Thursday, March 17, 2016 Pre-Exam 2016: results

The Pre-Exam 2016 answers and results were published ion the EPO EQE website earlier this evening.

The answers match the answers given in our earlier blogs for the legal part as well as for the claims analysis part:

1:  F T T T

2:  F F F F

3:  F F T T

4:  T T F T

5:  T T F F

6:  T T F F  

7:  T F F T

8:  T T F F

9:  T F T T

10: T F T T

11:  F T T F

12:  T F T F
13:  T T T F
14:  F F F T
15:  F F T F
16:  F F F T
17:  T F F F
18:  F T F T
19:  T F F F
20:  T F F T

792 candidates enrolled for the pre-exam, 763 candidates sat the exam (29 0-scores).

169 candidates scored between 1 and 69 marks and failed: 22% of all sitters, 25% of all who enrolled.
594 candidates scored between 70 and 100 marks and passed: 78% of all sitters, 75% of all who enrolled.

No candidate scored 100 marks, 4 scored 98, 15 scored 96, 144 (19%) scored 90 or higher.

137 out of 220 candidates that failed in 2015 have been resitting this year: 68 passed and 69 failed again.
32 candidates that failed in 2014 have been resitting this year: 12 passed and 20 failed again.
1 candidate that failed in 2013 (and 2015) has been resitting this year, and failed again.

The score distribution (5 marks bin width, labelled by their upper values) for all candidates is:

The score distribution for the 2015-resitters is:

The 2016 score of the 137 2015-resitters compares to their 2015 score as follows:

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Pre-Exam 2016: our (provisional) answers to the claims analysis part

Before checking your own answers with the provisional answers given below, please first check out on the blog post  First impressions of Pre-Exam 2016? for general questions and general comments about the Pre-Exam 2016 (English, French and German), and post your first impressions there. The Legal part is discussed in a separate blog post.

Our preliminary answers to the claims analysis part (not thoroughly reviewed, subject to typo's) are:

Q11  F, T, T, F
Q12  T, F, T, F
Q13  T, T, T, F
Q14  F, F, F, T
Q15  F, F, T(*), F
Q16  F, F, F, T
Q17  T, F, F, F
Q18  F, T, F, T(**)
Q19  T, F, F, F
Q20  T, F, F, T

Any different opinions are welcome! Please post your opinions as comments to this blog, so everybody can from the discussion.  Comments are welcome in any official EPO language. So, comments in German and French are also very welcome!

(** Update: although we remain divided on 18.4 we now lean towards 'True'  in view of the comments, so we have switched our answers in our 'preliminary answers')

Nico, Roel.

See onwards for our short comment on each answer.

Tuesday, March 01, 2016 Pre-Exam 2016: our (provisional) answers to the legal part

Before checking your own answers with the provisional answers given below, please first check out on the blog post First impressions of Pre-Exam 2016? for general questions and general comments about the Pre-Exam 2016 (English, French and German), and post your first impressions there. The Claims Analysis part is discussed in a separate blog post.

Our provisional answers are:

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

*: 21/12/15 + 10d [R.126(2)] -> 31/12/15; 31/12/15 +2m [R.131(4)] -> 29/2/16 (Mon); 31/12/15 + 4m -> 30/4/16 (Sat) [R.134(1)]->2/5/16; earliest possible R.112(1) comm: 3/5/15 + 10d + 2m -> 13/7/16
**: all answers from GL A-III, 5.6.
*** 5.4: no separate PoA needed if applicant signed the request and representative is appointed therein - R.90.4(a) PCT, AG-IP 11.007; further, if a separate PoA is used, it is not necessary that the representative files it as the applicant can file the PoA himself. 
****: rights conferred were not yet tested in the Pre-Exams so far - they are a major element of the D-paper, where candidates lose many marks if they wrongly state that a patent gives the proprietor freedom to operate.

Any different opinions are welcome! Please post your opinions as comments to this blog, so everybody can from the discussion.  Comments are welcome in any official EPO language. So, comments in German and French are also very welcome!

