Mastering the MEE: A Comprehensive Guide to Multiple Choice Questions and Effective Preparation
The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) is a critical component of the bar exam in many jurisdictions across the United States. This article provides a structured approach to understanding and preparing for the MEE, focusing on effective strategies, key areas of law, and insights from past exams. The MEE evaluates your ability to identify legal issues, distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, and provide a well-organized, concise analysis. It also tests your understanding of fundamental legal principles. The MEE is accepted in most jurisdictions across the United States, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and Texas, as well as territories such as Guam and the Virgin Islands. It is administered in a diverse range of locations, from New York and Illinois to Washington and Hawaii, covering nearly every corner of the country.
MEE Format and Structure
The MEE consists of six 30-minute essays, totaling 3 hours. In UBE jurisdictions, the MEE contributes 30% to the overall score.
Key Areas of Law Tested
Areas of law that may be covered on the MEE include the following:
- Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations and Limited Liability Companies)
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts (including Article 2 [Sales] of the Uniform Commercial Code)
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Torts
- Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
- Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code.
Some questions may include issues in more than one area of law. The particular areas covered vary from exam to exam. Effective with the July 2026 bar exam, the following areas will no longer be tested on the MEE: Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and Secured Transactions.
Effective Preparation Strategies
Preparing effectively for the MEE requires a structured and targeted approach.
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General Recommendations
- Carefully read the question and the “call of the question” (what the question asks you to do).
- Pay attention to the facts presented without assuming additional facts.
- Include more than a mere conclusion.
- Respond to the call of the question and stay on track.
- Practice writing in complete sentences and composing paragraphs.
- Organize your responses, and answer subparts, if any, in the order asked.
- Strive for clarity and good communication in writing.
- Avoid lengthy or unnecessary discussion of general or extraneous matters.
Core Strategies
- State the relevant rule and apply it directly to the facts.
- Structure your responses using Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion (IRAC).
- Focus on concise, effective legal analysis.
- Write an answer for every question, even if uncertain.
- Simulate real exam conditions regularly.
Key Principles to Remember
- Quality over Quantity: Providing a concise, accurate, and well-reasoned response is more important than writing a lengthy answer.
- Majority Law Principles: You do not need to apply state-specific law if you are taking the UBE. Instead, use majority law principles.
- Essay Length: While there’s no fixed length, a well-composed essay is typically about 1 page long.
Navigating the MEE
Understanding the Question
Carefully reading the question and identifying the "call of the question" is crucial. Pay close attention to the facts presented and avoid making assumptions beyond what is provided.
Structuring Your Answer
The IRAC method (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion) is a highly effective way to structure your responses.
- Issue: Clearly state the legal issue presented by the facts.
- Rule: State the relevant legal rule or principle that governs the issue.
- Application: Apply the rule to the specific facts of the question. This is where you demonstrate your analytical skills.
- Conclusion: State your conclusion based on the application of the rule to the facts.
Writing Style and Clarity
Strive for clarity and conciseness in your writing. Use complete sentences and well-organized paragraphs. Avoid lengthy or unnecessary discussions of general or extraneous matters.
MEE Past Issue Breakdown
Reviewing past MEE questions and sample answers can provide valuable insights into the types of issues tested and the level of analysis expected.
