What Is The Average MEE Score I Need To Pass?

When many students start studying for the bar exam, it’s difficult for them to judge their own work, especially when they practice for the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). Often, we’re asked what score students need to make sure they pass the MEE portion of the exam. In this post, we go over what average MEE score you need to pass!

What Is The Average MEE Score I Need To Pass?

Unlike the MPT, you will complete 6 MEEs when you take the bar exam. It does not matter what score you get on them individually, as long as your overall score is high enough to pass. So, you can completely miss on one of the MEEs, and make up those lost points by writing great answers for the others.

But what average MEE score should you aim for? In most UBE jurisdictions, you need to average at least a 4 on your MEEs in order to pass. What does a 4 answer look like? Check out our MEE Grading Rubric post to see the guidelines published by the Washington State Bar Association. To quote, “[a] 4 answer demonstrates an average answer. A 4 answer usually indicates that the applicant understands the facts fairly well, recognizes most of the issues and the applicable principles of law, and has the ability to reason to a conclusion in a satisfactorily written paper.”

So, as you can see, you will need to understand the facts of the situation well, recognize the law that applies, and provide reasoning to back up your conclusion. In most jurisdictions, averaging a 4 will help you pass the MEE.

For those who like math:

In a Uniform Bar Exam jurisdiction, the MPT and MEE together are worth 200 points together. The MPT is worth 20% (or 80 of those points) and the MEE is worth 30% (or 120 of those points).

If the MEE is worth 120 points total, each MEE answer will be scaled to be worth 20 points out of the 400 potential points.

A score of 4 out of 6 is equivalent to a 13.33 out of 20.

If you received scores of 13.33 on each of the 6 MEE answers, you would receive a score of 80/120. An 80/120 is a percentage of 66.67%, which is passing for jurisdictions that require a score of 266. (It is above passing if your jurisdiction requires lower than a 266 and a little below passing if your jurisdiction requires a score higher than a 266.) If your jurisdiction requires a score of 280, you would want to aim for a score of at least 14 on each MEE, which breaks down to a score of 4.2. If your jurisdiction requires a score of 260, you could score a 3.9 average on each essay.

So basically, anywhere between a 3.9 and a 4.2 is passing!

Of course remember you do not have to get a minimum score on the MEE portion. You only need whatever the magic number is (e.g. a number between 260 and 280 depending on your jurisdiction). This is just what you should aim to get if you are wondering specifically what score is needed to pass the MEE portion of the bar exam!

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What Is The Average MEE Score I Need To Pass?