Please do not post your comments anonymously - it is allowed, but it makes responding more difficult and rather clumsy ("Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Anonymous of 29-02-2016 23:57"), whereas using your real name or a pseudonym is more personal, more interesting and makes a more attractive conversation.

Roel & Pete

Monday, February 29, 2016 Pre-Exam 2016: First impressions?

To all who sat the Pre-Exam today:

What are your first impressions to this year's Pre-Exam? Any general or specific comments?

Were the legal topics well balanced?

Were the various aspects of claims analysis well balanced?

Was the balance between EPC and PCT right for you?

Which of the legal questions did you consider particularly difficult, and which relatively 'easy'?

How much time did you allocate for the legal questions, how much for the claims analysis part? Did you deviate from our original plan (for example, took more time for the legal questions than planned)?

Which part did you do first, the legal part or the claims analysis?

How many marks do you expect to have scored in the legal part, in the claims analysis, and for the whole

What is your expectation of the pass rate and the average score?

 paper?

How did this year's paper compare to the earlier pre-exams of 2012-2015 (assuming your practiced those) w.r.t. the pre-exam as a whole, w.r.t. the legal part and w.r.t. the claims analysis part?

The paper and our answers

Copies of the paper will be provided on this blog as soon as we have received copies of the papers, in all three languages here (English, French and German).

The core of our answers will be given as soon as possible in two separate blog posts:one for the legal questions and the another post for the claims analysis part.

We look forward to your comments!

Comments are welcome in any official EPO language, not just English. So, comments in German and French are also very welcome!

Please do not post your comments anonymously - it is allowed, but it makes responding more difficult and rather clumsy ("Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Anonymous of 13-13-2015 13:13"), whereas using your real name or a pseudonym is more personal, more interesting and makes a more attractive conversation. You do not need to log in or make an account - it is OK to just put your (nick) name at the end of your post.

Please post your comments as to first impressions and general remarks to the Pre-Exam paper as a whole, and to the two parts (legal part and claims analysis) as whole parts to this blog.

Please post substantial questions to specific legal questions to our post with our answers (available here) and claims analysis related questions to our post for that part (available here). Thanks!

Roel, Nico, Pete, Jelle, Gregory; 29/2/2016

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Alphabetical keyword index to Guidelines 2015 - pdf available

The EPO has made a pdf-file available with an alphabetical keyword index to the Guidelines for Examination November 2015 - the relevant version for EQE 2016.

Monday, January 25, 2016 EQE Calendars for Pre-Exam 2016 available on EQE website

The EQE Calendars for EQE2016 have been made available on the EQE website: Calendars for the 2016 pre-examination

The calendars are in the same format as in the EQE of 2015.

Note that the calendars have no bridging days.

Monday, May 11, 2015 Pre-Exam Course in Istanbul for EQE 2016 preparation

In co-operation with Patent Çare we offer our Basic Legal Course also in Istanbul this year.

The course is offered as an 8+2 day course in 2 blocks of 4+1 days. In the first 4 days of each block, the legal concepts of the EPC and PCT are introduced, discussed interactively and practiced with some basic questions. These 4 days are immediately followed by 1 day of review and practice, specifically for the Pre-Exam. Hereby, candidates get a rapid overview of legal concepts in the EPC and PCT, and also practice how to apply in Pre-Exam style questions.

The first 4+1-day block is scheduled on 27 - 31 August 2015, and addresses all EPC procedural topics of the Pre-Exam syllabus.
The second 4+1-day block is scheduled on 18 - 23 December 2015, and addresses all EPC substantive patent law topics and all PCT topics of the Pre-Exam syllabus.

Please register online or use the form in the brochure on our website before 15 June 2015.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015 Enrolment Pre-Exam 2016

The March issue of the Official Journal of the EPO is now online and contains the official

Announcement of the European qualifying examination 2016, including enrolment information for Pre-Exam 2016 and the main exam paper of EQE 2016.

The pre-examination will be held on 29 February 2016.

The web portal  for enrolment will be available [from 15 April 2015*] until 2 June 2015. After 2 June 2015 the web portal will be closed and it will not be possible to apply for enrolment to the pre-examination 2016.