Recent MEE Topics
Here’s a breakdown of topics from recent MEE exams:
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July 2025 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Corporations & LLCs
- Consent of all LLC members required for actions outside the ordinary course of business (1)
- Members of an LLC may unanimously agree to dissolve the LLC and (2) winding up under RULLCA
- Judicial dissolution of an LLC
- Question 2: Contracts
- Contract formation-offer
- Contract formation-acceptance of a bilateral contract
- Promissory estoppel
- Damages
- Question 3: Trusts
- Resignation of a trustee
- Cy pres under the UTC
- Ability to modify of the terms of a charitable trust under the UTC
- Modification of the terms of a charitable trust under the UTC
- Question 4: Constitutional Law
- Sovereign immunity against a state
- Sovereign immunity against a city
- Tenth Amendment (not commandeering)
- Tenth Amendment (commandeering)
- Question 5: Criminal Procedure
- Fourth Amendment search and seizure (principal of student’s jacket pockets)
- Fourth Amendment search and seizure (principal of student’s locker)
- Fourth Amendment search and seizure (cell phone text messages)
- Question 6: Torts
- Negligence (duty of care)
- Vicarious versus direct liability (employer/employee)
- Vicarious liability (homeowner/independent contractor)
- Damages (economic harm from damage to personal property)
- Negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED)
February 2025 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Agency and Partnership
- Creation of an agency relationship
- Actual authority
- Apparent authority
- A partner’s ability to bind the partnership
- Question 2: Constitutional Law
- Traditional public forum
- Content-based versus content-neutral speech
- Strict scrutiny for content-based restrictions on speech
- Time, place, and manner
- Question 3: Torts
- Negligence per se
- False imprisonment
- Proximate causation
- Question 4: Civil Procedure
- Removal
- Federal question jurisdiction
- Diversity jurisdiction
- Personal jurisdiction
- Venue
- Question 5: Evidence
- Relevance
- Authentication
- Hearsay exceptions (present sense impression, excited utterance)
- Hearsay exceptions (past recollection recorded) and refreshing recollection
- Question 6: Trusts/Decedents’ Estates
- Revocability of a trust
- Beneficiaries
- Vested remainder subject to divestment
- Trustee’s duty to the settlor and to a beneficiary in a revocable trust
- Healthcare power of attorney
July 2024 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Real Property
- Implied warranty of habitability for new homes (or implied warranty of workmanlike construction)
- Warranty deed
- Quitclaim deed
- Easement by necessity
- Note on special warranty deeds
- Question 2: Corporations
- Duties of controlling shareholders
- Business judgment rule
- Direct and derivative shareholder claims
- Question 3: Constitutional Law
- Contracts Clause
- Equal Protection Clause, standards of review, rational basis review
- Substantive Due Process
- Question 4: Contracts
- Article 2 of the UCC
- Contract formation under the UCC
- Statute of Frauds, specially manufactured goods
- Delegation of duties
- Question 5: Family Law
- Modification of child custody order, requirement of a substantial change in circumstances
- Child’s custody preference
- Timing of request for modification of child custody order
- Joint custody
- Question 6: Civil Procedure
- Mandatory disclosures
- Scope of discovery
- Motion for judgment as a matter of law
February 2024 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Agency and Partnership
- Definition and requirements for a partnership
- Transfer of partnership interest
- Interest transferee is not a partner without the consent of other partners
- Partnership property
- Question 2: Contracts and Sales
- Article 2 governs transactions in goods
- Express warranty
- Disclaimer of express warranty
- Mutual mistake
- Risk of mistake allocation
- Question 3: Evidence
- Judicial notice of adjudicative facts
- Opportunity to be heard concerning judicial notice
- Character evidence
- Question 4: Real Property
- English rule and American rule for possession
- Assignment
- Holdover tenant and periodic tenancy
- Question 5: Criminal Procedure
- Double Jeopardy Clause
- Question 6: Decedents’ Estates
- Stock dividends
- Exoneration of a mortgage
- Anti-lapse statutes
- Lack of residuary clause
- Advancements
July 2023 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Torts
- Negligence
- Trespass to land
- Injunctive relief for claim of trespass or nuisance
- Question 2: Agency & Partnership / LLCs
- Partnership formation
- LLC manager as agent to the LLC/liability of an agent on a contract
- Piercing the corporate veil
- Question 3: Trusts and Future Interests
- Termination of a trust/Claflin doctrine
- Modification of a trust
- Question 4: Civil Procedure
- Statute of limitations
- Summary judgment
- Subject-matter jurisdiction
- Question 5: Secured Transactions Article 9
- Attachment
- Perfection
- Priority
- Question 6: Criminal Procedure
- Miranda warnings
- Terry stop and frisk
- Right to remain silent
- Waiver
- Jailhouse confessions
February 2023 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Decedents’ Estates
- Insane-delusion rule
- Mental capacity required to execute a valid will
- Standing to contest a will (“financial interest test”)
- Question 2: Criminal Law and Procedure (really just Criminal Procedure!)
