multistate essay exam frequency chart

Multistate Essay Examination

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Each jurisdiction will provide specific information regarding materials, including appropriate identification, that examinees are allowed to bring with them to the test center.

About the MEE

The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) consists of six 30-minute questions. Developed by NCBE, the MEE is administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year. 

The MEE is only one of a number of measures that a board of bar examiners may use in determining competence to practice. Each jurisdiction grades the MEE and determines its own policy with regard to the relative weight given to the MEE and other scores. Jurisdictions that administer the   Uniform Bar Examination  weight the MEE component 30%.

Registration Information

The MEE is developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination. Applicants register for the MEE by applying to a jurisdiction for the bar exam. View our interactive map for jurisdictions administering the MEE and other information.

Preparing for the MEE

The MEE consists of six 30-minute questions. 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, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law, Contracts (including Article 2 [Sales] of the Uniform Commercial Code), Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Family Law, Real Property, Torts, Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests), and 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.  

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The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) is a collection of 30-minute essay questions and is administered by participating jurisdictions on the Tuesday before the last Wednesday in February and July of each year. The MEE offers nine questions per examination, with most jurisdictions selecting six questions from the nine. Ohio does not administer the MEE but other states, including Kentucky, do.  

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• Sample Questions from the July 2023 exam are available on the NCBE web site.
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• Last Updated: May 13, 2024 7:25 AM
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• MEE Flashcards by Critical Pass Call Number: KF303 .M44 2020 ISBN: 9781685612160 Publication Date: 2020 Five color-coded sections cover business associations (34 cards), conflict of laws (8 cards), family law (19 cards), secured transactions (22 cards), trusts & estates (34 cards); each section includes an index and 5 (2 for conflict of laws) blank cards.

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The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is coordinated by the NCBE and is composed of the MEE, two MPT tasks, and the MBE. It is uniformly administered, graded, and scored and results in a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions. For a list of jurisdictions that administer the UBE, please see the map at the bottom of this page.

Content and Scoring of the Exam

The UBE is administered over two days, with the MBE given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that. Jurisdictions that use the UBE may also require applicants to complete a  jurisdiction-specific law component . 

NCBE scores the MBE component of the UBE. Jurisdictions grade the MEE and MPT components. The MEE and MPT scores are scaled to the MBE and UBE total scores are calculated by the NCBE. The MBE is weighted 50%, the MEE 30%, and the MPT 20%. UBE total scores are reported on a 400-point scale. Jurisdictions set their own  minimum passing scores  for the UBE. 

According to the NCBE, “[t]he UBE is designed to test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. It results in a portable score that can be used to apply for admission in other UBE jurisdictions.”

Study Resources for the UBE

The Law Library contains a special  Bar Success Collection  of resources to help you prepare for the bar exam. This collection is located in the Main Reading Room on Level 3A.

The Library also has eBook collections that can assist you in studying: 

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• Black Letter Outlines
• Gilbert Law Summaries
• Law School Legends Audio
• Lexis Digital Library Study Aids
• Short and Happy Guides
• Sum and Substance Audio

Below is a sampling of the print and electronic resources available from the Law Library: 

There are multiple resources that provide sample questions and answers for the UBE:

• Recent MEE questions and model answers .
• Recent MPT questions, model answers, and point sheets . 
• Sample MBE questions . 

If you’re looking to purchase additional resources yourself:

• The NCBE provides you with some  sample MBE test questios  online. 
• When you register for a Bar Review course they will provide you with multiple simulated MBE exams.
• The NCBE has a list of MBE study aids in their  online store .
• (FREE)  MEE Questions and Analyses  from older administrations are available on the NCBE website. 
• The NCBE provides you with some  sample MEE test questions  online. 
• When you register for a Bar Review course they will provide you with multiple simulated MEE exams.
• The NCBE has a list of MEE study aids in their  online store .
•  (FREE)  MPTs and Point Sheets  from older administrations are available on the NCBE website. 
• (FREE)  Summaries of MPTs  from recent administrations are available on the NCBE website. 
• When you register for a Bar Review course they will provide you with multiple simulated MPT exams.
• The NCBE has a list of MPT study aids in their  online store .

Topic 2: MBE Frequency Chart: Highly Tested MBE Topics

Please see our new, most updated, free mbe guide here .

(We have an updated MBE frequency chart here , in the new guide!)

MBE Frequency Chart: Highly Tested MBE Topics

Here, we discuss the highly tested MBE topics. Before we do so, it is important to note that the MBE subjects  are all tested equally. The MBE covers seven subjects:

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts & Sales
• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Real Property

Each subject is apportioned 25 questions, for a total of 175 total scored questions. (There also are an additional 25 test questions, which can be pulled from any subject.)

Highly Tested MBE Topics

While the MBE subjects are tested equally, the MBE topics within each subject are not tested equally. We have listed the MBE subjects in order and ranked the topics from most-to-least tested. You can see which subtopics fall within these topics by downloading the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) subject matter outline here . 

Why pay attention to the highly tested MBE topics?

When you study for the bar exam, your goal is to study efficiently! One of the best ways to study efficiently for the bar exam is by focusing on the highly tested MBE topics.

For example:

• Civil Procedure: Jurisdiction and venue, pretrial procedures, and motions are tested the most. You should focus on these topics when you study.
• Constitutional Law: individual rights makes up half of the tested MBE questions.
• Contracts: Focus on formation and performance, breach, and discharge. These make up 50% of the scored Contracts MBE questions. You’ll also notice that only 1/4 of the questions cover UCC Article 2.
• Criminal Law and Procedure: Constitutional protection of accused persons (Criminal Procedure) makes up 50% of the scored Criminal Law and Procedure questions. You can also see that topics like Homicide make up 12.5% of the Criminal Law questions.
• Evidence: relevancy, hearsay, and presentation of evidence are highly tested and should compose the bulk of your studying.
• Real Property: This subject is evenly divided in terms of how it is tested. So, do not over-focus on one topic (like the rule against perpetuities or present and future interests, for example) since you are unlikely to see multiple scored questions on any given topic. Instead, you will see an even spread of Real Property questions.
• Torts: negligence is by far the most important MBE topic, as it makes up half of the scored questions on the bar exam.

If your goal is to study smart for the MBE, it is well worth it to focus on the topics that are worth the most points!

How do I make sure I am exposed to these highly tested topics? 

The best way is to use actual, released MBE questions. We discuss this further in Topic 13. You can also read about where to find real MBE questions here or check out our MBE questions for sale here .

Update: Please make sure you are using released MBE questions when you are reviewing your raw score! (The BEST current exam is the 2022 exam released by the NCBE, which you can purchase here .)

Go to the next topic, Topic 3: How to Pass the MBE.

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