Tutors' Report on the meeting with the EQE committees now available

Every year, tutors from DeltaPatents, CEIPI, epi etc meet with the EQE committees to discuss the EQE 2013 papers, and to get a sense of any changes or improvements we can expect in 2014. 

The report is available on the EQE Forum:

http://www.eqe-online.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10137

It will also be published in the December edition of epi information.

Please feel free to forward it to any fellow candidates for 2014.

Note that the comments on the EQE2013 and on the expected EQE2014 papers are combined, because the Committees more or less indicated that they will continue in this way. So it would be better to only read everything after doing the 2013 papers.

The most important issue for 2014 that you need to know now is the change for the Pre-Exam passing grade from 50 to 70 points.

DeltaPatents has posted their proposed solutions for EQE2013

If you want to, you can look at the proposed solutions from DeltaPatents:

• Pre-Exam
• Main Exam - C paper 
• Main Exam - D paper

Remember:

• DeltaPatents does not know everything
• these are not full answers (you should have written much more on the Main Exam)
• the Examination Committees decide ultimately where the points are awarded and how many 

Even a "wrong" answer can get points. This is particularly the case for the DII part of the D paper, where a lot of points are available for the details not given in such a proposed solution.

If you do not want to think about it anymore (a very healthy attitude), then don't look at such posts, don't discuss with other candidates, and forget about it all until the results are published.

Don't be surprised at EQE 2013 (part 2) - D paper

In the first post, I indicated a lot of references.

To save reading (you have a lot better things to do ;-), I will summarise the main points for the D paper:

• A single 5 hour paper - the DI and DII parts will be indicated clearly
• The number of points for each part (DI/DII) will be given, and it will be approximately 40 for DI and 60 for DII
• Same points split as as before, except that for timing purpose, you have about 3 minutes per point if you wish to complete the whole paper. This translates to about 2 hours for the DI part and about 3 hours for the DII part
  
  
• In the DI part, you will get a number of separate legal questions for which you must cite legal basis. The number of points per question will be given. 
  
  
• In the DII part, you will get a letter from a client, and you will have to give legal advice. The number of points per question will NOT be given.

Don't be surprised at EQE 2013

With less than 3 weeks to go to the EQE 2013, make sure you know the format of the exam, where it is, what time it starts, and the rules during the exam

1) Be prepared for the new formats:

Pre-Exam - 25 February 2013
No changes in format. The exam will look the same as last year and the same as the mocks of March & September 2011

D paper - 26 February 2013
- no longer a 3 hour DI, official break, then a 4 hour DII
- it will be a single 5 hour paper, with smaller DI and DII parts, and no official break
- you have to decide how to divide your time between the DI and DII parts. To do it all, you will probably need about 2 hours for DI and 3 hours for DII.
- you have to decide when to take a break, so bring food with you

 
A paper - 27 February 2013
No changes in format

B paper - 27 February 2013
- no longer a 4 hour paper
- it will be a 3 hour paper
- you will be given a proposal from the client for patentable claims. You have to check them instead of drafting them, which will save you time.

C paper - 28 February 2013
- no longer a 6 hour paper
- it will be 5 hour paper
- you will have fewer (possibly none) legal questions to deal with, which will save you time

More details here: Notice from Exam. Board and Tutors Report on page 106

2) Look at complaints from last years candidates about your exam location in the Candidate Survey page 20-28.
For example, if it can be cold, make sure you have enough clothes with you.

3) Look at the  Instructions to candidates concerning the conduct of the EQE (page 41-46) for the rules on pens, watches etc

Our FREE printable versions of the PCT Applicants Guide - available now for EQE2013

Dear EQE2013 candidate,
Every year, the Examination Board gets the WIPO to make a printable version of the PCT Applicants Guide. It is usually made available at the beginning of February here (on the right-hand side of the page)
They do this so that candidates can have this information with them at the exam to be able to answer questions on the D paper about things like competent rO’s and allowed languages for filing.

However, this document is 1700 pages with a lot of information that will never be asked on the EQE, such as details on African, Asian and South American states. The Examination Board has stated that candidates are free to make a selection themselves and only take what they need – however, this is quite difficult, and time-consuming.
To save some room in your suitcase, I have captured and assembled 3 books (see below) with "only" 750 pages. I have retained general information on all PCT states such as PCT accession dates and 30m/31m time limit for national entry. The detailed information is focused on EPC states [and extension states], the 5 largest patent offices [CN, EP, JP, KR, US], all ISA’s and IPEA’s, the 13 most popular rO's, and the 13 most popular dO's & eO's.
It also includes many things from the WIPO web-site and EPO web sites which you should have with you that are not even included in the official 1700 pages, such as the Reservations and Incompatibilities, the agreement between the WIPO and the EPO, Paris Convention accession dates. Either print 1 page per A4 sheet, or with 2 pages on each A4 sheet [still readable].
Good luck at the end of February !!!
-------------------------------------------

http://www.deltapatents.com/data/uploads/downloads/PCT_Ref_EQE2013_Part_I_General.pdf

