HELP
ENROLL NOW
LOGIN
How JD-Next Prepares Students for Success on the NextGen Bar Exam
Prepare students for the NextGen bar exam with JD-Next: an 8-week program building legal skills, boosting diversity, and predicting academic success.
The NextGen bar exam marks a significant shift in how legal competence is evaluated, emphasizing practical skills. For law schools and their faculty, this change presents both a challenge and an opportunity: ensuring that incoming students are equipped not only to thrive in law school but also to excel in this new landscape.
Enter JD-Next, an 8-week online program designed for pre-law students to build critical skills in case reading, legal analysis, and Contract Law. By bridging the gap between undergraduate education and the rigor of law school, JD-Next lays the foundation for success on the NextGen bar exam while promoting equity and diversity in the legal profession.
Building a Foundation: How JD-Next Aligns with Bar Exam Demands
While the NextGen bar exam tests a candidate’s ability to apply legal reasoning to practical scenarios, JD-Next prepares students for this exact challenge by mirroring a 1L Contracts course. The course immerses students in the foundational skills of legal education—issue spotting, case analysis, and logical reasoning — ensuring they’re prepared for both the classroom and the bar exam.
| NextGen bar exam and JD-Next Similarities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feature/Skill | NextGen bar exam | JD-Next |
| Focus Area | Emphasizes legal reasoning, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving | Grounded in key 1L concepts, skills, and legal reasoning |
| Assessment Format | Scenario-based questions, integrated analysis, and reduced multiple-choice emphasis | Comprehensive final exam to test understanding of contracts law and analytical skills |
| Skill Development | Tests the ability to apply legal principles to realistic scenarios | Develops foundational skills like issue-spotting, reasoning, and comprehension of legal texts |
| Accessibility | Limited to law school graduates | Online format, affordable, and accessible to pre-law students |
Course Features: How JD-Next Aligns with NextGen bar exam Skills
JD-Next’s innovative features are designed to provide a transformative learning experience, preparing students for the challenges of both law school and the NextGen bar exam. The program’s structure and tools emphasize practical skill-building, equitable access, and comprehensive preparation for foundational legal concepts.
Key Features of JD-Next
Groundbreaking 8-Week Program:
JD-Next is an intensive online course focused on equipping students with foundational knowledge and skills in Contract Law — critical for law school success and directly applicable to bar exam scenarios. Unlike traditional admissions tests, JD-Next’s final exam evaluates what students can do rather than just what they know, better simulating the demands of legal education.
Research-Backed Design:
Developed using evidence-based methods, JD-Next is proven to reduce potential disparities in admissions testing. By focusing on core competencies, the program offers an equitable platform for all students, regardless of background, to demonstrate their potential to succeed in law school.
Alignment with NextGen bar exam Skills
JD-Next’s course design ensures that students are prepared for the critical thinking and problem-solving challenges they will face:
| NextGen bar exam and JD-Next Similarities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feature/Skill | NextGen bar exam | JD-Next |
| Critical Thinking | Contracts-based curriculum with case analysis and issue-spotting exercises | Emphasis on applying legal principles to realistic scenarios |
| Analytical Reasoning | Personalized feedback and quizzing to refine logical reasoning skills | Focus on integrated analysis and problem-solving |
| Legal Knowledge Application | Video-based hypotheticals and final exam modeled after law school assessments | Testing the ability to apply legal reasoning in practice-oriented questions |
| Equitable Access | Online, affordable, and accessible to diverse student populations | Inclusive approach to bar exam preparation |
Why JD-Next Matters to Law Schools
Multiple validity studies have demonstrated JD-Next’s ability to predict law school academic performance better than traditional admissions tools. In fact, JD-Next scores are reliable predictors of law school success.
Additionally, JD-Next’s rigorous final exam, modeled after actual law school exams, offers law schools a realistic preview of how a student will perform in a legal academic setting.
Access and Opportunity
JD-Next produces minimal score gaps between majority and minority groups. In a post-affirmative action world, this equitable approach to admissions is more critical than ever. JD-Next not only increases access to legal education for underrepresented groups but also enhances their chances of academic success, as evidenced by an average GPA increase of 0.20 points for JD-Next participants.
A New Kind of Law School Prep for a New Kind of Bar Exam
The NextGen bar exam demands a new kind of preparation — one that begins well before law school and emphasizes the skills that matter most. JD-Next offers an innovative, evidence-based solution to this challenge, equipping students with the tools they need to succeed academically and professionally.
By recommending JD-Next to pre-law students, law school faculty can ensure their institutions attract diverse, well-prepared candidates who are ready to excel in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. Together, let’s set the next generation of legal professionals up for success—from their first day of law school to the bar exam and beyond.