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EQE 2022 bug fixes, and lessons learned from EQE 2021

During the annual EQE Tutor’s meeting on 19 & 20 Oct 2021 (online this year), EQE 2021 was discussed in detail, as well as the expectations of changes to be implemented for EQE 2022. The general approach is to slowly improve the issues: each change needs to be thoroughly tested to make sure improvements work reliably and do not make things worse. I have now tried the updated WISEflow platform and summarised the most important points and tips relevant for EQE 2022 based on the meetings and the experiences from candidates last year.

1. General advice:

  • Watch the EPO’s EQE pages for updates: EPO EQE online page, EQE Notices & Downloads, EQE FAQ’s
  • Join the EQE Telegram groups to discuss issues with other candidates: Main group (283 members), Study group (108 members), ABC&PE-claims (167 members), D&PE-legal (137 members) and Marketplace (58 members). The groups are public, and open to any tutors or candidates. A few rules: treat others with respect, no discussion of cheating, no exchange of large sections of copyrighted materials (use of excerpts for study and discussion allowed). During scheduled exams, no discussion of the exam questions or answers. During mocks, no restrictions.
  • WISEflow and LockDown browser provide limited possibilities compared to daily online working, so practice as much as possible with them.
  • Do as many mocks as possible, even if you have not had any problems before. If short on time, at least do the initial part where the photos are taken and the flow is started. 
  • Practice using the External references, and decide beforehand what will be faster to look up on paper, and what will be faster online. 
  • Maximise your typing speed by taking an online typing course and using a comfortable keyboard / mouse. Become less dependent on answering on paper.
2. General IT advice = avoid issues
  • Although helpdesk will be available and there are possibilities for complaints and even appeal, any issues during an exam will cause at least 20 minutes to be lost, and there is a minimum amount for marking that you must hand-in to be awarded a pass. So, it is better to avoid issues as much as possible.
  • Lockdown browser is designed differently to other apps – it is not designed for stability, but to continuously monitor and to crash when something suspicious is detected. On startup, certain applications are closed. During operation, anticipated “forbidden” actions are blocked. But there will always be situations that are unexpected and unanticipated, particularly when running on the many different hardware/software configurations.
  • Software is being continuously updated, so past positive results during mocks do not guarantee that you will have no issues during the exams. 
  • Least chance of issues if you use a dedicated desktop with one screen (at least 27 inch), one camera, one microphone, one keyboard, one mouse, one loudspeaker device, one printer, direct wired (USB/HDMI) connections to all peripherals, administrator access, cabled (LAN) access.
  • Don’t use: hardware and apps you do not need, VPN (changes to IP address crashes LockDown Browser), and docking stations/port replicators.
  • Turn off: screensavers, sleep/hibernate functions, scheduled tasks like virus checking and backup, and delay windows updates.
  • Most chance of issues: corporate laptop without administrator access, laptop with an internal and an external camera, intelligent firewalls, or active virus scanners.

 3. Advice about EQE 2022 Exams

  • Expect the 2022 exams to look very similar to the 2021 exams. Making exams takes 2-3 years in total, so the EQE 2022 exams cannot be fully adapted to the online format. It is not easy too split an existing exam into parts. EQE 2021 exams also had this problem – splitting was done by the relevant committee under responsibility of the Examination Board.
  • The version of WISEflow and LockDown Browser available at Christmas 2021 will be the final one.
  • More than one answer is frequently accepted (decided after the exam). But you can still fail if you are an acceptable answer track, and don’t hand in enough to be marked. Make sure you hand-in as much as possible. 
  • B exam will be still be difficult because you cannot easily compare – no side-by-side viewing of tabs.
  • C exam will be difficult because of the split into two parts.

