You’ve likely already seen that the patent bar exam underwent an update after October 13, 2021 and you may be wondering what the differences are now that the exam is updated.
The main change is that the tested version of the MPEP will now be the MPEP, Ninth Edition, Revision 10.2019.
All the supplements are the same, only the revision of the MPEP has changed.
The MPEP is updated about once every year or two years so it’s something that happens all the time (at least from our viewpoint, since we’ve been offering patent bar study materials for the last 2 decades).
Fortunately, with this particular update, the MPEP didn’t change drastically.
We know because we started adding in the new version in our course in June. Clients could choose whether they were taking the exam pre- or post- October 13 since June of this year. We spent months during the spring of this year literally pouring over this new revision of the MPEP for you.
There were no new chapters added to the MPEP. So it still starts with chapter 100, which covers Secrecy, Access, National Security, and Foreign Filing and it still ends at chapter 2900, which covers International Design Applications.
In fact, all the chapters are essentially the same. However, many of the topics covered in chapter 700, which is titled Examination of Applications were removed (and some were placed into chapter 2100 which covers Patentability) and vice versa.
So if you started studying prior to the update, you’ll want to go back into those two chapters (700 and 2100) and make sure you know where the material is located.
These are two very important chapters that are tested on the exam to a high degree, so it’s very important to locate those changes. If you just started studying then these changes won’t really impact you at all.
Then there are also a number of clarifications. The writers of the MPEP usually add in hundreds of clarifications during an MPEP update. That’s because the laws and rules are often written in a vague enough manner that they need to be clarified once they’re taken action on in the real world. That doesn’t mean much of the material has changed, just that it’s been clarified.
They do also insert in guides and papers and sometimes actually change laws and rules (however, this is done on a minimal level).
The change from MPEP Revision 08.2017 to 10.2019 was not a major update as far as updates go. But it is important to study from the currently tested material. That way you have the best chance of passing the exam.
The PES patent bar review is completely updated to make your preparations easier. Start preparing for the exam now and rest assured you’re studying with the most current material by using PES.