Based on PEBX detailed info and EPO e- EQE FAQ's, I have tried to fill in some unknowns. I am not in the organization, and have no insider tips, so treat this as my best guess. It will become clearer in the next months, so watch the EPO and epi websites carefully for more official details. EQE & PEB posts are also at The Yellow Sheet.
If the EQE system is close to this, it is good news. The IT challenges for the organization seem manageable, so it is almost certain that e-EQE 2021 can go ahead.
The bad news is the additional effort for candidates to get everything ready, and to become familiar with the digital tools and online editing. The test system is planned for Jan 2021 - if at least one mock exam can be tried, it will ease a lot of concerns.
Also, with any new processes, it may be difficult to distinguish between accidental rule breaches (loss of webcam signal, router reset, pc crash, internet failure) and deliberate ones. In such a case, candidates should collect as much direct evidence as possible to support their case. The PEB provides an email address to apply for Special Consideration by 12 noon on the day following the exam. No details yet on how the EQE will deal with this.
1. Anywhere suitable - at home or work
- PEB invigilation was by video conferencing (Zoom) At home, and by a designated contact at work. Each contact was registered, and had to declare (potential) conflicts of interest. PEB allowed more than one candidate per contact.
- EQE has not clarified yet how they invigilate.
- PEB allowed a computer with one physical screen only. Either a laptop (no tablet), a PC with an office-standard monitor, or a laptop (screen off) with one external office-standard monitor.
- EQE will also limit to one physical screen only.
- Broadband internet connection required for whole exam.
- PEB only required a webcam for those at home - for initial sweep of desk & room (before exam), to check photo-ID (they also had copies of photo-ID's), and so that the invigilator can see you facing your screen during the exam. PEB allowed a built-in laptop webcam to be used.
- PEB allowed full printing to a printer in same room.
- EQE has said that you will only be able to print "parts" before the exam start - consideration will be given to ensuring the confidentiality of the questions while enabling candidates to work comfortably and ergonomically. Vague, but it sounds like they are modifying the papers to be more than just a single PDF document. My guess is that at least some drawings, annexes and the calendars will be printable. But this also makes them easier to take digitally. For comparison, the full EQE 2019 lengths were: Pre-Exam: 30p, A: 13p, B: 18p, C: 37p, D: 14p
3. Software
- PEB used a browser-based PEBX web portal to log in, to indicate that that you are starting, to digitally sign a declaration that you will not cheat, to download the paper PDF and a Word template for answers, and to allow a PDF answer to be uploaded up to the end of the exam. PEB required Word, a PDF viewer & PDF printer.
- EQE indicates a text editor will be provided in a locked browser window. The papers will be shown in a PDF viewer. Copy/paste will be available of text from the exam, or within your own answer. This seems similar to the Computer-Based (CB) EQE software used before, with browser-based text editor (left) and PDF viewer (right).
- EQE indicates Windows 7 or MacOS/X10.10, or higher with Administrator rights.
- PEB did not require Zoom to be installed - they used a browser version started from PEBX. I recommend installing the free desktop application anyway - if there is a problem, you can paste the link into Zoom itself.
- Some common problems with PEBX, such as the possibility that answers from an earlier test could be accidentally uploaded during the exam if the candidate had not deleted them. Also possible: If you see an error message that indicates your file has not uploaded, you may need to log out of the PEBX system and log back in and try uploading your answer document again. There is a View Document button which allows you to see what you have uploaded.
- EQE will not require manual uploading (it uses online auto save), but no details on verification of what has been uploaded or whether you can make a copy/print of your own answers during the exam.
4. Timing
- PEB provided extra time for screen breaks (5 mins every hour), printing, scanning & uploading. So, 3 hrs 30m for a 3 hr exam, 4 hrs 40m for a 4 hr exam, 5hrs 45m for a 5hr exam.
- PEB exam times were: 1000-1330, 1400-1730, 1000-1440 or 1000-1545. EQE times have not yet been announced, but the exams are now divided over 5 days.