4. WISEflow and LockDown improvements for EQE 2022

  • Current version: LockDown Browser 2.07.07 – 18 Dec 21
  • Can now annotate exams when opened in a tab. Comments can be added, text can be highlighted, shapes can be added. These annotations are visible in all tabs where the exam is opened.
  • Opening too many tabs used to longer crash the LockDown Browser. The maximum number of tabs depends on the display size. Now, a warning is generated that tabs must first be closed before new tabs can be opened.
  • Can now apply strikethrough to text in the answer to be handed in.
  • Copy paste seems to me to be improved. However, this is a problem where they do not understand what the cause of the problem is, so it is not certain it will work well on all exams.
  • The invigilation has been integrated into a green hover button/window which remains on top in the answer tab. 
  • Language switching of assignment has been changed to avoid the D1.1 problem in 2021.
  • Side-by-side viewing of tabs is still not possible. Only the exam preview window can be viewed next to the answer tab, which is very limited in functionality.
  • Pre-exam: the three languages have been separated in the questions, but not in the answers.
  • ALT-TAB caused problems last year with crashes after being entered twice. It was stated during the 2022 exams that that it will just have no function. I have not seen any any problems during the mocks. I will try again in the full-function mocks in January.
Click READ MORE for other comments from Tutor’s Meeting

5. EQE 2021 – general comments from Tutor’s Meeting
  • The exams used in 2021 were always scheduled to be used in 2021. The unused 2020 exams were kept ready as backup for 2021 in case of problems.
  • Candidate survey and statistics were published in limited form this year because they were swamped with other issues.
  • Exams were not tested in WISEflow. Exams are usually drafted in English, but most of testers are non-native speakers.
  • More than 12% of candidates did not log into any of the mocks before exam
  • 20-40 1st line invigilators were available, as well as some 2nd level for technical issues
  • If you think that there is an error in an exam question, it is possible to ask an invigilator, but this can take time.
  • WISEflow wll be finalised before Christmas.
  • ALT-TAB will have no function during the 2022 exams, so it should no longer cause crashes.

6. EQE 2021 marking – general comments from Tutor’s Meeting

  • No automation used at all in marking (all exams)
  • 1000 reactions were received after the exam. It was too much to process at the individual level, but they did analyse and classify the responses for general issues, which they took into account. Reactions outside the official time limits were also considered.
  • examination Board always takes all inputs into account, and decisions are always reconsidered.
  • It is no problem to include (and leave) part of the exam in you answer. There are no marks for this. Preferably indicate this in answer to help the marker.
7. A 2021 –  comments from Tutor’s Meeting
  • High pass rate 
  • Frequent complaint was that the technical field was too complicated
  • Some confusion about the “description” required. Only the “first part” is required for full marks – it is not necessary to convert the whole of the letter into a description. Many different approaches accepted, but make it consistent and logical. Include definitions of any special words used in claims, and advantages of dependent claims, 
  • Dwgs, and prior art (D1 & D2) printable before the exam – expect similar in 2022. 
8. B 2021 – comments from Tutor’s Meeting
  • Low pass rate. Committee considered this a very straightforward exam. They thought it might be too easy. They were surprised at the issues. More than one answer was accepted. 
  • B exam varies a lot over the years in style and what is expected in the answer. This was different to previous exams in style – more of a “thinking” exam, so you needed to decide what to do from a plurality of options.
  • No marks for explaining why you did not do something
  • Prior use: only required a summary of the points made in the Guidelines. 6-8 marks available for this. 
  • B exam is least suitable of all exams for WISEflow. They are working on improvements, but not all may be ready in time.
  • Expect similar parts for printing in 2022.
  • My comments: the time for this B exam was too short. Combined with the WISEflow restrictions, made it a very difficult exam. More time would help. Other tutor’s agreed.
9. C 2021 – comments from Tutor’s Meeting
  • Finalised and approved only 1 week before exam
  • It is better to cite relevant passages than copying in the relevant parts of the exam.
  • (Unfortunately, I was called away and could not follow the rest for C)
10. D 2021 – comments from Tutor’s Meeting
  • Very high pass rate due to the neutralisation. Initially D1.1 was only available in German, which caused 1000 candidates to reboot and to join the queue at the Zendesk helpdesk. After committing to ensure that no candidate was disadvantaged, the decision was later made to neutralise the marks for D1-1:
    • “Due to the technical issues that occurred during the first flow of part one of paper D of the electronic EQE of 2021, the Examination Board has decided to exceptionally neutralize this part of the examination. Therefore, the Examination Board has exceptionally awarded to all candidates full marks (25 marks) for the flow D1-1, which consisted of questions 1, 2 and 6.”
  • D was done better than in 2019, even without the neutralisation. The Committee thinks that is because D2 was straightforward, and candidates had to attempt all the D1 questions. 
    • I think that getting more time was also an important factor. 
  • External References were used a lot
  • Many just copied paragraphs from Guidelines – this is not considered an answer, and scores no marks
  • 3 versions of the Guidelines could be used for the answers. Using the very latest ones (in force 1 mar 2021) was an advantage because they were fully up to date.
  • No marks are awarded if only alternatives are given.
  • Q6: GL was sufficient as legal basis. No claim was expected
  • Q4: G1/15 (partial priority) was expected
  • My comment: neutralisation on such a large scale made it clear that fairness to candidates was the main priority, far above all others.
  • D2 was designed to reduce the chance of an early error losing a lot of marks. No knock-on effect.
  • No negative marks are awarded – only positive marks.
11. PE 2021 – comments from Tutor’s meeting
  • Main technical issue was the combination on screen of all languages, making the questions long and difficult to read. They will try to separate the languages for the mocks.
  • Some statements were neutralised because they were considered ambiguous. This is discussed in the committee. Discussions in blogs can help to raise issues.
  • Tutor’s comment: pre-exam could benefit from online testing with candidates to identify ambiguities.
For a very detailed report on the EQE 2021 exams, see epi Information 04/21 page 24-39

