JD-Next: What You Need to Know About this Alternative to the LSAT

Next year’s law school admissions cycle will bring change. Law.com reported that almost 25 percent of ABA-accredited law schools have been granted a variance from Standard 503—the ABA’s admissions test requirement—to use the JD-Next, in addition to the LSAT and GRE, for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

What is JD-Next?

The JD-Next differs from the LSAT and GRE as participants must take an eight-week online course on doctrinal concepts and legal skills in addition to a final exam. The virtual exam is given at the course’s conclusion and is based on the content presented throughout. The test is given on one of two predetermined dates and is four hours in length. It includes multiple choice questions and an unscored essay. Students must take both the course and the exam.

The test is said to measure a student’s learning ability, predict their performance in law school, and actually help prepare them for law school. And according to various studies, the JD-Next is more equitable, perhaps an answer to the long-standing racial disparities seen in standardized test scores like the LSAT.

When is the test available?

The upcoming JD-Next administration runs April 29th through June 24th with the test available on either June 25th and 29th.

The price for the course, test, and score report is $250.

Who accepts the test?

These 47 schools have been granted the variance to accept the JD-Next:

• (University of) Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law

• Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

• Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School

• Boston College Law School

• Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School

• California Western School of Law

• (University of) California-Davis School of Law

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law

• Charleston School of Law

• (University of) Cincinnati College of Law

• City University of New York School of Law

• Cleveland State University College of Law

• Creighton University School of Law

• (University of) Dayton School of Law

• Drake University Law School

• Emory University School of Law

• Florida International University College of Law

• The George Washington University Law School

• Georgetown University Law Center

• (University of) Georgia School of Law

• Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law

• Indiana University-Bloomington Maurer School of Law

• Loyola University-New Orleans College of Law

• (University of) Maine School of Law

• (University of) Massachusetts Law School (Dartmouth)

• (University of) Miami School of Law

• Mississippi College School of Law

• (University of) Nebraska College of Law

• Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center

• Oklahoma City University School of Law

• (University of the) Pacific McGeorge School of Law

• (University of) Pittsburgh School of Law

• (University of) San Diego School of Law

• (University of) South Dakota School of Law

• St. Mary’s University School of Law

• Suffolk University Law School

• Syracuse University College of Law

• Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law

• Texas A&M University School of Law

• Texas Tech University School of Law

• Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Western Michigan University)

• (University of) Toledo College of Law

• Vanderbilt University Law School

• Western New England University School of Law

• Widener University Delaware Law School

• (University of) Wisconsin Law School

• Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Standardized Testing Continues to Evolve in MBA Admissions

In the world of MBA Admissions, standardized testing has become a lot less, well, standard. Admissions committees used to accept only the GMAT and/or GRE, but more options have opened up in the post-pandemic era including test waivers for past academic or professional performance, and a wider range of accepted tests including the Executive Assessment (EA) and even the MCAT or LSAT. 

The EA is a 90-minute exam, requires minimal preparation, and has historically been used for EMBA admissions. It is a good choice for applicants to full-time MBA programs who have already demonstrated strong quantitative skills through prior academic or professional experiences Today, even some elite schools such as Columbia, Duke Fuqua, and Michigan Ross are allowing students to submit EA scores in lieu of GRE and GMAT scores. 

In addition to the EA, some schools like Virginia’s Darden and NYU Stern are accepting LSAT, MCAT, and Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores. Others, like Georgetown McDonough, will allow applicants to submit expired GRE and GMAT scores. And many top ranked MBA programs are open to accepting the scores from the shorter versions of the GRE and GMAT exams. Chicago Booth, Stanford GSB, and Northwestern Kellogg will all allow applicants to submit GMAT Focus results this year. 

Harvard Business School is one of the few schools that have pointedly said they will not accept GMAT Focus scores for 2023-2024 admissions. And Wharton will accept GMAT Focus test scores dated January 31, 2024 or later, when the GMAT Focus has been merged with the legacy GMAT. 

The chart below shows the standardized tests that each school’s full-time two-year MBA program will accept in 2023-2024. Please note that some schools have not yet commented on when they will start to accept GMAT Focus scores. 

Shorter GRE Available for Test Takers in September

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) just announced that, as of September 22, 2023, registrants for the GRE will receive a shorter test. The refreshed exam will take under two hours, about half the current testing time, and is the first in a series of planned updates to the GRE. The changes are intended to improve the testing experience and reduce test-taker anxiety and fatigue. 

Specific updates to the test include:

• Removal of the “Analyze an Argument” (analytical writing) section

• Fewer questions in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections

• Removal of the unscored action

• Faster receipt of official scores (8-10 days)

“As we continue to introduce product innovations, we’re committed to balancing two things—maintaining rigor and validity, while improving the test-taker experience,” ETS CEO Amit Sevak said. 

The ABA voted to allow the use of the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT for law school applicants in 2021. The organization has not yet commented on the reduction in the test length and if the changes will impact the ABA’s decision to continue to allow the GRE in law school admissions. 

The GMAT Gets a Refresh

An updated version of the GMAT called the GMAT Focus will be released this year. Developed by GMAC in partnership with business schools, it is designed to offer test takers more flexibility because it is close to an hour shorter in length and won’t require an essay.  

According to a leaked graphic published by Poets & Quants, specific updates to the test are expected to include:

• A shorter Quantitative Reasoning section. The GMAT Focus will ask 21 questions, which will reduce the section by 10 questions and 17 minutes from the current GMAT. 

