Updates to Basic Legal Questions Book (edition Aug 2013) for EQE2014 available


A document with updates to the ‘Basic legal Questions for Pre-Exam and  Paper D’ book (edition August 2013, EQE 2014) is available from our website, http://www.deltapatents.com/en/ip_courses/eqe_training/training_material/ (left column).

Updates to the Study Guide and Answers to the questions are given to reflect the EPC and PCT as applicable on 31 December 2013 for EQE2014, in view of especially:
  • publications in OJ EPO after the Book was printed (August 2013);
  • publications in PCT Newsletter after the Book was printed.
Also, a few corrections to some of the answers were made.

 
 

Tutors' Report now available about the EQE 2013 papers (and some things to expect in 2014)

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:

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.

Major change to Pre-Exam marking for EQE 2014

The Supervisory Board has just published an important decision - starting in 2014, the passing grade will be for 70 points instead of 50
http://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponot.nsf/0/2A262D0CB6D7C559C1257BFF00516F0F/$FILE/Decision_Supervisory_Board_10_2013_en.pdf

If 70 had been needed at the last pre-Exam, then the pass rate would have dropped from 99.6% to 88.5%. In other words, of the 643 candidates, the number of failures would have increased from 2 to 74.

As this is your gateway to the Main Exam, and it is only given once a year, this means that you really have to prepare for it and do the exam carefully.

Pre-Exam 2013 - The official answers

Here you can find the official answers and the Examiner's report: Compendium Pre-Exam

The answers are:
1:  T, F, F, F;
2:  T, T, F, F;
3:  T, F, F, T;
4:  F, T, T, F;
5:  T, T, F, T;
6:  F, T, F, F;
7:  F, T, T, F;
8:  F, F, F, T;
9:  T, F, T, F;
10: F, F, T, F;
11: T, T, T, F;
12: F, F, T, F;
13: T, T, F, F;
14: T, F, T, T;
15: T, T, T, T;
16: F, T, F, F;
17: T, F, F, T;
18: T, T, F, T;
19: F, T, T, F;
20: F, F, F, T.

Pre-Exam 2013 Statistics

22 March 2013: the results are  in on   http://www.epo.org/learning-events/eqe/statistics.html

Some figures:
- Participants:  643 (99.7%)
- Passes:        641
- Fails:               2
- Average:         81 marks
- Median:          82 marks
No participant scored full marks.

Here's how the marks are distributed:

How does this compare to last year's result:
- Participants:  390
- Passes:        386 (98.7%)
- Fails:               5
- Average:         84 marks
- Median:          87 marks
Four participants made not error at all.

Some conclusions: quite a few more participants, marks are marginally down, but the extremely high pass rate is even higher. It looks like an exam you cannot fail.

Any comments?

Pre-exam 2013: results on 22 March 2013

The EPO has announced that the Pre-exam results will already be available on 22 March 2013.
This is much earlier than last year and will enable candidates to start preparing early on for the main exam.
Great news.

Here is the official notification:

The results of the pre-examination of the European qualifying examination 2013 should be available on the EPO website as of 22 March 2013 and will remain on-line until 02 September 2013 under the following link:  http://www.epo.org/learning-events/eqe/statistics.html

You will be able to find your results by searching in the list for your EQE registration number (EQEReg).

Dispatch of the result letters is foreseen for 5 April 2013. They will be sent by registered mail. If you are not present upon delivery, please collect the letter at your post office before it is returned to the Examination Secretariat.

Pre-exam 2013: our answer to the claims analysis questions

As with the Pre-Exam 2012, some of the claims analysis questions led to some discussion between different tutors.

For two statements (12.3 and 20.4) - indicated with question marks below), we can argue either way. For these statements, we give the answer that we think was expected by the exam committee and our comments.

Our answers to the claims analysis questions of Pre-Exam 2013:

11: T, T, T, F;
12: F, F, ?T?, F;
13: T, T, F, F;
14: T, F, T, T;
15: T, T, T, T;
16: F, T, F, F;
17: T, F, F, T;
18: T, T, F, T;
19: F, T, T, T;
20: F, F, F, ?F?

Detailed remarks (click "read more"):

Pre-Exam 2013: answers to legal questions

The legal part of Pre-Exam 2013 was a bit more difficult than the very first Pre-Exam of 2012, but -in our view- candidates who were well-prepared should not have had any difficulty to score at least 35-40 marks on the legal part.
The questions covered a nice variety of EPC and PCT topics, with time limit questions being a bit over-represented. For each topic, questions addressed multiple aspects.

Our answers to the legal questions:

1: T, F, F, F;
2: T, T, F, F;
3: T, F, F, T;
4: F, T, T, F;
5: T, T, F, T;
6: F, T, F, F;
7: F, T, T, F;
8: F, F, F, T;
9: T, F, T, F;
10: F, F, T, F

Detailed remarks (click "read more"):

Pre-Exam 2013 paper available

A copy of yesterday's Pre-Exam 2013 can be found on the Deltapatents website via IP Courses --> EQE Pre-Exam --> right-side column: link to "EXAM PAPER PRE-EXAMINATION EQE 2013"
(http://www.deltapatents.com/en/ip_courses/eqe_preexam/)

Enjoy!

Our answers to the questions will be posted asap.

Don't be surprised at EQE 2013 (Pre-Exam)

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 familiar with the 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


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 !!!
-------------------------------------------
 – 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.

- 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 2nd Written Opinion

- 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.