Patent Bar Forum

Dave's Patent Bar Forum-A Few Hints for the Uninitiated

There are many things that you should have mastered before ever stepping foot into a Prometric testing center. These involve the MPEP, prior exam questions, the searching function, making a list on exam day, time lines, and a system for success. Each one of these items plays a role in passing the examination. All of these play a part in the PatBar® study program.

Since the USPTO is testing the MPEP, you must have reviewed almost all of the material that is currently being tested on the patent bar exam. This is not difficult if you have prepared for and passed the patent bar and spent about twenty years reviewing prior exam questions. With that background you can easily pick out the topics and other necessary background material that should be mastered for the patent bar. This will reduce the MPEP to a very small portion of the entire contents of the manual. With a review of this material, you can begin memorizing as much as possible and developing a good 30-40 page final outline for examination preparation. As you can see, it is impossible for the uninitiated to do this, so a patent bar review course is necessary.

Once you have developed a good background in the material being tested on the examination, it is time to begin practicing using prior exam questions. The last five patent bar exams that were used in the years 2001-2003 are extremely important. These exams have been released by the USPTO and many of the questions remain in the USPTO question pool. Anyone preparing for the patent bar should be able to score a 90% on each of these examinations by taking them in 1 1/2 hours sections (not the 3 hours that you will have on exam day).

Additionally, many new patent bar questions have found their way into the question pool. Many of these have been reported over the internet. A good 3 to 4 week period of scrutiny at around 4-5 web sites should allow you to handle most of these new questions. Of course all of this is unnecessary since PatBar® has done this for you when you purchase our patent bar review course.

The next step involves learning how to efficiently search the MPEP during the examination. This is not difficult, and with an introduction to the search function and a few examples, you can begin practicing this function while you are taking old examinations. You will quickly realize the limitations of the search and some of the best places to start. Through trial and error a logical system is easily developed.

Another useful tactic is to make a list of the examination questions on scratch paper so that you can easily refer back to patent bar exam questions that require additional work. If you make a list of from 1 to 50, you can use this to list to note whether you are satisfied with a question or whether you should go back. At that time you should also list answers that are obviously wrong so you can ignore them later on. Such a list can be a powerful record keeping tool and allow you to manage your time more efficiently.

Another powerful tool for passing the patent bar is time lines. You should begin making time line diagrams to keep track of items and their respective dates. With a standardized set of symbols and a system of making time lines, many complex questions can be outlined in this way. In many cases the time line will make selecting the correct answer more obvious than you would think possible.

The last point is that a logical system is necessary to manage your time and produce the proper result. Any patent bar review program should allow a student to plan their time in small increments (such as one hour) so that it can be scheduled and completed on a timely basis.

Dave's Patent Bar Forum-How Much Time (and Money) Do You Want to Waste trying to pass the Patent Bar Exam?

Like most up and coming professionals you have precious little free time, much less the time for two or three weeks vacations (like normal people take several times per year). You don't (unfortunately) plan your life around free time and extra-curricular activities. You are busy all of the time and if you are going to try something new it better be the short, efficient version or you are just NOT interested.

This plays into the patent bar in many ways. Taking the patent bar exam is both a time consuming and demanding activity, but it is feasible to take (and pass) the examination with less anxiety and less studying than ever before. This is because the nature of the examination has changed.

In the old days there would be two (sometimes just one) patent bar examinations per year, and the USPTO would attempt to prepare mostly all new questions for every examination. There were a few repeats from the last three prior patent bar exams, but NOT something that would decide the outcome of the examination.

Today's examination is different. Today the patent bar exam has been worked over and digested by thousands of savvy, internet friendly users. A reasonable percentage of them are quite willing to tell all and post information about the patent bar and, more importantly about examination questions. There are thousands of posts all over the internet about the patent bar exam.

Knowing the above, and if you have four or five weeks of free time you can scour the internet and locate the vast majority of all of this information. Of course it will be pretty much gibberish since you have probably NOT prepared for the patent bar and you just do NOT have the knowledge to understand what it means.

Of course all of this is unnecessary since PatBar® has done this for you when you purchase our patent bar review course. You can benefit from the time we spent scouring the internet and then incorporating the valuable information into the PatBar® program. In this way you will instantly recognize most of the questions being tested on the patent bar exam.

As you can see, PatBar® is going to save you from the total waste of time of preparing for things that are never tested on the patent bar. Coupled with knowing most of the questions, passing can be easier than ever before.

As we have said many times before:

"With PatBar®, you will pay less, study more efficiently and effectively, and achieve a higher score than with any other option. At the end of the day, you will be better prepared and have a better experience with PatBar®."

Dave's Patent Bar Forum - Exam Pass Rates and Getting The Most for Your Money

The vast majority of persons interested in the patent bar would like to purchase an inexpensive review course that leads to a high possibility of passing the exam. They are not particularly interested in anything else, and they have especially little or no interest in inventing a program for themselves. Since it is nearly impossible to know exactly the materials and topics that are being tested on the exam, a go-it-alone attitude usually leads to failing the patent bar exam over and over again.

Since our company began preparing its first patent bar review course back in 1992, we have made it a priority to acutely listen to our student's needs and desires. We know that they want options to make the studying for the patent bar more interesting and effective, and they want to know as much as humanly possible about the patent bar exam and exam questions. For example, providing numerous ways of reviewing the relevant concepts leads to high passing rates. In our course a concept may be reviewed by way of a presentation in the study guide, a table that summarizes the material, a second summary in the lecture, one or more examples that demonstrates the principle, and prior patent bar exam questions on point. As you can see, a variety of teaching methods is the key that leads to higher scores and passing grades.