- Proper execution of a search warrant in a suspect’s home
- Knock-and-announce rule
- Plain-view doctrine
- Terry search scope
- Exclusionary rule scope
- Particularity of a warrant
- Question 3: Civil Procedure
- Rule 14 impleader (third-party joinder)
- Specific personal jurisdiction
- Rule 4(k)(1)(B) (100-mile bulge rule) for personal jurisdiction for impleader
- Appeal of the dismissal of a third-party complaint in an action where other claims remain unresolved under the FRCP (Rule 54 exception to the final judgment rule (“no reason for just delay”))
- Question 4: Secured Transactions
- Purchase-money security interest (PMSI) in consumer goods and equipment
- Attachment requirements
- Security agreement requirements
- Application of Article 9
- Perfection of PSMI in consumer goods and equipment
- Financing statement requirements
- Question 5: Real Property
- Adverse possession
- Color of title and constructive adverse possession
- Tacking for cause of action
- Tolling of statute of limitations for disability (minor)
- Question 6: Evidence
- Admissibility of a statement made during a subsequently withdrawn guilty plea
- Former testimony of an unavailable witness
- Rule 401 relevancy
- Rule 404 MIMIC (absence of mistake)
- 403 balancing test
- Impeachment (prior acts of dishonesty)
July 2022 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Evidence
- Expert witness testimony
- Character evidence (and MIMIC-motive)
- Relevance
- Question 2: Contracts
- Parol evidence rule
- Interpretation of terms
- Enforceability of a covenant not to compete
- All common law (no UCC)
- Question 3: Corporations and Agency
- Agency relationship
- Authority (actual, apparent, ratification)
- Duty of loyalty (director on both sides of transaction) and the safe harbors
- Judicial dissolution of the corporation due to oppression by majority shareholder
- Question 4: Trusts/Decedents’ Estates
- Trust creation/elements of a valid trust
- Trust res/property
- Revocability
- Revocation by physical act
- Oral trusts
- Rule Against Perpetuities
- A trust for the benefit of a political party is not a charitable trust.
- Intestacy
- Per capita with representation
- Question 5: Civil Procedure
- Necessary parties (rule 19)
- Subject matter jurisdiction (diversity)
- How to proceed when a necessary party can’t be joined
- Question 6: Real Property
- Life estate, vested remainder, and duties of a life tenant
- Fee simple determinable and possibility of reverter
- Devisability
- RAP
February 2022 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Secured Transactions
- Requirements of attachment
- Classification of collateral-equipment
- Priority between a perfected security interest and a PMSI
- 20-day grace period rule (for PMSI in equipment)
- Question 2: Criminal Law
- Armed robbery
- Theft (larceny)
- Possession (receipt) of stolen property
- Question 3: Corporations and LLCs
- Directors have authority to vote on corporate decisions
- Duty of loyalty (interested director transaction), safe harbor-transaction was ultimately fair to the corporation
- Recovery from a derivative lawsuit goes to the corporation, not the shareholder
- Shareholder who didn’t own shares at the time of the alleged wrongful conduct does not have standing to bring a derivative suit
- Question 4: Agency
- No actual or apparent authority-principal is not liable
- Undisclosed principal-agent is liable
- Ratification
- Apparent authority
- Question 5: Trusts and Future Interests
- Spendthrift trust-preferred creditor (child support), nonpreferred creditor
- Power of appointment-special power of appointment
- Question 6: Contracts
- UCC
- Statute of Frauds, confirmatory memo exception
- Interpreting the terms-gap filler (delivery), course of dealing
- Expectation damages (from purchasing replacement goods)
July 2021 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Torts
- Negligence
- Child’s duty of care
- Physical disability
- Invitee status
- Rescuers
- Joint and several liability
- Question 2: Corporations/LLCs, Conflict of Laws
- Fundamental change (merger)
- Dissenter’s rights (shareholder in closely held corp. voted against merger can demand cash for shares)
- [Conflict of Laws]: internal matters are governed by the state of incorporation
- Question 3: Family Law
- Personal jurisdiction
- PKPA
- UCCJEA
- UIFSA
- Question 4: Criminal Law & Procedure
- Fourth Amendment search & seizure
- Warrantless arrest based on probable cause
