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How to Study for the MEE (and Study Efficiently!)

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lsat tutoringAre you wondering how to study for the MEE (the multistate essay exam)? In this post, we tell you how to study for the MEE — and how to study efficiently!  The steps we list below will ensure that you will cover everything. They will also ensure that you spend the most time on the most highly-tested areas of law. It shouldn’t come as a major surprise that some subjects are tested more heavily than others. And further, that some topics within those subjects are tested even more heavily! So below we tell you exactly how to study for the MEE in the most efficient and productive manner.

How to Study for the MEE:

1. Use the best outlines possible.

The first step toward studying for the MEE efficiently and productively is to get the best outlines possible. You might think “well, I’m taking Barbri. So those outlines are the best.”

Well . . . unfortunately the Barbri (and the Kaplan) outlines are not that great. They don’t tell you when material is tested. And, they don’t have all the law that is tested. Further, they don’t list the majority and minority rule when it is important to know both.  And, in general, they don’t seem tailored at all to the MEE.

The one consolation is if you are taking Barbri or a commercial course, is that everyone else is using the same materials so you at least will be graded against others who are just as ignorant in terms of what subjects and topics that are tested!

We hate to promote our own products and courses, but if you want to study for the MEE as efficiently as possible, you should use outlines that are made directly from the NCBE’s examiner’s analysis. And that highlight every single time a subject was tested. Our outlines show you exactly what is heavily tested. They state two different views when you need to know two different views. They give examples from past MEE’s. Further, hey highlight the most important areas of law. And we go back to 1995 to make sure we haven’t missed anything. (To learn more about why we have the best MEE outlines and to see a sample, click here!)

We do not sell our outlines. However, we have a few options if you are looking to obtain materials from us:

First we do sell our MEE one-sheets. These give you an overview of the highly-tested areas of the MEE in one sheet, front and back. They are not full outlines. However, we have extracted all of the highly-tested areas of law into one sheet, front and back. Thus, they are very useful supplements to the outlines you may already have.

Further, we do have an online and in-person MEE course where you receive all of our full outlines. We also offer private tutoring for the MEE (and MPT and MBE if you need it!). Many students use our MEE tutoring or course in lieu of any of their commercial bar review lectures or materials. They find it extraordinarily helpful.

We know that not everyone can afford private tutoring or an MEE course. And that is okay. You can definitely pass without it. But, if you are trying to be as efficient as possible, having the right materials is the first step! So we can’t help but recommend it!

2. Focus on the most popular subjects — and the ones most likely to come up!

Another thing you can do to put yourself in the best position to pass the MEE (and to study for the MEE efficiently!) is to focus on the most popular subjects!

For example, see our MEE subject frequency chart here. (You can also see MEE subjects by year in this post if you prefer to see it broken down that way.)

You’ll notice that Civil Procedure, for example, is tested SUPER heavily! Whereas, say, Criminal Law and Procedure are not tested as often. (If you are in a Uniform Bar Exam state and want to what subjects the National Conference of Bar Examiner’s has liked to test most often on the Uniform Bar Exam MEE, please see this post! You may not realize that the Multistate Essay Exam used to have more subjects for states to choose from . . . So just because a subject was popular on the MEE does not mean it is popular on the UBE! See this post to get an overview of the evolution of the multistate essay exam.

As for state subjects, you can also see that they tend not to test, say, Secured Transactions, Evidence, or other subjects more than a couple times in a row. So if those were tested back-to-back the last couple years (ahem, February 2017 takers, we’re talking to you!) then it might make sense to not expect them as much as others. This is not to say that you won’t see them or you shouldn’t prepare for them — because you might see them and you should prepare for everything! But this is to say that you can allocate your time intelligently given the likelihood that you may not see them!

3. Learn the highly-tested topics within each subject.

We offer an Multistate Essay Exam seminar that covers the most popular topics within each subject. Again, the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ does not reinvent the wheel every time they write the multistate essay exam! They tend to retest similar topics repeatedly. So it is wise to focus on these topics that will likely be tested.

Further, if you are looking for an overview of the highly-tested areas of law on the MEE, check out our MEE one-sheets. These give you an overview of the highly-tested areas of the MEE in one sheet, front and back.They differ from the seminar in that the seminar will contain highly-tested information as well as information that we think is coming up on the exam. Thus, the seminar contains our predictions whereas the MEE one-sheets contain just highly-tested areas of law.

You can also learn the highly-tested topics within each subjects by reviewing a lot of MEE’s! This brings us to our next tip . . .

4. Practice!!!

Practice taking MEE’s ahead of time! Practice is so important. You will see the format of the MEE questions. Further, you will see point allocation. And, you will see the exact rule statements and analysis that the NCBE expects. So many students don’t practice (because they “don’t have time”) when, in reality, it is such a crucial part of the process!

If you don’t know where to start are looking for sources for MEE questions and analyses, please see this post on where to find them.

Also, don’t forget to time yourself when you practice!  (If you are looking for some MEE timing tips, see this post!) Students fail the MEE for timing reasons every single time. Do not be one of them!

Lastly, if you are looking for MEE feedback if you are interested in getting feedback on your essays you are welcome to check out our options. Or you can also ask your commercial course what feedback options they have available if you are looking for a cheaper/free route. (If you are looking for a free route, ask your law school if any professors provide feedback or if they offer any bar exam essay feedback opportunities).

Either way, when you are done writing an answer to an MEE, always look at the answer promulgated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ to make sure that yours is on par, that you spotted all of the issues, and stated the appropriate laws. You should do this even if you get feedback from a professor, course, or professional.

5. Keep in mind that the MEE is a very important part of the bar exam!

Some students get so bogged down with multiple choice that they forget that the MEE (in uniform bar exam states) is worth 30% of the bar exam (or the equivalent of approximately 120 MBE questions!). Constantly remind yourself how important the MEE is — especially if answering MBE questions isn’t your strong suit!

You will be at an advantage for it since so many students neglect the MEE. They have a false sense of confidence then miss out on valuable points. Remind yourself of the competitive edge you are getting by taking the MEE seriously. It will pay off!

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