EQE guru

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16 responses to “EQE 2022 bug fixes, and lessons learned from EQE 2021”

  1. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    For a very detailed report on the EQE 2021 exams, see epi Information 04/21 page 24-39.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Hi PeteDo you know if the upcoming February mocks will test the system further than the previous mocks? I'm thinking about pre-EQE in particular. I'm wondering if the video/audio surveillance mentioned will be useful to test?

    Reply
  3. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    I got an email yesterday – 3 Feb 22 0930-1730. You can choose which exams you do (A, B, C, D or Pre-Exam). For those who have not yet done such a test, please note that this one is indispensable before sitting the EQE.Pre-exam: part 3 of the pre-exam 2021 only.Main: all papers from 2021 (A, B, C and D) in one flow. You may use any of the papers. As in the real examination the printable parts will be made available approximately 10 minutes before the start of the flow (you might have to refresh your browser page).The mock is with video and audio surveillance and you will also be able to try the integrated chat widget. Human invigilation will however be very limited.When taking the entry image at the start of the flow, you must hold your valid ID card or passport into the camera, next to your face.The currently available mock flows will remain open until 6 March 2022.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Thanks Pete for your summary. From my perspective, Paper C last year was an absolute nightmare. Making some claims and description available only for part 1 but provided all prior art documents caused massive confusion for me. I then had to read everything again in part II when all other claims and description was made available. Do you know if something will change this year? The paper was also extremely long and very very mechanical than usual.

    Reply
  5. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    I think you have to expect the same concept, but with different subject matter. The C paper is such a complicated artificial puzzle that nobody in the committees has the confidence to change anything. The Examination Board does not see it as a big problem because the passing rate was not a disaster. For non-native speakers, it makes passing a lot harder. I wish I had better news. They also do not accept criticism of the B exam, so that will also be the same.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Thank you Pete for the summary. Some features of Wiseflow have improved. Do you know if it is possible to copy the content of one or two columns from a table created in wiseflow and then copy that content to another table? It does not seem to work for me. I can only copy the entire table, which does not help much. It's a bummer that paper C won't be adapted for wiseflow…I wish they had just kept the 5 hours without the break in between. It just makes paper C even harder…Also, it would be nice if the subject matter of the papers could be adapted so that everyone understands it. Paper C (2021) was just awful. It was too long and too mechanical. If they keep it that way then they should at least alternate mechanical and life science subject matter.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Some think that by giving an extra 30 mins, it would compensate but it doesn't. The paper is meant to be for 5 hours. By splitting it, you have to read all the documents again in part 2. it's too much to do for the majority. I don't understand why they are not taking feedback or not listening. We have to do it real time so we know the issues and its mainly the poor design of the paper online. Many tutors such as yourself have also commented on difficulties of paper C online.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    and the paper C is getting longer and longer. I doubt recent papers (esp last year) is no longer doable in 5 hours which is what its meant to be designed for.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Surely they have more time to sort out the issues with the split this year for paper C. If everyone knows and agrees that current papers are not correctly formatted for the new online system, why is the exam committee still insist upon it. They technically had since 2020 to sort out Paper C for online.

