A big congratulations to all who passed at least at one exam. None of the exams are easy, and if you are unlucky, it is easy to miss something crucial or to misread a sentence.
The result totals and statistics are available here. The pass rate for B is higher than last year, and D is relatively high compared to previous years (not including D 2021 because of the global compensation for technical issues).
Unfortunately, (since 2021) anonymized individual results are no longer made available, so we cannot calculate statistics or see the mark distributions per exam. Joeri Beetz has a nice website with extensive statistics for the older exams. We were told last year that this omission was due to a lack of capacity.
2021 "Pass rates" - candidates with 45 points or higher:
- Nr of candidates: Main Exam = 2780, A = 1905, B = 2005, C = 1852, D = 2003
- A = 79%, B = 65%, C = 57%, D = 92%
- Passed last exam in 2021: 1093 (= 53 % of all ME candidates)
2022 "Pass rates" - candidates with 45 points or higher:
- Nr of candidates: Main Exam = 1918, A = 886, B = 1158, C = 1400, D = 704
- A = 73%, B = 84%, C = 61%, D = 71%
- Passed last exam in 2022: 885 (= 46 % of all ME candidates)
The Examiners Reports for each exam are also available here. Unfortunately, the marking sheets are missing (they were included in 2021 and previous years). These are the same as each candidate receives, with a rough division of available marks. I don't know why they are not included this year.
For each exam, the Examination Committees have selected Candidates' Answers in English, French and German who scored quite highly with an exam answer close to their desired solution. These are unedited, so they can contain mistakes. Unfortunately, the marking sheets for these candidates are still missing (they were also missing in 2021). These marking sheets were very useful for candidates trying to understand where they missed marks. We were told last year that this omission was due to a lack of capacity.
Still to be published is the Survey report, summarising the answers provided immediately after the exam. It will appear here, at the bottom of the page. Hopefully, it will be back to it's pre-2020 extensive format. In 2021, it was merely a PR folder - we were told last year that this was due to a lack of capacity.
In October (usually in week 42), there will be a meeting of Tutor's and the Examination Committees to directly discuss the exams of 2022, and to look ahead to EQE 2023. No definite date for the meeting is yet available. In 2021, it was online - no word yet if it will be back to an in-person gathering.
If you passed your last exam, double congratulations 🥇and welcome to the post-EQE world 💪.
- For attorneys, request entry onto the list of representatives.
- If you are a national of a non-EPC state and you wish to be on the list, you need to request an exemption under Art. 134(7). This involves extra administration - see the FAQ's. Preston Richard has made a template letter that you can use.
- Relax and look forward to developing other aspects of your career.
- Even though the epi has no formal requirement for permanent education, commit to keeping up your knowledge. You still need up-to-date knowledge to provide optimal services to your clients, especially of changes in EPO procedure:
- Subscribe to a blog that regularly discusses case law and legal changes, like the IP.appify blog
- Go through the yearly changes to the EPO guidelines and follow G decisions
- Use your legal knowledge more in your daily work (see if a colleague needs help with an office action or opposition, give a presentation to your office, check whether your office procedures meet "all due care", teach subjects to trainees, write a legal article).
- Attend or follow the EPO's education sessions related to Applying for a Patent, to Law and Practice, or for Patent Attorneys.
- Become a tutor, or volunteer for an Examination Committee
- If you have added digital notes to EPC.app and PCT.app, they will be updated automatically each year.