Patent attorney trainees wishing to register and enrol for the pre-examination for the first time, must have completed a total period as defined in Article 11(2)(a) REE of at least two years of full-time employment by 1 March 2016.

EPO Examiners wishing to register and enrol for the pre-examination for the first time, must have completed a total period as defined in Article 11(2)(a) REE of at least two years by 1 March 2016.

Candidates permanently resident and working in the EPO member states AL, BG, HR, CY, CZ, EE, MK, GR, HU, LV, LT, MT, PL, PT, RO, RS, SK, SI or TR may file a request for subsidised examination fees. Candidates must send their request for subsidies before submitting their application to sit the EQE 2016.

Candidates wishing to register and enrol for the pre-examination for the first time are referred to Article 11(1)(a) REE and Rules 11 to 14 IPREE.

Candidates are strongly recommended to use credit card as method of payment as this will ensure swift payment. [...] Late receipt of payment will lead to the application being rejected.

I cite further parts of the announcement in our parallel EQE blog in the post "Enrolment EQE 2016". 

Please refer to OJ 2015, A30 (html English) or (trilangual pdf) for all details. 

The REE and IPREE were publushed in Suppl OJ 2/2014: REE and IPREE.

Today, 1 April 2015, the EQE pages are not yet updated, and registration not possible yet (only as of 15 April, via the webportal).

Remark: there is still some places available in the first of our 8-day Basic Legal courses for Pre-Exam EQE 2016 preparation, in Eindhoven (NL). This first course starts with a 4-day block on EPC procedural law on 20-23 April, followed by a 2-day block on EPC substantive patent law on 18-19 June, and a 2-day block on PCT procedural law on 14-15 September 2015. Refer to our Pre-Exam course page for details, and to our earlier blog posts on EQE 2016 training and a 2x 4-day version of the 8-day course in Poland.

*Update 3 April 2015: looks like the webportal is already open!!!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Training for EQE 2016

A brief overview of our training offers for EQE 2016 is given in an earlier other blog.

The first basic legal course, suitable for Pre-Exam 2016 sitters, and well as for Main Exam 2016 sitters that are not yet on solid legal ground, starts already with a first 4-day block in Eindhoven (NL) on 20-23 April 2015, addressing EPC procedural law and practice! This first block will be followed by next 2-day block on 18 - 19 June 2015 to discuss EPC substantive patent law and practice, and a last 2-day block on 14 - 15 September for PCT procedural law and practice

Details can be found on our website ("training", "webshop", general EQE training brochure, and 8-day basic legal brochure)

We also offer the course in other countries, and -for the first time- in Poland. The 8-day basic legal course in Poland is given in two blocks of 4 days, reducing travel cost and overhead of travel time. The blocks are scheduled on 8 - 11 June 2015 (EPC procedure) and 21 - 24 September 2016 (EPC substantive patent law and PCT procedure) -- refer to our other blog post and the 8-day basic legal (PL) brochure.

Hope to see you in once of our courses!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 Deltapatents will also provide the 8-day Basic Legal Course in Poland for EQE 2016 preparation

We will provide our 8-day Basic Legal Course also in Poland for the first time, in cooperation with Patpol.

The course will be offered in Poland at a reduced course fee compared to the course fee in our training facilities in the Netherlands and as a 25% reduction compared course fee in other countries across Europe.

The course will be given in two blocks, a first 4-day block covering EPC procedural law in June and a second 4-day block covering EPC substantive patent law and PCT procedural law (including EP entry) in September. For maximal efficiency and effectiveness, the course will include the reference book "References to the EPC", updated to include the changes to the Implementing Regulations of the EPC per 1 April 2015 and to the changes to the Regulations under the PCT per 1 July 2015.

By offering the course in cooperation with Patpol in the Patpol office in Warszawa at a reduced course fee, DeltaPatents and Patpol allow candidates from Poland, as well as neighbouring countries and countries that acceded relatively recently to the EPC, to participate in our high-quality, intensive, effective and efficient legal training for EQE 2016 preparation.

For details, refer to our other post here.