Beans and Franks and Bar Combos: Subject Pairings on the MEE
- Tommy Sangchompuphen
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
July 13 is National Beans and Franks Day, and while that might not sound like a bar exam topic at first glance, stick with me.
Beans and franks are a classic combination—simple, satisfying, and better together. They’re a reminder that some things just belong side by side. The same goes for certain subject combinations on the MEE (Multistate Essay Exam). Most essays test a single subject. But every so often, the bar examiners serve up a combo plate, and if you’re not expecting it, you might get indigestion.
So don’t just prep for subjects in isolation. You need to be ready for the "beans and franks" of bar essays—natural pairings that show up again and MEE Combos (Beans-and-Franks Style)
Some of the most frequently tested combinations include:
🔀 Agency + Partnership
🔀 Wills + Trusts
🔀 Criminal Law + Criminal Procedure
🔀 Civil Procedure + Conflict of Laws
🔀 Corporations + Agency or Constitutional Law
If you study these individual subjects in silos, you might miss key crossover issues—like duties, jurisdiction, or choice of law—that blend together in a single fact pattern.
Since 2008 (that's how far back I've examined each essay), the MEE has featured multiple essays that test more than one subject. Below is a breakdown of actual beans-and-franks-style combinations tested on past exams. Understand the combinations, and be ready for those curveballs on game day.
Agency
July 2008 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2009(Agency and Partnership)
July 2010 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2011 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2012 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2013 (combined with Torts)
February 2014 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2015 (combined with Torts)
February 2016 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2018 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2019 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2018 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2019 (Agency and Partnership)
Early September 2020 (combined with Corporations)
Late September 2020 and October 2020 Remote (Agency and Partnership)
February 2021 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2022 (combined with Corporations)
July 2023 (Agency and Partnership combined with Corporations)
February 2025 (Agency and Partnership)
Civil Procedure
February 2009 (combined Conflict of Laws)
February 2012 (combined Conflict of Laws)
July 2017 (combined Conflict of Laws)
July 2019 (combined Constitutional Law)
Conflict of Laws (currently only tested alongside another subject)
July 2008 (combined with Family Law)
February 2009 (combined with Civil Procedure)
July 2011 (combined with Family Law)
February 2012 (combined with Civil Procedure)
July 2012 (combined with Wills)
February 2017 (combined with Family Law)
July 2017 (combined with Civil Procedure)
July 2019 (combined with Wills)
Constitutional Law
July 2019 (combined with Civil Procedure)
July 2020 (combined with Corporations)
Contracts and Sales
July 2010 (combined with Negotiable Instruments) (Negotiable Instruments is no longer tested on the MEE)
Corporations
July 2020 (combined with Constitutional Law)
Early September 2020 (combined with Agency)
July 2022 (combined with Agency)
July 2023 (combined with Corporations and Partnership)
Criminal Law
July 2009 (Combined with Criminal Procedure)
February 2014 (Combined with Criminal Procedure)
Criminal Procedure
July 2009 (Combined with Criminal Law)
February 2014 (Combined with Criminal Law)
July 2016 (Combined with Evidence)
July 2017 (Combined with Evidence)
Evidence
July 2016 (Combined with Criminal Procedure)
July 2017 (Combined with Criminal Procedure)
Family Law
July 2008 (combined with Conflict of Laws)
July 2011 (combined with Conflict of Laws)
February 2017 (combined with Conflict of Laws)
Partnership
July 2008 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2009(Agency and Partnership)
July 2010 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2011 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2012 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2014 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2016 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2018 (Agency and Partnership)
July 2018 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2019 (Agency and Partnership)
Late September 2020 and October 2020 Remote (Agency and Partnership)
July 2023 (Agency and Partnership)
February 2025 (Agency and Partnership)
Torts
July 2013 (combined with Agency)
February 2015 (combined with Agency)
July 2017 (combined with Agency)
Trusts
February 2013 (combined with Wills)
February 2015 (combined with Wills)
July 2020 (combined with Wills)
February 2025 (combined with Wills)
Wills
July 2012 (combined with Conflict of Laws)
February 2013 (combined with Trusts)
February 2015 (combined with Trusts)
July 2019 (combined with Conflict of Laws)
July 2020 (combined with Trusts)
February 2025 (combined with Trusts)
