MEE Grading Rubric

MEE Grading Rubric

MEE grading rubric: Are you ready to start practicing for the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), but need to find some way to score your essays? In this post, we use the Washington State Bar Association’s MEE grading rubric (which is no longer available online, as of December 2019), to help you in this task! Then, we’ll give you our thoughts on how to write a high-scoring MEE answer. So, read further for more details!

MEE Grading Rubric

To score a 6

A 6 answer is a very good answer. A 6 answer usually indicates that the applicant has a thorough understanding of the facts, a recognition of the issues presented and the applicable principles of law, and the ability to reason to a conclusion in a well-written paper.

To score a 5

A 5 answer is an above average answer. A 5 answer usually indicates that the applicant has a fairly complete understanding of the facts, recognizes most of the issues and the applicable principles of law, and has the ability to reason fairly well to a conclusion in a relatively well-written paper.

To score a 4

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.

To score a 3

A 3 answer demonstrates a somewhat below average answer. A 3 answer usually indicates that it is, on balance, inadequate. It shows that the applicant has only a limited understanding of the facts and issues and the applicable principles of law, and a limited ability to reason to a conclusion in a below average written paper.

To score a 2

A 2 answer demonstrates a below average answer. A 2 answer usually indicates that it is, on balance, significantly flawed. It shows that the applicant has only a rudimentary understanding of the facts and/or law, very limited ability to reason to a conclusion, and poor writing ability.

To score a 1

A 1 answer is among the worst answers. It usually indicates a failure to understand the facts and the law. A 1 answer shows virtually no ability to identify issues, reason, or write in a cogent manner.

To score a 0

A 0 answer indicates that there is no response to the question or that it is completely unresponsive to the question.

In order to do well on the MEE, you want to make sure to do the following:

• First, learn the rules of law, especially the highly tested areas of law! If you do not know the rules, you will have nothing to apply!
• Make sure to address all issues in the call of the question and also look through the fact pattern to see if additional issues are raised by the facts.
• Get good at using facts from the answer when you apply the law to arrive at a conclusion.
• Arrive at an accurate and well-reasoned conclusion using the law and facts provided.

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!

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