Now the second point relates to value. We know that our students want an effective patent bar course that is an excellent value based on the purchase price, return policy, customer support, and overall performance to customer needs. Our company has made it a point of honor to keep our price at around one third to one half the cost of the two original providers that were selling patent bar review courses in 1992 (PLI and PRG). We also provide a complete, no-cost 30 day return warranty, daily email support, and every day telephone support for our students. We also provide immediate response to any requirements. It is our goal to never introduce delay into the system. As an example, if you lose or damage a book or CD, we ship a replacement immediately at no charge.

As we have said before:

"With PatBar®, you will pay less, study more efficiently and effectively, and achieve a higher score than with any other option. At the end of the day, you will be better prepared and have a better experience with PatBar®."

Dave's Patent Bar Forum - Why the Patent Bar Exam is Easier than Ever Before

The content and difficulty of the patent bar exam ebbs and flows over time. This is usually true but not always. Take for example the fact that the current exam began testing effective Thursday, October 19, 2006, and that the computer-delivered registration examination made the 8th Edition, Revision 4 of the Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP) available during the exam. For over two and one-half years the OED has been using the same exam and the same MPEP. This is true even though the MPEP has been revised three more times since that date. So you may ask, "Why would this make the exam any easier?"

The main reason is that almost everything about the exam has been posted on the internet. There is a cottage industry of web sites and bloggers that provide a forum for exam takers to provide information about the exam and exam questions. This mainly represents thousands of messages about exam questions with a smaller number relating to conditions at testing centers and other relevant issues. Anybody that has the time and patience to wade through this mountain of information will have a very good understanding of the vast majority of exam questions being used on the exam.

Although it is nearly impractical and hugely time consuming to attempt to sort out all of the overwhelming information about the exam over the internet, there is no need to do so since our company has done this for you when you buy our patent bar review course.

By harvesting this resource we are in the enviable position of knowing nearly all the exact topics being tested on the exam, nearly all the exam questions from prior exams that are being tested, and we can quickly and easily provide this information at appropriates times throughout our patent bar review course. For this reason, since you would know the content of the vast majority of exam questions, passing the exam is a no brainer and much, much easier than ever before.

Dave's Patent Bar Forum - Who's Taking the Patent Agent Bar Exam?

Who Should Be Taking the Patent Agent Bar Exam?

There are many categories of people that should consider taking the patent bar exam. This includes associates at law firms, law school students, engineering and science majors involved in research and development (R & D), engineering and science majors working as patent liaisons at their company, those involved in technology transfer at a college or university, and others (including retirees) who want to represent persons in their community in patent cases before the USPTO. We know this because we have sold around 8000 patent agent bar review courses and almost every one fell into one of these six classes.

1. Law Firm Associates

a. The first one involves a very big production and extravagant expense (around $5000 or more including the course and traveling). If your firm insists that you go this route, you should try to schedule this about one year after you join the firm. During the first year you should purchase the PatBar® agent course right away and begin studying for the patent bar on your own. This will almost guarantee that you pass on your first try and the cost to you will be very minimal ($1295). The PatBar® agent course will provide you with better tools for actually passing the patent bar exam, and a very manageable daily study schedule.

b. On the other hand, your firm (which may be a small one) may allow you to pick a course and take the patent bar exam more or less on your own schedule. In this case you should just buy the PatBar® course and begin studying for the patent bar immediately. In about three months you will be fully prepared to easily pass the patent bar exam.

2. Law School Students

Law schools today have many students that have science and technical backgrounds. These may be any one of many engineering degrees such as electrical, mechanical or chemical, or computer science, chemistry, biology, physics, etc. We have promoted the thinking that a law student with a science or technical degree should take the patent bar exam either before or during law school.

One common approach is to take the patent bar exam after taking the LSAT and before law school begins. Others prefer to take the patent bar exam during the first summer in law school, which is very manageable and still well before any interviews for internships the second summer. The first summer in law school is usually the last time available before interviewing begins for the all-important second summer internships. With this being said, many law school students take the exam during one of the semesters after the first summer and have the advantage of putting "Registered Patent Agent" on their résumé before they graduate.

3. Engineers and Scientists Involved in R & D

Many engineers and scientists are involved in projects that lead to patenting, which is usually part of an R & D department or location. Many of these graduate students or employees realize that having a greater knowledge of patenting can be very advantageous in this environment. We highly recommend that, due to the low cost and fairly minimal commitment, to study for the patent bar exam and become registered as patent agents as soon as possible. This will allow you to fully understand the basics of filing a patent application and prosecuting the application to the final issuance of a patent.

4. Corporate Patent Liaison

Many companies have employees that are involved in the patenting process as a liaison between the inventors and the corporate patent department. This usually involves finding and transferring meaningful information to the patent department, including the names of inventors and specific relevant dates. It may also involve training and educational activities, inspection of laboratory notebooks, and establishing inventorship. Persons involved in this type of work should take the patent bar exam as soon as possible as a necessary part of their job duties.

5. Technology Transfer

Many colleges and universities have technology transfer offices associated with their research activities. Their jobs usually involve many things such as a liaison between the research department and a law firm, licensing of patents, and the promotion of certain inventions. These offices usually have the opportunity to promote the research going on at their college or university which may result in sizable rewards. Certain persons within these groups should take the patent bar exam and become registered as a patent agent. This registration will improve their understanding of patents and how the system works.

6. Others Including Retirees, Inventors, Small Business Owners

Many other persons may be interested in representating inventors in their community or they are inventors themselves. They may also be small business owners interested in patents. They want to pass the patent bar exam and more fully understand the process of patenting and apply for patents on their own inventions or the inventions of others. Some retirees who formerly worked in technology have started their own professional businesses and have been very successful in their community and nationwide.