Topic 7: How to use MEE Sample Answers & NCBE Point Sheets

How to use MEE Sample Answers & NCBE Point Sheets

If you are planning on taking the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), you may wonder how to use MEE sample answers and point sheets. For any given question, there are two resources you can look at to see how the question should be answered. The first resource is the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) point sheets. The second resource is MEE student answers (or MEE sample answers). Here, we tell you how to use these resources when you are studying for the MEE. 

How to use MEE Sample Answers & NCBE Point Sheets

NCBE point sheets

The NCBE point sheets are promulgated by the NCBE, which writes the bar exam.

The NCBE point sheets are very helpful because they tell you the following information for each MEE question:

• Which issues are tested
• The percentage that each issue is worth (e.g., it will say “Issue One: 40%”) (this is helpful when you are trying to gauge if you spotted the major issues)
• The rule, analysis, and conclusion for each issue

Note that the NCBE point sheets often are much longer than an answer you would be expected to write in 30 minutes. They also contain citations (which you are not expected to include!) and sometimes contain a lengthy analysis or background of the law.  However, despite the extra information, the NCBE point sheets are extremely invaluable because they provide the best overview of what you are expected to write.

When you review an NCBE point sheet, pay attention to the following: 

• Did I address all the issues?
• Did I properly state the rule(s)? (Focus on whether you stated the key elements of each rule. It is not necessary to state rules verbatim.)
• Did I analyze the appropriate facts or did I miss key facts?
• Did I arrive at the correct conclusion for each issue?

We tell you how to self-grade an MEE answer here if you are looking for a detailed guide on how to compare your answer to NCBE point sheets.

You can find NCBE point sheets here in our MEE books. We also have some links to free MEE point sheets from the NCBE here.

MEE student answers

The next resource you can use is MEE student answers. MEE student answers are released by some states. They are usually called “representative” or “high-scoring” student answers.

MEE student answers are useful in the following ways:

• You can see what high-scoring students write in response to MEE questions.
• You can get an idea of basic structure and format for answering a question.
• You will realize that your answer does not have to be perfect to get a high score.

However, the major downsides of MEE student answers are:

• They are not always accurate.
• Sometimes they are incomplete (they fail to address all issues).

So, while it can be useful to consult MEE student answers, you should not depend on them! Instead, you should look at NCBE point sheets in conjunction with MEE student answers.

If you are wondering where to find MEE student answers (for free), you can see links to MEE answers released by several jurisdictions here.

Go to the next topic, Topic 8: MEE Timing Tips.

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