- PEB screen breaks were not enforced, and candidates were allowed to decide when to upload their answer, but upload was no longer possible when exam ended.
- EQE will use a text editor in a locked browser - no manual uploading required. No details yet on what happens at the end - the CB EQE software just stopped accepting inputs when the exam ended.
5. Invigilation
- You must remain alone in the room for the whole exam. PEB required you to ask the invigilator first by chat to go to the toilet, or if you felt unwell.
- The strict online proctoring was not implemented for PEB. So, the unpleasant experiences of these UK law students should also be avoided for the EQE.
6. Things to consider
- If there is a lockdown, you may have problems travelling to your office. Being at your office may be disruptive for others - PEB required either separate toilets for candidates or extra invigilators to escort them. It must also be quiet.
- At home, you need a separate room with a printer where no-one can accidentally come in. Everything you need (food, drink, etc.) must be in the room.
- Standard EQE rules still apply forbidding electronic devices and looking up things online. From PEB evaluation: A few candidates had clearly tried to devise unusual, and sometimes creative, ways to circumvent aspects of PEBX and/or the exam instructions. This approach is not advisable: PEB will audit candidate logs after each examination.
- My guess is that the PEBX system goes into full screen during the exam to limit what you can use. See, for example, Safe Exam Browser which disables (and monitors use) of Ctrl-Alt-Del / Alt-Tab / screen snapshot etc.
- With a laptop, use an external monitor instead of the built-in screen so that you can view the paper and your answer next to each other.
- EQE has said that not all parts will be printable, so use a monitor with one big physical screen - two separate physical screens are not allowed. EQE has not yet indicated any restrictions, but 27 inch screens (or larger) are office standard (that is what I use daily). PEB mentioned that the main problem with very large screens is placing the webcam on top.
- EQE will use online editing of your answer only. No details yet on whether local (temporary) copies will be available to deal with synchronization issues.
- If you have wired internet, connect a wifi dongle and set up your phone hotspot in case of failure.
- PEB did not specify bandwidth but they recommend testing Zoom before the exam. Be aware of any additional load due to others (I had to upgrade my internet when my two kids were both online schooling during the day :-)
- If you use a laptop, have a spare power supply available. Use a full-size good quality keyboard. If it is a wireless set, have spare batteries handy.
- For Windows, run a full virus scan and delay microsoft updates a week before the exam.
- PEB had an emergency number and e-mail - presumably EQE will have something similar. Program it into your phone.
7. EQE preparation
- Do all practice exams digitally. Practice reading papers in PDF and copy/paste selected parts of the exam into your answer where it improves efficiency (for example, the claims as filed for Papers B and C). Don't just copy/paste paragraphs verbatim from the paper - marks are for analysis and selectively using the information. No details yet on what viewer functions will be available for the EQE portal - the CB-EQE viewer also allowed Search & Zoom, but no annotation.
- Type the answers into the editor text window. Keep formatting simple - underlining, bold, italic, bullets and numbering. Don't waste time making it fancy. Don't just copy/paste paragraphs verbatim from another part of your answer.
- When the EQE system becomes available, test it thoroughly (25% of PEB candidates did not try the PEBX test system). PEB provided a full mock online exam with their test system to allow a full mock - hopefully EQE will do the same.
- EQE is still open book, so you can use any materials & templates you want. But you cannot hand them in. So, keep notes brief - anything you write on paper is not getting marks.
- A locked browser means that only authorized applications can be used, so it seems unlikely you can use your own locally-stored digital references. No details yet on whether any standard references, like the Guidelines or PCT Applicants Guide, will be provided electronically.
Thanks Pete, your overview is excellent in the circumstances. Question re the support materials: could we use own notes on the same computer? for example an annotated version of the guidelines? Or open book still means all the materials are on paper? Thanks again
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex. Unfortunately, this kind of software blocks the access to the anything that they do not want you to use. When you start it, it creates a separate desktop, They can allow specific webpages and specific apps. The e-EQE system could provide certain reference pdf's directly if they wanted. I think this year, they will be conservative because they have little experience. But the exam for 2022 can already be made taking into account the availability of certain documents digitally. I think it is inevitable that they will allow this in the future, similar to the US patent agent exam, where you have access to a digital MPEP (Guidelines).