• A shorter Verbal Reasoning section. The GMAT Focus will ask 23 questions instead of the current 36, and the time allotted will decrease by 20 minutes. This section will include questions on reading comprehension and critical reasoning. 

• A new Data Insights section. The new section will increase the current GMAT’s Integrative Reasoning section from 12 questions to 20, with an additional 15 minutes of time. The section will include questions on data sufficiency, multi-source reasoning, table analysis, graphics interpretation, and two-part analysis.

In addition to shortening the overall test experience, test-takers will have the ability to flag questions that they wish to return to prior to the end of the section time. 

The current version of the GMAT will also be available for test-takers through early 2024. 

ABA Moves Forward with Motion to Drop Law School Admissions Test Mandate

On Friday November 18, as expected, the American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to eliminate the standardized test mandate for law school admissions. The proposal will now move to the ABA’s House of Delegates for a final vote in February. If it is approved then, due to a last-minute revision, the removal of the test mandate will still not take effect until the fall of 2025. This revision was enacted to provide law schools with time to consider new ways to gauge student readiness.

This is not the first time that the test mandate’s fate has been brought before the ABA’s House of Delegates for a vote. In 2018, the measure was brought to the House, although it was withdrawn prior to the vote, as it appeared unlikely to pass after diversity advocates lobbied House members to reject the proposed change.

Now stakeholders who are, both for and against, overturning the test mandate have aligned their position with the same goal of improving diversity within the legal profession. “It’s very rare that I encounter a situation where the proponents on exact opposite sides of an issue are citing the same issue to support their arguments,” said Joseph West, Chair of the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. 

Those who wish to see the testing mandate remain, including 60 Law School Deans, believe that the test provides a meaningful way for applicants to showcase their acumen and law school readiness. This allows law schools to take educated chances on students who may have lower GPAs. Without this score, the Deans argue, law schools will not have as much information to gauge a student’s likelihood of success in a challenging academic environment. 

Those who wish to see the mandate overturned argue that standardized tests “perpetuate racial gaps,” and cite research showing that white test-takers tend to perform better on the tests than those from underrepresented backgrounds. 

Related blogs:

New Survey Shows Most Law Schools will Continue Using Standardized Test Scores

Law School Deans Write Letter of Opposition to ABA’s Proposed Recommendation to Drop Standardized Test Requirement

ABA to Vote on Recommendation that Would Allow Law Schools to Drop Admissions Test Requirement

Kellogg Waives Standardized Test Requirement for Laid-off Tech Employees

Greg Hanifee, Associate Dean of Degree Programs and Operations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, announced earlier this week that Kellogg will waive the standardized test score requirement for any Round Two applicants impacted by the recent, wide-scale tech industry lay-offs. Noting the vast impact of the lay-offs as well as Kellogg’s “long heritage of acting with empathy and valuing collaboration,” Hanifee laid out the specifics of the program:

• This test waiver is geared for individuals recently laid off from the tech industry and only applies to Round Two applicants. 

• Those eligible can apply by providing their transcripts, resume, and a completed application (including a brief essay on their most recent role, as well as how Kellogg’s MBA program will advance their transformation). 

• The waiver extends to all Kellogg Full-Time Programs including their One-Year, Two-Year, MMM (a dual degree with the McCormick School of Engineering), and MBAi (a joint degree with the McCormick School of Engineering), as well as their Evening and Weekend Programs.  

Hanifee stipulates that Kellogg will not be able to accept everyone who applies using the waiver, as applicants will still have to meet the rigorous acceptance criteria.

Related: Trends in Business: MBA Programs Prepare Students for Leadership Roles in Technology 

ABA to Vote on Recommendation that Would Allow Law Schools to Drop Admissions Test Requirement

Later this month, the American Bar Association will vote on a recommendation by its Strategic Review Committee to eliminate the requirement that all law schools must include standardized testing as a component of admissions. Should the recommendation be accepted, it would not take effect until next year (at the earliest) and would allow individual law schools the option to remove or retain current testing requirements. The current standard states that all law schools “shall require” applicants to submit scores from a “valid and reliable admission test,” which in November of 2021 was expanded to include the GRE, in addition to the LSAT. 

The revision language notes that, “While a law school may still choose to use one or more admissions tests as part of sound admission practices or policies, the revisions require a law school to identify all tests that it accepts in its admissions policies so that applicants to the law school know which admissions tests are accepted.” It goes on to describe that accepting the recommendation “eliminates some of the challenges inherent in determining which tests are in fact valid and reliable for law school admission,” although law schools that continue to use an admissions test would need to show that the test is in line with “sound admissions practices and procedures.” The Strategic Review Committee’s language also notes that, as of early 2022, the Council is the only remaining “accreditor among law, medical, dental, pharmacy, business, and architecture school accreditors that required an admissions test in its Standards.” This suggests that the change in language may not greatly impact the current practice of requesting test scores from applicants, particularly among highly-competitive programs. 

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which oversees the LSAT and is independent from the ABA, said in a statement, “Studies show test-optional policies often work against minoritized individuals, so we hope the ABA will consider these issues very carefully. We believe the LSAT will continue to be a vital tool for schools and applicants for years to come, as it is the most accurate predictor of law school success and a powerful tool for diversity when used properly as one factor in a holistic admission process.”

It will be necessary to follow news from the ABA over the next couple of weeks to see how the Council will proceed. Bill Adams, Managing Director of the ABA Accreditation and Legal Education, said in a statement that “Issues concerning admissions policies have been of concern to the Council for several years.” He went on to explain that the Council will discuss the recommendation on May 20, and determine if a vote is in order or if further circulation and comment will be required.