JD-Next Test Accommodations Guidelines

5 Things to Know:

We understand that this page contains a lot of information. Please take the time to carefully review the Guidelines before submitting your application to ensure that you submit the appropriate documentation.

Deadlines are crucial. Be sure to review the deadlines for your session here.

Please note that if you receive an Incomplete or Denial, you can resubmit your request only once and appeal only once per session.

You do not need a diagnosis to request accommodations. Instead, include documentation (as described in detail below) from professionals you regularly interact with, who know you well and can speak to your specific needs. Requests that only include a diagnosis statement will be considered incomplete.

We are here to help. If you have any questions about the Guidelines or during the application process, please email accommodations@aspenpublishing.com

About JD-Next Test Accommodations

The JD-Next program (JDN) provides a preparatory course and examination as part of the law school admissions process. JDN is committed to maintaining the security, integrity, and validity of its examination.

At the same time, JDN is committed to providing access to its programs and services to individuals with documented disabilities. A disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits a major life activity compared to most people in the general population.

The following information is intended for test candidates, evaluators, educators, and others involved in documenting a request for test accommodations. We strongly encourage candidates requesting test accommodations share this information with anyone who is providing supporting documentation, ensuring that all necessary documentation is properly assembled.

Candidates also may be eligible for exam accommodations for temporary conditions, such as pregnancy, injury, or post-surgical impairment.

Approved accommodations are provided at no cost to the candidate.

Many personal medical items do not require pre-approval. Please check here to see if your item or device is listed.

What are Test Accommodations?

Test accommodations are adjustments designed to ensure that the test measures what it is intended to measure. The purpose of test accommodations is to provide candidates with full access to the test, not to guarantee improved performance, a passing score, test completion, or any other specific outcomes.

Test accommodations are individualized and evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Individuals seeking disability-related accommodations must provide evidence that their condition qualifies as a disability  and provide information about their functional limitations.  A diagnosis alone or simply meeting the criteria for a particular disorder does not automatically mean that the person is disabled and does not automatically qualify someone for test accommodations.

While JDN does not require a diagnosis, it does require evidence that a disability may significantly affect an individual’s ability to access the examination.

Individuals with a disability typically can demonstrate a significant impact across various settings, such as in school, the workplace, and other daily life activities.

Requesting Accommodations: Two Tracks

Many candidates with disabilities require only modest accommodations to meet their access needs, and these can be reviewed and approved more quickly through the Short Process. This process focuses on gathering documentation that demonstrates the candidate’s ongoing need for accommodations, provided by organizations and/or professionals who know the candidate well.

However, some candidates with disabilities may require more extensive accommodations, have a larger volume of documentation to review, or present more complex implementation considerations. These candidates will need to go through the Standard Process and provide sufficient documentation for JDN to fully understand their access needs.

Short Process for Testing Accommodations

Candidate can request any combination of these accommodations:

15% extra time (30 minutes)
15% extra time (30 minutes) including unscheduled breaks
25% extra time (60 minutes)
25% extra time (60 minutes) including unscheduled breaks
Standard diabetes testing and management supplies
Standard pregnancy or nursing mother accommodations
Other requests that do not involve timing modifications or the use of electronic devices or software

The Short Process offers more flexibility regarding the types and sources of documentation that can be provided. Supporting documentation can come from organizations that have previously granted you test accommodations or from professionals who know you well. Instead of focusing on your diagnosis or the self-reported symptoms that led to it, this documentation should address your current functional limitations and challenges in major life activities or daily living activities (not just test-taking), how these limitations interact with specific barriers, and what types of accommodations have been effective in improving access and reducing barriers.  This documentation should come from a professional you interact with regularly.

Please note that a specific diagnosis is not required, and accommodations decisions are not based on any particular diagnosis. Additionally, a formal diagnostic evaluation is not required for the Short Process.

The goal of this Short Process is to streamline and simplify the accommodations request and approval process for applicants who only need modest accommodations in order to ensure access.

The Short Process requires any combination of the following:

2 documents from Category A or
1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category B or
1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category C or
1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category D

Standard Process for Testing Accommodations

Candidates can request any combination of these accommodations:

50% extra time (90 minutes)
50% extra time (90 minutes) including unscheduled breaks
Other unique requests, such as other timing modifications, adaptive devices, or assistive technology or software

The Standard Process is designed for candidates who have more extensive access needs, and, as a result, must provide additional evidence so we can more fully understand their access needs.