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I do not think that any candidate would complain if the official resources were made available digitally - they are still free to bring paper versions if they wish.
ReplyDeleteImagine how empty your desk would be if they provided:
- EPC Articles / Rules / Fees (190 pages)
- Commented EPC - a standard book or your own (500 pages)
- Official Journal (?????? pages)
- EPO Case Law Book (1600 pages)
- EPO EPC Guidelines (1000 pages)
- EPO PCT Guidelines (355 pages)
- Euro-PCT Guide (140 pages)
- National Law book (300 pages)
- PCT Articles / Rules (240 pages)
- PCT Applicants Guide - Introductions (180 pages)
- PCT Applicants Guide - complete (official WIPO one = 2000 pages, my version: 1000 pages)
- Commented PCT - a standard book or your own (600 pages)
The ability to keyword search could be seen as unfair, but as most references are several hundred pages, you still need to know where to look and what you are looking for. There is a danger that some candidates copy large sections verbatim into their answer - this could be addressed by limiting the size of the clipboard to xxx characters. Or running all answers through a plagiarism engine to detect verbatim copies of texts.
The proposal to not use Word for practice, but a html-based editor, makes sense if that is to be closer to the actual system.
ReplyDeleteThe big disadvantage is that you cannot have multiple windows open for your answer - only two: the exam in the pdf viewer and the editor.
Being able to search in both your answer and the exam is a big advantage for long papers, like C or DII. But if you cannot have the exam on paper, it will be hard to cope with jumping around between annexes.
They have now transferred all the risk to the candidates - you will have 1000 people from all over Europe uploading at the same time for a period of 5 hours. I have used a system like this for a joint coding project, and sometimes it will freeze and you lose part of what you just typed.
Also, you do not know for certain that what you have on the screen has actually been saved at the end.
At least the UK system allowed you to use Word, so you had a local copy and you can actually define pages yourself. So, for example, you can have a page with amended claims at the end of your answer in B and keep jumping around. This is typically what you do on paper - you complete parts of your answer in parallel. The UK risk is only the uploading at the end.
The UK system was also free in paper distribution and printing, even of your own answer. The EQE system seems to solve every issue by restricting what the candidate can do. If they are adapting the papers, so that you can answer in short pieces, then that is doable - Pre-Exam, DI can be split up into separate questions.
The UK system also allowed some people to write on paper and scan it themselves using their phone. Even if this was allowed, you do not want to do this unless they are providing an app that automatically uploads into the exam system. If you have ever done this for 1 sheet, you know the problems you can get. Imagine doing this at the end of an exam for 30 pages :-(
By the way, strike through has not been officially confirmed yet for the EQE - only underlining, bold, italic, bullets and numbering.
It would be trivial for the EPO to already make their test environment publicly available for people to try and use. I suspect that they are avoiding this because they do not want people trying to hack it.
The PEB in the UK realised that clarity as early as possible was important for candidate piece of mind. The EQE is difficult enough without all these extra risks and worries.
Will Control+F / search and find be available?
ReplyDeleteIt was available for your answer and the PDF viewer with the previous Computer-Based EQE. But they have not yet officially confirmed it for eEQE 2021.
DeleteI cannot think of any solid reasons why it should not be allowed - all candidates are using the same tools and you will not be able to print everything.
There have been some discussions over in delta patents blog about the exams this year being fair to candidates and not to overburden candidates.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK - the exam boards for GCSE and A levels and university courses are doing just that by taking into account a very disruptive year to learning so the EPO should take the same approach/view. We are not talking about 1 month in Feb but a whole 6-8 months and possibly more disruption to learning/supervision.