 – 92 pages

Comprising various overviews from the WIPO website such as Paris Convention states with accession dates, overview of all states that accept restoration of priority, Reservations & Incompatibilities and PCT fees of December 2011.

http://www.deltapatents.com/data/uploads/downloads/PCT_Ref_EQE2013_Part_II_International.pdf

- 486 pages

Comprising the PCT “Guidelines” (Introduction to the international phase)

and the annexes for the selected states most likely to be needed on the EQE

Also comprising the agreement between the WIPO and EPO, how to file at the IB, the EPO as SISA and the new EPO IPEA procedure for a 2^nd Written Opinion

http://www.deltapatents.com/data/uploads/downloads/PCT_Ref_EQE2013_Part_III_National.pdf

- 178 pages

Comprising the Introduction to the national phase, national phase summaries for the selected states, and the national chapters for the states most likely to be on the exam. 

Also comprising a complete overview of all national entry time limits, EPC contracting and extension states (with access dates) and the EP entry form 1200 with notes.

Updated information on the EQE2013 papers

The Examination Board has updated its notice about the papers of 2013. There are two additions on page 3:

1.

Candidates are advised that a pre-printed notice of opposition form will be provided as

in previous years. However, the "Notes to the notice of opposition (EPO Form 2300)"

included in paper C in previous years, will not be provided from 2013 onwards.

2.

Paper D will indicate separately the number of marks available for each

of the questions relating to the subjects mentioned in Rule 26(2) IPREE (i.e. questions

of the type found in former paper DI) and the total of marks available for questions

relating to the subjects mentioned in Rule 26(3) IPREE (i.e. questions of the type found

in former paper DII).

The first one I had not heard before.

The second one was mentioned in the Tutor’s Report

Tutors' Report on the EQE 2012 Papers [and comments on 2013 paper formats]

For the first time ever, the EQE tutors have made minutes of their meeting with the EQE tutors in September. I have combined and edited the comments to make single report:
http://www.eqe-online.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9480

In addition to documenting the discussions with the Examination Committees, comments are provided on the Compendium answers and there are some comments about the changes to the paper in 2013.

EQE 2013 - the new C and D papers

Unfortunately, we do not yet know exactly what the C and D papers will look like in 2013. The Examination Board recently published more information:

C-paper
- A single 5 hour exam on Thursday - see schedule 
- probably no legal questions unrelated to the rest of the opposition
- possibly less prior art / fewer claims / fewer possible attacks

D-paper
- A single 5 hour exam on Tuesday - see schedule 
- with DI-style questions [roughly about 40% of marks to be done in 2 hours]
- with DII-style questions [roughly about 60% of marks to be done in 3 hours]

The best advice is to prepare to be able to do the exams of the last four years, and look through the paper before you start to determine how you are going to do it, and where you are going to spend the time. Actually, this is the same advice that I give every year because the format of these papers is always unpredictable.

The main difference in 2013 will be less time, so an appropriate strategy and good time-keeping will be essential. Good argumentation and reasoning will get you the points.

Some more details on this are available for D and for C

EQE 2013

The relevant enrolment dates have now been published:
Pre-Exam enrolment: 1 Apr 2012 - 11 June 2012
Main-Exam enrolment: 1 Apr 2012 - 5 Sept 2012

Don't leave it too late - they are very strict, and late enrolment is never accepted. Further processing, extensions and re-establishment do not apply to these deadlines.

So fill in the forms on time, and make sure the payment is received in time.

If you are enrolling for the Pre-Exam, be aware that you may need to provide additional details about your technical qualifications - see REE

The date of the exams are also published - they will be held a little earlier next year:
Pre-Exam: 25 Feb 2013
Main-Exam: 26 - 28 Feb 2013

Now confirmed - pre-exam in 2012, it will be multiple choice

The exam committee has made an announcement yesterday on the EPO website that the pre-exam will go ahead in 2012.

The only thing that is not in the REE is the confirmation that the exam will be multiple choice. This was always the most likely because they need to keep the marking workload as low as possible and you need to know very quickly to give you time to prepare for the rest of the EQE.

First ever pre-exam training for EQE 2012 now available

We are the first in Europe to offer a training program for those who want to do the pre-exam in 2012, and the full EQE in 2013. Some background details on what is required can be found here in a presentation I gave at CEIPI.tutors' meeting in June.

We are offering a 4x 3-day combined pre-exam training (legal topics, A/B topics and exam training) sessions. It does require 4 trips to Eindhoven in June, Sept, Oct & Nov 2011, but this is designed so that you get optimal feedback on the homework questions you make between the sessions. The legal topics will include both substantive and procedural modules.

We are also offering a 3-day exam training for the pre-exam (both legal and A/B parts) in June 2011, to be repeated in September and December, for those who have already followed a legal training elsewhere.

If interested, please contact training@deltapatents.com
We also offer an in-house variant of 10 days just covering the legal issues.

For those succesful in the pre-exam, we will also offer an EQE training course in 2012 which will bring candidates from the pre-exam level to the full EQE level.

More news on the EQE pre-exam

A new version of the REE (EQE exam regulation) has appeared on the EPO website here
I have not looked into all the differences, but some form has now been given to the EQE for 2012 and beyond.