FEB2020QA - Bar Examination MEE & MPT Questions

Sep 21, 2026

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February 2020 New York State Bar Examination materials covering MEE and MPT questions. The excerpts include two MEE questions focused on contract and property law issues: a homeowner dispute over kitchen and bathroom renovation payments where work diverged from specified terms, and a joint tenancy analysis involving a mortgage and a lease in a state applying title theory of mortgages and the common law four unities test. Prompts require calculating payment adjustments and assessing severance and related rights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages58

Reading Time2 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

MEE Question 1

Kitchen renovation payment adjustment

Bathroom remodeling payment adjustment

MEE Question 2

Joint tenancy severance by mortgage and lease

Tenant and spouse rights

| February 2020
New York State
Bar Examination
MEE & MPT Questions
© 2020
National Conference of Bar Examiners | | | --- | --- | | | | MEE QUESTION 1 A homeowner entered into two separate contracts with a contractor for the renovation of her kitchen and the remodeling of her bathroom. The homeowner has refused to pay the contractor on both contracts because of dissatisfaction with his work. Under the kitchen contract, the contractor had agreed to renovate the homeowner’s kitchen for $50,000, payable in installments. The final installment of $8,000 was due 10 days after completion of the project. The kitchen contract called for repainting the cabinets, installing new appliances bought by the homeowner from a third party, and replacing the flooring in the kitchen with linoleum, which is a floor covering made from natural materials. When the contract was negotiated, the contractor had asked the homeowner why she wanted “such oldfashioned flooring instead of more modern resilient flooring like vinyl.” The homeowner had responded,“We are a green household, and it is very important to us to use linoleum, which is a green product, unlike vinyl. Moreover, I grew up in a house with a linoleum floor in the kitchen, and I really want to be reminded of my youth when I walk into the kitchen.” Despite the clear contract language, the contractor installed vinyl flooring in the kitchen. The vinyl flooring looks similar to the contractually required linoleum but is not as durable. Before the final payment was due, the homeowner discovered that the flooring was vinyl rather than linoleum and confronted the contractor. The contractor stated,“I knew that you wanted linoleum, but that’s a crazy idea. Vinyl was a lot easier for my workers to install, and it looks as good as linoleum. So I made an executive decision to go with vinyl.” The homeowner announced that she would not make the last installment payment unless the contractor removed the vinyl flooring and replaced it with linoleum. Removing the vinyl flooring and replacing it with linoleum would be labor-intensive and would cost the contractor approximately $10,000 . The market value of the house, however, would be the same whether the kitchen had vinyl flooring such as that installed by the contractor or linoleum flooring as called for in the contract. Under the bathroom contract, the contractor had agreed to remodel the homeowner’s bathroom for $25,000 . The contract called for the existing bathtub to remain along one wall and a new vanity (cabinet and sink) to be installed along the opposite wall. The contract called for a 30-inch space between the vanity and the bathtub (so that a person could easily walk between them) . After the contractor said he was finished, the homeowner measured the space between the vanity and the bathtub and discovered that it was only 29 inches. The homeowner then announced that she would not pay the last installment of the contract price ($10,000), which was due upon completion of the remodeling, unless the contractor “did something” to make the space at least 30 inches wide. The only way to make the space at least 30 inches wide would be to remove either the vanity or the bathtub and to obtain and install a smaller custom-made model. This would cost the contractor about $7,500 . The market value of the house with only a 29-inch space between the vanity and the bathtub, however, would be $500 less than with a 30-inch space. The homeowner had selected the contractor because of the contractor’s reputation for highquality installation. In both contracts, the price was based mostly on labor costs because the cost of materials and fixtures was relatively small. Assuming that the contractor will do nothing to address the homeowner’s concerns: 1. How much more, if anything, is the homeowner required to pay the contractor under the kitchen contract? Explain. 2. How much more, if anything, is the homeowner required to pay the contr

FAQs

Under MEE Question 1, what must the homeowner pay under the kitchen contract if the contractor does nothing to address the flooring issue?

The question requires determining whether the homeowner can withhold final payment and, if so, calculating any additional amount due given the contract required linoleum but the contractor installed vinyl.

Under MEE Question 1, how should the homeowner’s payment obligation be assessed for the bathroom contract’s 29-inch space problem?

The question asks how much the homeowner must pay the remaining installment when the space is only 29 inches, considering the cost to change it and how the house’s market value would differ.

Under MEE Question 2, does executing the mortgage sever the husband and wife’s joint tenancy under State A’s rules?

The question requires applying State A’s title theory of mortgages and the common law four unities test to decide whether the mortgage execution severed the joint tenancy.

Sep 21, 2026

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