Many many candidates would have a completely abnormal, disruptive and difficult period of their job and I sincerely hope that the EPO has factored this in.
They can fine tune the marking sheets based on how the group performed - for most papers they can decide the weighting of different parts of the answer for an average candidate. This is the normal process, so if there is a paper where few people finish, they can give more points to the parts that most people have done.
DeleteWhen they changed the exam format in the past, they have taken into account that this may affect marks on certain parts.
For an individual, they only have their EQE scores to judge their level (their is no coursework to rely on), so they could consider a more flexible compensation (but they would have to change the official regulations for that).
I don't believe that they will just let large groups of candidates through the main exam papers or lower the passing mark significantly beforehand.
My main worry is that they will be late with the test environment, so there will only be a few weeks to practice. Not being able to print parts of the paper means that there is no way to anticipate that now when you are practicing. And that a lot of candidates will run into IT problems.
The longest paper is about 30-40 pages. Getting everybody to print bits off and then trying to configure how to put the paper back together again once they've seen the whole paper is to me a waste of time. It would be sensible to allow candidates to print the papers off before the exam. I don't understand why they are trying to make it more complicated than necessary.
DeleteLong term, this makes sense for an online exam, eventually eliminating printing completely. But it would require the exams to be split up into smaller chunks.
ReplyDeleteThere are some parts in the existing formats that would work - the legal questions for pre-exam and "DI" could be done electronically only, letting you print the rest out. For the other parts, it seems less clear.
My worry is that they will only be ready in late January with the final version - that does not give a lot of time to practice. In general, the committees do not take into account disruption (=stress, loss of time) caused by changes in format when making the exams. But this greatly stresses a lot of candidates when they see something different, and non-native speakers rely on a high degree of predictability for what and how to answer based upon previous papers (they do not always notice subtle changes in instructions or the way questions are asked).
I agree. Why don't committee take disruptions into account. They take account disruptions to postal services etc... for applicants but not for their own members. Makes no sense especially this year.
DeleteHaving done the PEB exams in October, there was a lot of admin burden placed on candidates during the exam time pressure and this does have an impact on candidates performance. I ended up having to spend my focus and energy on getting admin right rather than focussing on the exam script itself.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried that there is a similar admin burden (if not more burden) on candidates this year. This is something that no candidates in other years had to deal with.
I agree. It will be pretty stressful if something technical goes wrong while you are making the exam, or you accidentally delete something.
DeleteUnfortunately, the EQE may make it worse by not allowing full printing, changing the format accordingly and using an online input typing box.
The exams and the conditions this year (I believe) will make it one of the worse exams for candidates. The amount of admin placed on candidates this year seems overbearing. The numerous rules the EPO decides to come up with for online exams seems unnecessary and very complicated. The IT requirements (and costs) each candidates must comply with. The lack of time to prepare properly for the new system. Printing parts of the paper and then spending time in the exam piecing the information together again - all cost time. A candidate is spending valuable exam time carrying out admin tasks rather than spending time focusing/thinking about the question.
DeleteAll of the points above can make a candidate fail if they don't get their admin right on the day e.g. misplacing a document or a misprinting means they miss a critical page. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the candidates ability to pass the exam itself.
There will also be alot of burden/expectation placed on firms. Alot of us work for small firms who does not have the capacity to support candidates.
I think the burden placed on candidates is a lot and the EPO board needs to recognize this.
I'm afraid to say but all of these things will affect candidates preparation (revision period) and performance on the day.
The PEBx system was simple to use but it was still complex and the burden placed on candidates were heavy in order to get things right on the day. Even though PEBX was simple to use, it still affected many candidates exam preparation time and the exam performance on day itself as many struggled with admin. Like the person before said - you end up focusing on admin rather than on the exam.