- Hot pursuit
- Plain view
- Fourteenth Amendment due process identification procedures
- Subsequent in-court identification
- Question 5: Decedent’s Estates
- Antilapse statute (default rule; can be changed within the terms of the will)
- Definition of “heirs”
- Express survivorship requirement versus antilapse statute/provision
- Residuary gift lapse (common law vs. UPC)
- Question 6: Civil Procedure
- Subject-matter jurisdiction
- Supplemental jurisdiction
- Erie doctrine
- Federal pleading requirements (“notice pleading”)
February 2021 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Agency and Partnership
- Partnership formation
- Profit-sharing as prima facie evidence of a partnership
- Partnership liability for negligence
- Employee vs. independent contractor
- Vicarious liability for negligence of an employee
- Vicarious liability for an independent contractor’s negligence
- Question 2: Decedents’ Estates
- Partial revocation
- Holographic codicil
- Doctrine of dependent relative revocation
- Incorporation by reference
- Partial intestacy
- Question 3: Civil Procedure
- Joinder-plaintiffs joining with plaintiffs
- Claim preclusion, compulsory counterclaim
- Issue preclusion: offensive non-mutual issue preclusion
- Erie doctrine
- Question 4: Secured Transactions
- Attachment of security interests
- Security agreement needs to sufficiently identify collateral
- Perfection
- Filing a financing statement
- Priority
- Perfected secured party has priority over unperfected party
- Judgment lien creditor has priority over unperfected party
- Security interest perfected before lien was created has priority over the lien
- Question 5: Real Property
- Easement implied by preexisting use
- Notice acts likely do not apply to implied easements.
- Purchaser was on inquiry notice of easement.
- Question 6: Contracts
- UCC Art. 2 (sale of goods)
- Statute of Frauds-sale of goods >$500
- Confirmatory memo exception
- Subsequent writing evidencing agreement
October 2020 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Civil Procedure
- ESI must be electronically preserved
- Sanctions-broad discretion
- Adverse inference instruction
- Default judgment may not be appropriate
- Question 2: Trusts
- No definite beneficiaries
- Power of appointment
- Special power of appointment
- Question 3: Evidence
- Opposing party’s statement, declarant’s then-existing state of mind
- Statement against interest
- Public office report offered against accused in criminal case
- Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause
- Question 4: Agency & Partnership
- Partnership bound on contract, agent signed it
- Partners personally liable for obligations
- Partner reimbursed for funds spent
- Partner not reimbursed for actual time unless agreed
- Sale of land, no actual or apparent authority existed, not in ordinary course of business
- Question 5: Constitutional Law
- Free speech
- Content-based-strict scrutiny
- Content-neutral-time, place, manner, intermediate scrutiny
- Narrowly tailored means two different things depending on test applied
- Question 6: Family Law
- UIFSA
- Reduce child support award when material/substantial change in circumstances
- Spousal support modifiable-substantial change in circumstances
September 2020 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Criminal Law
- First-degree murder-interpretation of statute
- Voluntary manslaughter-interpretation of statute
- Defense of others
- Felony murder
- Question 2: Real Property
- Constructive eviction
- Acceptance of surrender
- Covenant of quiet enjoyment and privity of estate with future tenant
- Question 3: Wills
- Mental capacity to create a will
- Proof of mistake by clear and convincing evidence & note on dependent relevant revocation
- Valid codicil, holographic will, incorporation by reference doctrine
- Question 4: Constitutional Law
- Regulatory taking
- Permanent physical invasion
- Public use
- Question 5: Agency & Corporations/LLCs
- First to file or perfect rule, equipment, PMSI is perfected & superior over non-PMSI
- Equipment, not a true lease, perfected takes over unperfected
- Question 6: Contracts
- Implied warranty of fitness
- Rejection or revoked acceptance
- Damages
July 2020 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Evidence
- Subsequent remedial measures
- Authentication (handwritten letter)
- Best Evidence Rule (original vs. copy)
- Hearsay-statement against interest