Please note that a specific diagnosis is not required, and accommodations decisions are not based on any particular diagnosis.

The Standard Process requires any combination of the following:

2 documents from Category A or
1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category D or
1 document from Category B + 1 document from Category D or
1 document from Category A + 1 document from Category B + 1 document from Category C

Category A

Documentation from a professional who interacts with you regularly and knows you well

A) A letter or report from any of these sources:

Employer or internship supervisor
Medical or psychological professional
Therapist or related mental health professional
Vocational counsellor
Psychologist
Rehab counsellor
Physical therapist
Faculty advisor
Disability Services staff person
Educational therapist
Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or other medical or mental health professional involved in your ongoing treatment, therapy, or assistance programming

B) Currency and relevance:

The documentation must be dated within 12 months of your expected exam date.
The professional should have interacted with you frequently over the past 12 months.
The evaluator must be an impartial, unbiased professional. Documentation from friends or family members will not be accepted, regardless of their professional qualifications.

C) The letter or report must meet standard format guidelines:

Be legible and written in English
Must be signed, dated, and printed on the professional’s (or their institution’s) official letterhead.

D) The documentation should address the following:

Professional’s knowledge of you: Describe the relationship to you, frequency of interaction over the past 12 months, and details that demonstrate that the professional knows you well (i.e., an employer who interacts with you daily).
Current functioning: Outline your levels of functioning in the setting where the professional knows you.
Functional limitations: Detail any current limitations or challenges in the setting where the professional knows you.
Barriers to access: Explain any current barriers to access in that setting.
Accommodations or modifications: List any accommodations or modifications in the setting where the professional knows you.
Anticipated barriers for the exam: Identify potential barriers to access during the JDN exam and how the requested accommodations will mitigate them.

E) Notes

Documentation focused primarily on medical or mental health diagnosis will not be helpful. The focus should be on your functioning, as outlined in D above.

The Short Process does not require formal psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluations nor other medical records that name your diagnosis.

Having the professional simply re-tell your own subjective symptoms and complaints will not be helpful.

Computer-generated reports or printouts of medical records are neither required nor helpful.

Category B

Other high-stakes testing approval:

Official verification of approval for accommodations on a prior high-stakes, standardized exam, such as the ACT, SAT, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, or GRE, administered within the past five (5) years.

Category C

Evidence of formal accommodations or support services provided in a post-secondary academic setting within the past 18 months.

An outline of the specific accommodations or support services that were approved.
Documentation should be printed on the institution’s letterhead.

Category D

Individualized evaluation report from any of these sources:

Medical or psychological professional
Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapist, or other medical or mental health professional involved in your ongoing treatment, therapy, or assistance

A. Format requirements:

Must be legible and written in English
Must be signed, dated, and printed on the professional’s official letterhead.
Printed on the professional’s letterhead
If objective tests were administered, all scores and test-scores must be provided, using age-based norms, unless unavailable.

B. Evaluator qualifications:

Must be an impartial, unbiased professional with appropriate training and expertise.
Documentation should be objective and reflect the evaluator’s professional qualifications.
Should typically have a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, and hold licensure or credentials in an appropriate discipline.
Documentation from friends or family members, even if otherwise qualified, will not be accepted.

C. Documentation currency: The documentation must be recent enough to accurately reflect your current levels of functioning, limitations, and access needs.

D. Demonstrating a disability:

The documentation must provide evidence that you are substantially limited in one or more major life activities, compared to most people in the general population.
Major life activities include seeing, hearing, reading, learning, walking, thinking, or major bodily functions. Narrow aspects of learning (e.g., “math fluency” or “oral reading rate”) and “test taking” are not considered major life activities.
The appropriate reference group for establishing a disability is MOST PEOPLE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION - not specific subgroups like college seniors or individuals with high IQs.
A valid diagnosis of a condition does not automatically establish a disability.
Speaking English as a second language is not considered a disability and will not be accommodated.

E. Demonstrating the need for accommodations in order to access the test:

It is important for you and your evaluators to remember that unlike a school setting, accommodations under the ADA are intended to provide access to the test, not to improve performance, help someone “reach their potential,” “do better,” “finish,” or “pass” the test. The ADA is outcome neutral.
While prior academic institutions may have provided accommodations and support services that exceed ADA requirements to help you succeed, our obligation is to ensure access to the test.

