Latest REE available

EPO has now made the latest version of the EQE exam regulation (REE) here.

The only real change seems to be the inclusion of the latest Instructions to candidates concerning the conduct of the examination.

Read this document before going to the exam so that you know what is allowed and what is not. In particular, you will only be allowed to use a watch with an analog display if you want to take your own clock.

For the pre-exam, you especially need a black medium soft HB pencil, eraser and sharpener

Update of Instructions To Candidates

The Examination Board has updated the Instructions to candidates concerning the conduct of the
European qualifying examination to include the details for the Pre-Exam :
http://archive.epo.org/epo/pubs/oj011/11_11/11_5851.pdf

Important are the instructions relating to the pencil for the pre-exam.

Also important to realise that you are only allowed to bring a wrist-watch with an analog display to the exam. All other clocks are not allowed.

Coming soon - Questions & Answers Book for Pre-Exam

After successfully completing our first Pre-Exam Methodology training, and being about to complete our 12-day integrated training and distance training courses specifically for the Pre-Exam, we are now putting the finishing touches to a new Question and Answer book .

We have identified about 250 questions that cover the core subjects that candidates may need to deal with at the Pre-Exam. About 100 of these are provided in a True/False format, so that candidates can practice answering such questions, and test their progress in an efficient manner. 

The provisional contents for the book are:
• 1: Introduction - how to prepare for the Pre-Exam and how to use this book
• 2: Pre-Exam Study Guide - references to essential reading for each module - key topics, relevant articles and rules, Guidelines & Applicants Guide references
• 3: Legal Questions and Answers - to test the absorption and comprehension of studied EPC and PCT topics
• 4: Claim Analysis Questions and Answers - to test substantive legal topics such as novelty, inventive step, extension of subject matter and clarity
• 5: Claim Analysis Cases – to test application of the legal concepts to small cases, based on previous EQE exams
• 6: Two mock Pre-Exams – the papers of March and September 2011 from the EQE Examination Board, together with our proprietary model solutions explaining why the answers should be True or False

Any enquiries may be addressed to: training@deltapatents.com
It should be available from early November 2011

Time of pre-exam are available

On the EQE page of the EPO's website, the times for all the 2012 exams have been published, including the pre-exam

Take a pencil and eraser to the pre-exam 2012

Buried on the EPO web site, a new mock pre-exam has been made available for extra practice.
Most importantly, the answering scheme is given - you fill in a true-false answer sheet with a pancil, so that answers may be corrected.
So bring a black medium soft HB pencil, and an eraser to the pre-exam

Both mock pre-exams are available here.

Figuring out what went wrong on EQE 2011 - help for resitters

This week, candidates receive the official EQE results, confirming the results published last week. Included is a marking sheet, showing the number of points per question.
Candidates who unfortunately need to resit C and/or D will be trying to figure out how to do it differently in 2012. The marking sheets and the Examiner's Reports in the Compendium are generally not enough to figure out where points were lost.
DeltaPatents offers Correction of  EQE papers, where we offer correction of your EQE 2011 C, DI and DII papers. Deadline to sign up and hand them in is 30 August 2011, together with your marking sheet. We then provide individual comments, suggestions for improvement, our own detailed marking sheet and our proprietary model solutions.

EQE 2011 results (2): excluding 0 points

The figures change a little if you leave out the candidates who got 0.
As it is very unlikely to make a paper and get 0 points, we assume most of these were registered but did not turn up.

Average nr. if points if all 0 scores are excluded:
D = 41 (2010: 46)
C = 44 (2010: 45)
B (e/m & ch) = 55.5 (2010: 51.5)
A (e/m & ch) = 50.5 (2010: 47.5)

Points distribution histograms per paper are below

Latest version of National Law book - May 2011

EPO has released a new version of the National Law book. You definitely need to take this to the exam.

EQE 2011 Results

A complete list is available here. It look like D was more dificult than last year, and B was overall easier

Congratulations to all who passed at least something- none of the exams are easy, so if you passed anything you did well. Remember: 45 points and up means you can compensate with other passes, even old ones.

