Updated in separate post of 21 Dec 21.
Update 21 Jun 21: I have also made some of these points in epi Information 02/21
EQE 2022 has been announced (OJ 2021, A44), and it has been confirmed that the EQE will be online, it may be taken at any suitable location, and WISEflow will be used again. The exams will take place over two weeks:
- Tu 08 Mar 22 – D Exam / Th 10 Mar – A Exam
- Tu 15 Mar 22 – B Exam / Th 17 Mar – C Exam / Fri 18 Mar – Pre-Exam
No details yet on which other software will be used or whether changes will be made in the room and workspace restrictions. But based on EQE 2021, taking an exam is likely to require:
- an exam browser, such as LockDown Browser
- continuous AI-assisted camera and sound invigilation, so you must be visible in the webcam field of view for long periods
- online invigilation, such as Zendesk
So, EQE 2022 candidates can already plan ahead:
- Keep an eye on the EPO’s EQE pages for updated details: EPO e-EQE page, EQE Notices & Downloads, EQE FAQ’s
- don’t read through all the details from EQE 2021 – much of the info was provisional, a lot is repeated, and it is likely to change or be consolidated
- At least one mock should be expected in Jan / Feb. Reserve the time and take part – you must use these opportunities to test your system, and to check for individual problems with your hardware/ software
- Think digital for taking the exam:
- a key skill is now typing speed. Take an online typing course and get a comfortable keyboard / mouse
- become less dependent on paper. Get comfortable reading work documents electronically, especially PDF.
- Look for resources that support working digitally
- websites that allow questions to be viewed and answered digitally, such as Practice EQE
- EPC and PCT books which are digital – a few, like EPC.App and PCT.App can even be annotated digitally and printed.
- But be prepared to have your references availableon paper. During EQE 2021, access was provided to the electronic resources on the EPO website only, but it is not yet clear what will be available in 2022.
There were many issues in 2021 with the new exam platform. These are my top bugs that must be fixed for EQE 2022:
- Digital highlighting of exam pages
- this was not available at all for exam pages. Some highlighting was possible for the own answer.
- it is essential when reading off a screen to be able to keep your place, to note things you have used and/or things you need to use
- candidates should not be wasting their time copying large parts of the exam to their answer just to apply highlighting
- Copy/paste into the answer without losing formatting
- copy/paste was possible, but some or all formatting was often lost,
- this was especially poor with Apple computers
- candidates should not be wasting their time reformat excerpts
- Side-by-side previewing of exam pages, allowing correct copy/paste and highlighting
- copy/paste was only available between different tabs
- candidates should be able to answer in the same way that they are used to when working digitally
- Too-limited digital External References during the exam
- the EPO website was available, with searching
- this must be extended to include WIPO to avoid every candidate printing out 2000 pages of the PCT Applicant’s Guide
- Zendesk automatically logging out during the exam
- candidates had to keep checking every 20 mins and logging back in
- this should not be necessary.
- Camera and microphone, once tested, should function throughout the exam
- many candidates were interrupted by Zendesk during the exam because LockDown Browser had disabled their webcam. the camera tested during startup of LockDown Browser should not be disabled.
- there should be an automatic warning if the camera and/or microphone is unexpectedly not working
Other improvements needed for EQE 2022:
- lnclude an optional “digital exam desktop”
- so that candidates can prepare PDF’s and upload them for use during the exam
- some EPC/PCT books are already digital, and many recommended EPO / WIPO references are only available digitally
- allow searchable text of such PDF’s, as you have in real-life, for all digital references. Being able to search broadly does not help as much as you think. Only with knowledge can you search quickly and precisely to pick out what you need.
- Find a more effective way of communicating with candidates than e-mail
- where follow-up questions can be posted. For example, a forum, Twitter, or Telegram chat groups
- be more open about how the exams will be adapted to the platform
- Provide a technical helpdesk and forum
- to solve network and access problems well before the exam
- especially for company networks and laptops, where candidates will not have Administrator rights.
- run an early beta test using a large number of external candidates and/or tutors to iron out the bugs
- Don’t make it harder than it needs to be for those with En/Fr/Ge as a 2nd language.
- Since 2017, an extra 30 mins was added to each Main Exam so that mainly non-native speakers would have more time. But this is no longer enforced, and it is clear from the 2021 B and C Exams that this time has just been absorbed by more material.
- So, have a non-native review team for each exam from the countries who have a good language level, but not the highest. Sorry – no Dutch, Swedish or Danish etc. doing the English :-). They also need to test whether the exams can be made in time.
- For exams that are split, like the C Exam, subject-matter must be properly separated between parts.
- The length of the current exams can be reduced by removing overlap and repetition. For example:
- A Exam: reduce subject-matter, focus mainly on independent claims, and provide less prior art.
- B Exam is not realistic with client giving you claims. Go back to the old format, reduce subject-matter, only include a few claims, and provide less prior art.
- C Exam has much repetition in attacks. Include fewer claims, and provide a lot fewer documents.
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