Law School FAQs
What is the cost to test-takers?
The bundled price for the course and examination and score reports is $250.
What is the cost to schools who use the JD-Next score for admissions?
There is no cost to schools who wish to receive and consider JD-Next scores.
What does a law school have to do to accept the JD-Next exam for admissions?
Any law school can consider JD-Next scores. Notify JD-Next and announce your intentions on your website and other admissions materials. Set up your application accordingly so applicants can indicate that they will be submitting JD-Next scores.
Will applicants need to have an LSAT or GRE score as well?
Some schools will consider applicants based on the JD-Next score alone, even if the applicants do not have another standardized test score (like the GRE or LSAT). For these schools, the first step is to notify the ABA Council that you are requesting a variance, by completing this simple form. The deadline for the next Council meeting is October 13. The variance recognizes the JD-Next test as a sufficient alternative to the GRE or LSAT.
What evidence supports the use of the JD-Next exam for law school admissions?
JD-Next has been developed by psychometricians and subject-matter experts over five years, with over $1.25 million in funding, collaborating with more than 40 law schools. Through careful scientific work and formal external review, including a peer-reviewed scientific publication and a technical report authored by one of the leading testing organizations globally, we have found that the JD-Next exam:
- is a valid and reliable predictor of law school performance.
- predicts as well or better than legacy exams and eliminates substantial score disparities between races and ethnic groups.
Read the research here.
How does JD-Next differ from other exams?
JD-Next is the leader in measuring a student’s ability to learn. As such, our program does a better job in reducing or eliminating score gaps and achieving more fair and balanced test results for all individuals. How do we achieve this? The JD-Next exam is built from the ground up with a testing philosophy based on theories first developed in the 1920s. Rather than trying to measure the abstract and general cognitive assets that students will bring to law school, we give them an opportunity to learn actual law school skills in a structured and supportive environment. In this way, the JD-Next is more like a tryout for law school, and we find only small, non-significant disparities in scores by racial and ethnic groups.
We also know that simply taking the JD-Next course improves performance in law school. Completion is itself important information for an admissions officer to consider, as a signal of applicant strength and intentionality. As the California Association of Black Lawyers has written to deans, "JD-Next will not only ensure diversity in our law schools but also in our profession and the judiciary."
Is it necessary for applicants to take the JD-Next course, and if so, when?
Yes, the JD-Next exam is specifically designed to test skills and knowledge developed during participation in the JD-Next course. (For research purposes, we have administered the exam to students who have not taken the course, and they perform substantially worse than those who have taken the course.) Given the recommended 8-week pace to complete the course, and the need for scores to be reported in time for the admissions process, applicants should plan to spend 6-10 hours per week, from October through late November 2023 leading into the December 2023 examination dates.
Are there supplemental prep materials available to prepare for the JD-Next exam?
The exciting thing about JD-Next is that it is both a course and an exam. By engaging in the 8-week course and synthesizing the information provided, students are learning everything they need to know for success on the JD-Next exam. There are a range of materials built into the JD-Next course allowing students to go deeper into the materials as their needs and interests may require. We encourage students to complete all these materials to prepare for the JD-Next exam.
How will the exam be conducted?
We are partnering with a major provider of testing services, Territorium, a global education technology company with more than 12 million users worldwide, which creates industry-leading comprehensive learner records (CLRs) that include personalized assessments and best-fit job opportunities for learners. The exam will be conducted with test security, test-taker identification confirmation, and proctoring. We will also be able to provide appropriate accommodation for disabilities. There is a large bank of exam questions, and the exam will be administered digitally in a spiraled design and scored using item response theory, just as used in the most recent validity and reliability studies.
When and how will scores be reported?
Preview scores will be available by January 1, 2024 for use in the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. During this first year, the testing vendor will report scores directly to schools that the applicant indicates. JD-Next will provide guidance as to how to interpret the scores in a way that admissions directors can predict academic performance in their law schools.
Do participating schools need to administer the course, provide coaches, or submit outcomes data to JD-Next?
No. JD-Next administers the course and examination directly to prospective students. Law schools only need to indicate their willingness to receive and consider the scores. (For schools seeking a variance, the ABA requires an annual report from participating schools.)
What is the URL for the JD-Next variance form?
Who is handling testing for the JD-Next examinations?
Test administration going forward will be conducted by Territorium, a global education technology company with more than 12 million users worldwide, which creates industry-leading comprehensive learner records (CLRs) that include personalized assessments and best-fit job opportunities for learners.