EQE 2011
Pass rates - candidates with 45 points or higher:
D = 35% (2010: 48%)
C = 44% (2010: 47%)
B (e/m & ch) = 71% (2010: 60%)
A (e/m & ch) = 58% (2010: 57%)


Average nr. points:
D = 37 (2010: 41)
C = 41.5 (2010: 42)
B (e/m & ch) = 54.5 (2010: 49)
A (e/m & ch) = 49 (2010: 46)

Points distribution histograms per paper are below

EPO makes their legal texts printable

Good news for anyone needing to print out the HTML on the EPO website - the EPO has introduced a new print option.
Currently only for EPC, Guidelines, National law, How to Get - Part I and Case Law, I expect this to be expanded in the future.
This solves a lot of problems for the EPO in keeping legal information up to date. By only providing up to date HTML, users can decide to either use it on-line or print it out.

Update on Pre-Exam

The Mock exam from last year has now been updated - the Examination Board has updated the multiple choice format to a true/false format. There are no negative marks, but the positive marks are not linear to encourage attempting all questions.

This is a major improvement over the earlier format - the amount of text that has to be read is now greatly reduced. Those with English/French or German as a second language should feel a little more comfortable about the new format.

As they indicate, this may not necessarily reflect the final format or the final marking scheme.

It comprises 10 legal questions based on the DI 2007, and 10 claim analysis based on A 2004.

The questions are here in German / English / French. An answer sheet is provided on the last page
The answers are here

It can also be answered online here

RFees references - incorrect

In April last year, the Rules relating to Fees (RFees) Art.2 was updated – it now has a (1) paragraph for current fees and a (2) paragraph for fees that apply to applications filed before 1 April 2009.

The latest version is here:

http://www.epo.org/patents/law/legal-texts/html/epc/2010/e/articl2.html#2

or here:

http://archive.epo.org/epo/pubs/oj009/12_09/12_5879.pdf

Although I do not expect the examination committee to be to critical on this, it is incorrect in all our materials.

For current fees, if you want the completely correct reference, you should also give the paragraph number (1)

So for example, the fee for further processing was RFees 2.12, and it is now RFees 2(1).12

The fee index number (.1  .1a  .2  .3 etc) have not changed.

Sorry for this inconvenience.

Information on US and JP

The REE - Art.13(2)(b) says that you need:
a general knowledge of the national laws of: the USA and Japan to the extent that they are of importance in connection with proceedings before the EPO.

========
This is very vague. Japan has not featured on the exam very often, but the US is on very regularly (particularly on DII)

The EQE concentrates on EP and PCT.

But, you should know about the general possibilities in the US and JP that are different from in Europe.

For the US, for example, you may need to approximately calculate the relevant 12m for the grace period.

For the details, you can then state "I will consult a US colleague about the details"

I have posted one of our training documents on the EQE forum giving brief details for the US and JP. That should be enough information for the EQE

EQE2011: known errors in reference materials

Updates are available for the reference books.

18^th Edition Visser:

An update is available here:

http://www.htelpublisher.com/update/

Note that the text for R.36(1) in this update is incorrect. It should be:

(a) the divisional application is filed before the expiry of a time limit of twenty-four months from the Examining Division's first communication under Article 94, paragraph 3, and Rule 71, paragraph 1 and 2, or Rule 71, paragraph 3, in respect of the earliest application for which a communication has been issued, or

On page 164 (Art.79(2) OJ2010, 603 is wrong for the extension fees grace period. It should be OJ2009, 603

I have reported this to Derk already

Sept 2010 version of Hoekstra:

Updates are available here:

http://hoekstradoc.nl/en/errata/

Erratum for the the Question and Answer books:

http://www.deltapatents.com/en/books/paper_d/

Good luck.

Remember that under the new compensation rules, if you get 45 points or more on D, you can compensate it with A/B/C. You can compensate ether either at this sitting or at future sittings of A/B/C.