    Reply
  10. Bani Avatar
    Bani

    Agreed. I had to guess 2 IS arguments last year because I had no time to analyse them properly and got lucky enough to pass. It was heavily mechanical and the split made it worse because you were reading things that you don't understand (without seeing the claims), which made it a very confusing paper. I probably spent 5 out of 6 hours being super confused.

    Reply
  11. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    Normally they switch subject-matter, so it should be less mechanical this year. I struggled last year with understanding the invention from the drawings as they only used a very small cross-section drawing. The least that they can do is have good, clear drawings.

    Reply
  12. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    There is clearly a conflict between the Committees and the Board. It worries me that there is no-one in the committees with a deep enough understanding of the exam to split it. Like you say, there is no time excuse this year – they have known for 1.5 years that it would also be split. If the exam was more like a real case, then it would be straightforward to split. Their problem is that they hide the pieces you need in unexpected places throughout the application and prior art.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Well, I simply do not understand why they had to split the paper. It would have worked perfectly fine with having 5 hours to answer the paper and then additional 5-10 minutes screen breaks every hour or so, making the total paper about 5 1/2 or 5 3/4. Instead, now it takes almost 7 hours from start to finish (not counting the time before the exam that one already has to spend sitting in front of the screen), because the 45 minutes lunch break between part 1 and 2 is not really a break, since one anyway has to make sure to print the answers of part 1, and then be ready again for doing the identification and then printing part 2. So, whoever came up with the idea of splitting the paper clearly has not given it much thought or perhaps simply did not care. Also, there are other online exams where you spend 5 1/2 hours without a break after 3 hours (e.g. FD4). Also, while some functions in wiseflow have been improve, why is it not possible to highlight also the pdf copy that you can open next to the editor? In addition, if one highlights some part in the pdf viewer and then wants to copy some of the text to the editor (which apparently is an advantage of the online exams) it does not work well. Often one has to delete the highlighting portion again, then copy, then highlight again…Such a waste of time. Also, when formatting some text in the editor (e.g. bold) and then then text is copied to a different place in the editor all formatting is lost. It is difficult enough working in the editor and keeping an overview of what already has been written, so losing the formatting when moving around pieces of text is very unhelpful (again the fact of being able to move text around is allegedly an advantage of the online exam, however, if formatting is lost, I don't see the advantage). In addition, it does not work well to copy some parts of a table created in the editor and then paste it into a different table. This is working in very basic text editing programs, but not in the editor in wiseflow. Last year the committee had the excuse that they did not have a lot of time to prepare, but this excuse it not valid for this year….

    Reply
  14. Markus Frattini Avatar
    Markus Frattini

    Can anyone help me? I got 42% in 2019 for Paper C but only 11% in 2021. I struggled with switching between paper and online docs, and also found that the search function was not 100% reliable. My conclusion is you cannot use both paper and online effectively. So I will attempt to use online docs only this year. Has anyone any advice or a method for doing that? Thanks.

    Reply
  15. Pete Pollard Avatar
    Pete Pollard

    Hi Markus, Be aware that you will be able to print your own C1 answer before the second part to have as a reference. But the new documents provided in C-2 will not have any electronic annotations from part 1 – they are all new copies. The claims of the patent are electronic only, so it seems like the best strategy may be to work with the prior art on paper, and note electronically where you find features in the editor (although making long tables in the editor can be tricky. Alternatively, spend 5 minutes hand-copying the claim features to a paper copy and do everything on paper.

    Reply
  16. Markus Frattini Avatar
    Markus Frattini

    OK thanks Pete. So basically search the Annexes online but mark the features and effects on paper. This is a real challenge, especially for someone who is not a younger generation speed typist! Just hoping this year's paper will be fairer with the split.

    Reply

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