DeleteI would also add that there seems to be more errors on typed scripts that are harder to spot online. Your eyes very easily glances over words on screen and perhaps it is easier to spot when words are on paper. Imagine writing 35-40 pages (average script for D, C easily) and having to check all the words online. Mistakes happen very often in exams under time pressure and I suspect there will be more errors with typed scripts. I think online exams are still the way to go in the future but clearly, there needs to be more tests/trials given to future candidates. Exam questions needs to be at an appropriate font and spaced out. Reading 35-40 pages on screen with tiny font and no line spacing will make it very difficult for candidates to read and process. Its a set up to fail candidates.
Its too late for the candidates this year and there is little time for candidates to practice/adapt but we have to do our best. We don't have any details so preparing for exams is mightily difficult and its an anxious period for many. Off course, all of us are experiencing some personal/work pressures too. I know many trainees who are furloughed and many who have kids to look after when schools were closed.
I only ask that the EPO takes all of this into account the interruptions and difficulty in preparing for the EQEs this year by candidates. What a dreadful year and time to be an EQE candidate.
I was hoping that they would already have announced more about what it will look like.
DeleteThe only way to practice at the moment is to read the papers in pdf, using search and copy/paste only. Then type your answer into Word. Also try to do it without printing the paper.
Thanks Pete. I appreciate your advice here but for Paper A, B and particularly C, it is almost impossible to view everything on screen. Scrolling up and down on claims make it impossible and viewing between different documents on a tiny screen is very unsatisfactory. I tried C over the weekend and I found it impossible to do the whole paper online.
DeleteAs you know, C relies heavily on marking up the paper, referencing text along side each other and continuously referring back to the claims set.
I don't know why they won't allow us to print but thinks its a good idea to make the exams even more complicated as it already is by not allowing us to print.
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DeleteI agree - when doing the papers, realistically you need to be able to view 2 or 3 pages/documents at the same time. If you can only view 2 on the screen, you need a print out.
DeleteIn some papers, you do not write the answer linearly - e.g. for C, you typically attack the claims in different sections and assemble later.
They could balance the extra effort on candidates by reducing the number of claims and the annexes. No word yet on whether this will happen.
I can understand that there is no need to print DI although there is an argument to print DII.
DeleteMany candidates rely on timelines for DII and hand them in - are we going to be able to scan these in.
For A,B and C - even if they do reduce the claims, the basic principles of tackling the papers is the need to compare and contrast the paper version and this should be available to candidates. Taking that away from candidates is a huge handicap to their ability to be able to tackle the papers effectively.
The EPO are asking candidates to fundamentally change their approach to tackling the papers which I think is very unfair compared to previous years.
Very stressful considering EQE is not designed for online tackling. Home office stressful enough without having to lock yourself in a room, worrying that the kids might start playing Fortnite! Best leave the EQE for 2022! :=(
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with waiting. Even if the world is Covid-free next year, they will not go back to the old exam system for 2022.
DeleteIf home is not an option, then do it at your office.
The debate on here seems to show that many many candidates for the first time do not know what the EQE exams will look like. The FAQs and EPO announcements have only confused the situation more and create more anxieties.
ReplyDeleteThe EPO committee had a year to deal with this and I'm not sure the solution they are suggesting now are optimal and ultimately fair for candidates 2021. Yes to online exams but please make the exams fair for this year's candidates and it should not be harder for them compared to any other years where candidates wrote their exams. This year's exams look set to be very tough on candidates and the burden is heavily placed on them.
I understand that every year, qualified attorney actually test the paper. Will it be the same this year.
ReplyDeleteI assume they will still use "benchmarkers", who take the exam at the same time as everyone else. There is normally an email at the beginning of November, but I have not seen anything yet.
DeleteI have read somewhere that they will also test the examination system before it is made available to candidates.
Do we know when in January the trial will be. Not all candidates shall be on the same week so I truly hope there is some flexibility in terms of dates.
ReplyDeleteNo. And there is a big difference between early January and late January for those preparing.
DeleteI worry when I see that they are reformatting the exam so that you don't need to print - even such simple changes can take a lot of time to get right. It would be better to do this for EQE 2022 and use the extra time to change the exam contents.
The lack of official details only adds to the uncertainty.
