Bar Exam Prep
MEE Prep
The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) consists of 6 essay questions administered over 3 hours. The MEE tests your ability to identify legal issues, apply legal rules to facts, and communicate your analysis in a clear, organized essay. Beyond the 7 MBE subjects, the MEE also tests subjects that do not appear on the multiple-choice bar exam.
Below you will find in-depth study guides for each non-MBE MEE subject, including high-yield topics, essay writing approaches, key rules you must memorize, commonly tested issues, and strategies to maximize your score on exam day.
6
Essay Questions
3 Hours
30 minutes per essay
5
Non-MBE Subjects Covered
MEE Subjects
Business Associations
Tested 6 of last 10 examsBusiness Associations on the MEE tests your understanding of agency, partnerships, and corporations. The exam focuses on fiduciary duties of agents, partners, and corporate directors and officers, as well as the formation and governance of different business entities.
Conflict of Laws
Tested 5 of last 10 examsConflict of Laws on the MEE tests your ability to determine which state's law applies when a dispute involves contacts with multiple jurisdictions. The exam covers choice of law methodologies, constitutional limitations on choice of law, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.
Family Law
Tested 5 of last 10 examsFamily Law on the MEE tests your knowledge of marriage, divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, and property division. The exam frequently combines multiple family law issues in a single fact pattern, requiring you to address jurisdictional questions, the validity of marriage, grounds for divorce, and the financial and custodial consequences of dissolution.
Trusts & Estates
Tested 7 of last 10 examsTrusts and Estates on the MEE is one of the most frequently tested subjects. The exam covers wills, intestate succession, trust creation and administration, fiduciary duties of trustees, will substitutes, and powers of appointment. Questions often combine multiple issues across wills and trusts in a single fact pattern.
Secured Transactions (UCC Article 9)
Tested 5 of last 10 examsSecured Transactions on the MEE tests your understanding of UCC Article 9, which governs security interests in personal property. The exam focuses on the creation (attachment), perfection, and priority of security interests, as well as the rights of secured parties upon default.
How to Approach the MEE
The MEE rewards structured, organized writing. Unlike the MBE, which tests rule recognition through multiple choice, the MEE requires you to identify issues from an open-ended fact pattern, state the applicable rule, apply the rule to the facts, and reach a conclusion. The IRAC method (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion) is the standard framework, and graders expect to see it consistently.
Time management is critical. With 30 minutes per essay, you should spend approximately 5 minutes reading and outlining, 22 minutes writing, and 3 minutes reviewing. Do not spend all your time on one issue at the expense of others — the MEE typically contains multiple issues per question, and graders award points for each issue spotted and analyzed, even briefly.
Use the subject-specific study guides below to focus on the highest-yield topics, learn the key rules you must memorize, and practice the essay approaches that will help you write clear, point-scoring answers under exam pressure. Each guide includes sample issues that mirror the types of questions the NCBE has tested in the past.