F. Content Requirements: The report must include the following:

A discussion of the current functional impacts of how the disorder or condition affects your daily functioning—not limited to test-taking.
A detailed description of how your current functional limitations are likely to affect your ability to take the JDN exam under standard conditions.
Specific testing accommodations recommendations. Clearly outline specific recommendations for testing accommodations. Vague requests like “extended time” or “magnification” will be considered incomplete.
A specific rationale for each requested accommodation. Simply stating your diagnosis is insufficient. The rationale must explain how each requested accommodation(s) will reduce or remove specific barriers, ensuring access to the test.
A holistic review of evidence that the evaluator reviewed multiple sources of collateral or corroborating evidence, such as educational plans, transcripts, prior evaluations, or employment records. The evaluator’s conclusions and recommendations should not solely rely on subjective impressions, self-reported checklists, or test scores.

G. The report should include recommendations for the JDN test and setting:

The test: The JDN exam is a standardized exam, unlike non-standardized tests in educational settings where you may have been approved for accommodations. For example, accommodations like “unlimited time” or “preferential seating” which may be allowed in school, are not appropriate for a standardized exam like JDN.
The setting: The JDN exam is administered remotely. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that they have a quiet, appropriate environment for taking the test.

H. Reasonableness. Accommodations will not be granted if they compromise the security, integrity, or validity of the test.

Specific Circumstances

1. ADHD or learning disorders. Psychologists and doctors may diagnose someone with ADHD or a learning disorder—but as explained above, this diagnosis itself is not required.

Your documentation must adequately describe your current functional limitations to major life activities—not what your performance was like in elementary school or many years ago.
If your documentation indicates that you have difficulty sustaining your attention over time—yet you are requesting significantly longer seat time on the exam—you and your evaluator must explain why this accommodation would be appropriate.
Please note that simply providing evidence that you have been diagnosed with ADHD or a learning disorder is not sufficient to demonstrate that you are disabled.

2. Temporary disabilities or circumstances. Requests based on a temporary disability such as a broken arm, or temporary circumstances such as pregnancy, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

3. Medical conditions (including diabetes) requiring medical or assistive devices or equipment. If you use assistive devices (other than ordinary eyeglasses) or need to have medical equipment with you during your exam, you should submit a written request for accommodations along with appropriate documentation from your health care provider that indicates the need for such devices. Be sure to see the list of personal medical items that do NOT need pre-approval. As noted above, all devices, including personal medical items and other diabetes-related items, must be pre-approved.

4. Anxiety. It is perfectly normal to be anxious during your exam (“test anxiety”). However, accommodations are not provided solely for this circumstance, because “test-taking” is not a major life activity under the ADA. If the only impact of your condition is on test-taking, then it is likely that you are not a person with a disability.

5. Lack of English language proficiency. We do not provide disability-related accommodations to individuals based on lack of proficiency with the English language or when the accommodations request is based on speaking English as a second language (ESL).

6. Deaf. If you are deaf or otherwise hard-of-hearing, a written copy of the check-in procedures and rules can be provided to you. However, since the course and the exam are entirely written, with nothing to listen to, you should not need a sign language interpreter during the course or the exam. We do not translate the course or the exam into any other language, including ASL. As indicated above, accommodations must be relevant to the specific task and setting.

7. Blind or low vision. If you have a visual disorder that cannot be corrected with ordinary eyeglasses, there are many possible accommodations that we could provide to you, based on your specific needs. Be sure to provide information about your actual functional limitations, any assistive technology you regularly use, and what accommodations, devices, or technologies you may need in order to access the course and the exam.

Other Things to Note

1. Communication with JDN regarding your request.

General inquiries regarding accommodations: All accommodations inquiries must be made in writing via email to accommodations@aspenpublishing.com; we do not discuss accommodations inquiries or requests over the phone.

Accommodations requests and supporting documentation: Accommodations requests must be uploaded through the online request forms; we do not accept requests by mail or email.

2. Confidentiality. JDN staff will ONLY communicate with the candidate. We do not discuss accommodations issues with ANY third party, including parents.

3. Professionalism. Communications should be courteous and professional. Any candidate (or an advocate of a candidate) who engages in verbal abuse, uses profanity or threatening language, or is otherwise unprofessional, may forfeit their right to participate in any JDN service or program, regardless of disability status.

4. Personal statement. It is helpful (but not required) for you to provide your own personal statement that explains how your disability affects your functioning in major life activities or activities of daily living (work, home, school, etc.), and how you expect these limitations might impact your ability to take the JDN Exam under standard conditions.

Ready to Apply?

How to Apply

Short Process Form

Standard Process Form