I agree with you Pete. There is a big difference and small changes makes huge differences. The earlier it is the better so that candidates can adapt and learn.
DeleteI also don't think the EPO has thought this through properly.
DeleteThe first point is that not every candidate is going to be available at the same time. Some flexibility will need to be shown here especially when its just after Christmas. Many will have a longer period if possible to be with their families more.
Second point is that candidates are required to take a whole week off work if they are taking all exams and to test every paper. Most firms are not going to allow candidates this amount of time off + give time away for candidates to do exams in March.
Third point, I think the timing is too close to the actual exams. Anything beyond mid-Jan and it will be difficult for many candidates to prepare/adapt for the exams on 1st of March. Candidates will have prepared over Christmas and then having to re learn how to do things online. The formatting will be the biggest issue. Its a massive burden on candidates.
Fourth point - Alot of candidates will be doing the exams in their firms/at work but the offices will not be geared up by January. Further, local lockdown rules may mean these candidates cannot practice at their venue of choice in January.
If we are going to have a trial, let's have it at mid-Jan (11th-15th) week. Any later and it is not going to be ideal.
ReplyDeleteThey need to let us print off the whole paper, especially for C. Annotation of figs and flicking between the different annexes isn't possible in the time frame if all online. There's no point only being able to print some of it off?!
ReplyDeleteHowever they change it, it will still be more difficult (slower, more stressful) than working with paper.
DeleteI once wrote a real-life opposition only electronically for a paperless-office pilot. I needed four windows on two screens - 1) the claims as granted, 2) the patent description & drawings, 3) the letter, 4) the prior art being considered. With the e-EQE proposal, you are limited to two windows on one screen.
In real-life, I work mostly electronically.
In general, when reading a patent or application electronically, I need two windows next to each other - one for the drawings and the other for the description. So, that is possible with the e-EQE, but you cannot annotate.
If writing a patent application electronically, I need three windows - 1) claims 2) description & 3) drawings. Again, this would not be possible at e-EQE.
If responding to office action, again three windows - 1) amended claims, 2) description & dwgs, 3) response letter. Again, not allowed at e-EQE.
As you mention, it is the flicking between (or within) documents that can only be compensated by allowing multiple windows for the same document, and multiple windows for different documents.
But it would also be unfair to expect all candidates to arrange for very large screens (or multiple screens if they change the rules).
I also use electronic annotation in real-life. It is possible (most pdf readers allow it), but to achieve a speed and flexibility similar to doing it on paper, you need a lot of practice and again more software/hardware (drawing tablet / stylus).
I am all for changing the exams to be electronic, but the current formats are just too long to do that efficiently. You need to have all the papers in front of you.
Longer term (2022), they need to be split into smaller pieces, and be thoroughly tested to find the balance.
Dear Pete. Which size of the screen, for your experience, would you recommend? Thanks
ReplyDeleteI have a 27inch 16:9 1920x1080 display, which just about allows two readable A4 docs (with 11 points) or two windows to be displayed side by side. I would say that is the minimum as the ribbon controls tend to shrink the page (but these can usually be hidden if a little extra zoom is needed)
DeleteThank you very much Pete!
DeleteThanks Pete. Viewing documents on a screen for an exam is going to be a first for me and probably a painful experience but hope the big screen helps.
DeleteI've just done Paper C online over the weekend and I can tell you that it is near impossible doing that whole paper online. I found some stuff useful like quick searching for definitions but it is impossible to look for technical effects in documents effectively and efficiently whilst doing it on screen. Does anyone have a way of doing it on the computer?
ReplyDeleteThe EPO has published an update of how the exams will be split and the parts that can be printed. I still need to look at this in detail:
ReplyDelete- by default, the LockDown Browser does not allow the exam (assignment) to be copied or anything to be printed
- For B, ony 2-3 pages can be printed
- it is unclear how the C paper is split into two equal halves
- for D only the calendar can be printed
For C, I have the feeling that it will be the exam that had prepared, split by independent claims. I mean, if the prepared exam had 7 claims, 3 independent claims, nowadays they will choose Claims 1-3 for fist part, and 4-5 for second part.