- Physician-patient privilege
- Question 2: Corporations / Constitutional Law
- Corporations
- Shareholder inspect/copy board minutes
- Shareholder action not legal if mandates board not approve corporate political expenditures unless authorized by shareholder
- Constitutional Law
- Citizens United corporation has free speech rights
- Corporations
- Question 3: Wills / Trusts & Future Interests
- Charitable trust; RAP
- Noncharitable trust
- Consanguinity method; parentelic distribution
- Question 4: Family Law
- State may grant a divorce if the person is domiciled
- State may grant custody even if no PJ over other respondent parent
- State may not grant property because need PJ over respondent
- Fault basis may be established for divorce
- Best interest of the child factors
- Question 5: Secured Transactions
- First to file or perfect rule, equipment, PMSI is perfected and superior over non-PMSI
- Equipment, not a true lease, perfected takes over unperfected
- Question 6: Real Property
- Fair Housing Act of 1968
- Newspaper, discriminatory ad
- Fixtures
February 2020 Multistate Essay Exam
- Question 1: Contracts
- Common law
- Failure to perform, excuse, material breach
- Predominate purpose of the contract
- Substantial …
Identifying Frequently Tested Topics
By analyzing past exams, you can identify topics that are frequently tested on the MEE. Focus your study efforts on these areas to maximize your chances of success.
General Advice
- Past exam questions and selected answers are made available only for the limited, personal use of Texas Bar Exam applicants.
- The publication of past exam questions and selected answers (or comments) is not intended to indicate any specific legal issue or issues that will be tested on a future exam.
- Do not use them as a substitute for learning the subjects covered on the exam.
- Overall, these select answers help to demonstrate the general length and quality of responses that earned above average scores on the indicated administration of the essay portion of the bar examination.
- However, these are unrevised answers written by actual examinees under time constraints without access to law books.
- As such, these essays do not always correctly identify or respond to all issues raised by the question, and they may contain some extraneous or incorrect information.
- They do not, in all respects, accurately reflect Texas law or its application to the facts.
- These essays are not intended as “model answers” and should never be taken by anyone as legal advice.
- Demonstrate your ability to reason and analyze.
Exam Day Strategies
Time Management
With only 30 minutes per essay, effective time management is crucial. Practice writing essays under timed conditions to improve your speed and efficiency.
Dealing with Uncertainty
It is important to write an answer for every question, even if uncertain. Make an educated guess and present your analysis as clearly as possible.
Permitted and Prohibited Items
Each jurisdiction provides specific guidelines on permitted and prohibited items. If you are caught possessing an illegal item, you most likely will be expelled from the bar exam with your scores voided.
Registration and Accommodations
To register for the MEE, you first have to register for the bar exam in your jurisdiction. The MEE is mandated in UBE jurisdictions and some non-UBE jurisdictions. This process typically involves creating an account with the NCBE, which manages bar exam applications.
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Candidates with a qualified disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) can request accommodations, such as extra time, breaks, or alternative exam formats. The MEE is typically presented in Times New Roman, size 12 font, but alternative formats - such as Braille, large print, audio, and screen-reader-compatible documents - are available.
Passing the MEE
You can fail the MEE and still pass the bar exam. The MEE accounts for 30% of your total score in UBE jurisdictions.
The number of retakes allowed varies by jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions permit you to attempt the bar exam, including the MEE, between 2 to 6 times.
The NextGen Bar Exam
The MBE, MEE, and MPT will be administered through the February 2028 bar exam and will be replaced in July 2028 by the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam.
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