mistakes in. I remember in my 2024 HSC English Advanced paper, there was an unexpected question given to us that so many students misread in the stress of the paper. The importance of this is so underrated so please take a second to really read the question carefully and note any key words. 

Final Remarks & UNSW Law 

The hard work is so worth it - now that I’m at UNSW Law, I love it more than I ever imagined. The social side of UNSW is amazing, with so many opportunities through skills competitions and networking events within the law society. The smaller class sizes make lectures feel more interactive and personal, and it’s easier to make friends and build meaningful connections. Keep your eye on the end goal—you will be so grateful for your past self over the coming years. All your hard work will be worth it in the end. Good luck!