DeleteI guess that this will mean that only a part of the annexes will be used for first part, and other annexes for the second. If this is not so, I cannot imagine other situation
I am not sure. If the exam is split into parts, and you cannot go back and answer a previous part, this would only make sense if the parts were almost completely unrelated (like the separate DI questions).
DeleteFor example, if you realise during the second part that you made a mistake in interpretation in the first part or missed something. Although not officially allowed, many would include an additional note. This used to happen with the old AB exams many years ago, when the B exam was the same case as the A, but for B they gave you the "application text that was actually filed" + prior art and expected you to reset. But a lot of candidates amended to the claims back to their own solution from A to further defend them. Later A and B were changed to different cases.
Even if the cases are designed to be separate per part, I think many candidates will still add a "Note to the Marker about earlier part" if they have time and realise that they forgot something in an earlier part. I don't recommend this as you need to work on the new case without distraction, but the realisation that you missed something can also create stress.
Remember that they promised "The requirements for the EQE as well as the structure and content of the various examination papers will
ReplyDeletebe in line with previous examinations as outlined in the REE and IPREE and decisions of the Supervisory
Board."
All the decisions taken are to reduce the risk of cheating by using online references or communicating with others.
- Single screen only: the browser blocks you using any other programs, and works in full screen mode covering anything that could be open (a chat or email window). The exam program can detect known processes, but you could be running something new. If you have another screen, either via hdmi or usb, the browser cannot easily span multiple screens, so they will not allow it. So, only one screen is allowed. If you connect an external 29-inch screen to a laptop and disable the laptop screen by software, it should be allowed. The UK system monitored keystrokes like ALT-TAB, CTRL-ALT-DELETE, printscreen etc.
If you mirror one screen to another using software, that will also be detectable and blocked to stop someone else outside reading the non-printable parts. Disabling one screen by software should be allowed (as with the laptop). Once the browser starts, it disables the screen setting controls.
- Split exam into parts, limited printing: if all the exam is available for printing, it could be distributed. If key parts are not printable, you would need to discuss the answers.
- Split exam into parts. If you share something illegally, the time to get feedback is reduced. You also have to do it repeatedly, which can be seen as suspicious behavior. Also, fewer people needing to leave the room to go to the toilet.
I wonder why the UK solution of trusted people who can print, distribute and invigilate for several people in an office was not used for the EQE?
They have now turned 4 exams into 7 exams, actually.
A number of people will have technical difficulties. Some problems will be indistinguishable from attempts to cheat. What happens if you do part 1 of D, and miss part 2 due to a computer or network problem? According to the new rules, you cannot do part 3 (worth half the marks?
I see the comment about "Notes to the Examiner". These are allowed, but are not recommended (in general). But if you realise that during a later part that you forgot something brief from an earlier part, you could add a "Note" - e.g. extra legal basis for 10 days in Q.1 - R. 126(2)". It would then be up to the EC's to decide how to deal with it. I would not do this a lot - it is mainly to stop you worrying about it, and you should not expect them to mark it.
No details yet on what the EQE will exactly require or collect and store.
ReplyDeleteMy worry is that this is a lot of sensitive information that they are collecting. I do not wish to alarm people, but you should be aware in our profession that patent attorneys, patent offices, attorney firms and patent departments are actively targeted by hackers because we work with a lot of confidential information.
I would not recommend doing the exam on a work PC or laptop because of the access that needs to be granted. I am not saying that the LockDown Browser or similar supplied by the EQE is not to be trusted, but these programs sometimes leave settings or leave something open that could be exploited. Talk to your IT specialist - it is better to have a PC with no internal network access at all that has not been used to access any external sites.
There is also a huge amount of sensitive data being stored both before and during the exam about all the participants. Luckily in the EU they have to be clear on their collection and retaining policies.