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What is the Multistate Essay Exam?

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What is the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)?

We get lots of questions about the makeup of the Uniform Bar Exam. Many of them revolve around the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). So, here is our detailed analysis of the MEE, starting with the obvious: what is the Multistate Essay Exam?

1. What is the Multistate Essay Exam?

The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) is the essay portion of the Uniform Bar Examination. The National Conference of Bar Examiners writes the exam. Furthermore, the respective states grade their examinees’ exams. The MEE is always administered on the first day of the Bar Exam. So, for the February 2017 Bar administration it is on Tuesday, February 21. Examinees have thirty minutes for each of the six questions on the MEE. Thus, this portion of the Bar Exam is three hours.

2. What topics does it test?

The MEE may ask questions on the following topics:

  • Business Associations: This includes –Agency and Partnership, Corporations and Limited Liability Companies;
  • Civil Procedure;
  • Conflict of Laws;
  • Constitutional Law;
  • Contracts: This includes – Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (Sales);
  • Criminal Law and Procedure;
  • Evidence;
  • Family Law;
  • Real Property;
  • Torts;
  • Trusts and Estates: This includes—Decedents’ Estates, Trusts and Future Interests; and
  • Secured Transactions (specifically, Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code).

3. So, are some subjects tested more than others?

Yes. We have studied the subjects tested on the MEE and have found that some are tested very frequently (e.g. Civil Procedure) whereas others are infrequently tested (e.g. Conflict of Laws).  If you are wondering which ones are tested more than others, see this post to see our Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) chart.

4. Are some topics tested more than others?

Yes! So, while specific subjects tend to be tested more than others, specific topics within each subject tend to be tested more than other topics. This should not be a huge surprise as we imagine the writers look back to past exams for ideas on what to test (rather than reinventing the wheel each time). If you want an overview of these highly-tested topics, please see our MEE one-sheets.  

5. What law is the MEE testing?

Pursuant to the MEE’s instructions, it directs examinees to answer the questions, “according to the generally accepted fundamental legal principles. . .” However, states can instruct their examinees to answer the questions according to their specific statutory or case law.

6. How much is it worth?

In the jurisdictions that administer the UBE, the MEE portion is worth 30% of the whole exam. Furthermore, this is the same as 105 MBE questions. So, it is important to take it seriously!

Christine, one of our bar exam tutors, wrote this post. Christine has passed three bar exams, including California, New York, and New Jersey. She also scored in the 95th percentile on the MBE, and specializes in helping students raise their MPT scores.

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