What is your refund policy?
For the course starting on October 2, 2023, a full refund will be provided for any request received through October 9, 2023. To request a refund, please email jd.next@aspenpublishing.com.
Student FAQs
Can I participate in JD-Next?
Yes. The course begins on October 2, 2023 and ends on December 1, 2023 with the examination offered on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 and Saturday, December 9, 2023. There is limited availability, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible. Click here to request more information.
How is JD-Next unique?
As a standardized test, JD-Next measures your learning potential, not just your cognitive assets. Even more, JD-Next is also a proven bridge program that prepares you for law school!
In two scientific papers, we have found that participation in the JD-Next course, and especially completion of the course, causes a substantial improvement in law school grades, and also improves students' confidence in their first year of law school.
The need is clear. People come to JD programs with a wide range of backgrounds, including many different undergraduate educational experiences. This lack of common preparation may disadvantage students who come to law school with less exposure to legal concepts, language and reading skills, and analytical frameworks. This program will expose you to the materials and methods of legal education, preparing you for success.
Even better the course is bundled with the test, so you do not have to worry about buying a prep course on your own, or worrying that other students have paid more to prepare for the examination.
Is this going to be the same material I’ll learn in my first year?
While helping you develop your skills in case reading and analysis, this course uses a few of the classic Contracts law cases, which also appear frequently in law schools across the country. Because JD-Next primarily teaches the skills required to succeed in any doctrinal law class, it may focus on different aspects of Contracts cases and concepts than your Contracts law professor.
What will I be doing each week and how much time will it take?
The course includes approximately 10 hours of video, broken into dozens of smaller parts, including concept introductions, lectures, and takeaways. The beginning of the course introduces critical “Case Brief Workshops” for law school, explicitly and directly showing participants how to read a case and to extract the key rules and facts. After completing the skills workshops during first four weeks of the course, students will move onto doctrinal law and the application of the skills practiced in the skills workshops. Without purporting to preview an entire 1L Contracts course, the readings include 11 classic cases (e.g., Hawkins v. McGee), with simple reading quizzes keyed to each one. Consistent with optimal curricular design principles, each lesson also includes a written “problem of the day”, so students begin practicing the application of their newly acquired concepts. The final exam will be largely multiple choice but will also include a writing component.
Overall, we expect you to spend roughly six to nine hours per week. Students can work at their own pace in completing the classes each week, though we strongly recommend students complete the modules as scheduled each week.
Is this class synchronous or asynchronous?
JD-Next is fully online. You can access the course anywhere you have computer and internet access. It will be primarily an asynchronous course with synchronous virtual office hours.
What if I need to take a vacation or have other plans during the course?
We recommend students stay in sync with the course schedule week by week, which students can complete from anywhere they have internet access. If necessary, students can work ahead to stay on track with the course.
What kind of feedback can I expect in this course?
Students will receive immediate feedback for all multiple-choice questions and exercises completed. For larger written assignments, students will be guided through a self-evaluation process using both guided rubrics and model answers.
How will I share my JD-Next score with schools?
At the end of the course, you will receive your score and will have the opportunity to designate which schools will receive the scores, directly from JD-Next.
If I have a disability and need reasonable accommodations, who do I contact?
Please review our JD-Next Test Accommodations Guidelines for information about applying for test accommodations. The Guidelines page includes links to the relevant form for submitting your request. If you have any additional questions about the process, please contact accommodations@aspenpublishing.com.
How long can I use my JD-Next score for applying to law school?
Your JD-Next score will be valid for five years.
How can we confirm that my school will be utilizing the JD-Next score as part of their admissions process?
We strongly encourage you to reach out to the respective school and ask the following question – “will your admissions department take a JD-Next score into consideration when making a final application decision?”
Does JD-Next offer any type of scholarship or fee waiver for your program?
The JD-Next needs-based scholarship program is designed to assist aspiring law students from low-income backgrounds. Each year, a limited number of students will be selected to become JD-Next Scholars and will receive a $200 credit to be applied to their JD-Next tuition.
If you have not yet registered for JD-Next and need financial assistance for the JD-Next course and exam, please submit a one-page essay telling us about yourself and why you want to register for JD-Next. Please submit this essay, along with any pertinent information (such as previously received aid) regarding your financial situation to jd.next@aspenpublishing.com by 10/9/23. Our team will review your application and will respond promptly.