February 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Places to Network with Other Patent Law...
While studying for the Patent Bar Exam, it’s essential to network with other professionals in the field of patent law. You can share study tips and resources with others who are also studying for the Exam, and you can also gain guidance from patent law experts who have years of experience working in the field. So without further ado, here are some of the best places online where you can...
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Advice from PRG Director Brad Buehler: "Help! How...
We’ve looked at how the America Invents Act (AIA) may affect the Patent Bar Exam, and now there have been some new developments on that subject. The USPTO recently updated the source material for the registration examination. The following source materials have been added to the examination:
Changes To Implement the Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the Enhanced Examination Timing...
January 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Useful Links for the Patent Bar Exam
During Chris Casson’s journey to passing the Patent Bar Exam, he mentioned a number of links to websites that will be useful to anyone wanting to register and study for the Patent Bar Exam. Here is a round-up of some of those important resources:
PRG Patent Bar Review Course - Learn more about the PRG Patent Bar Review Course, which helped Chris gain the knowledge and strategies he...
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A Timeline of Passing the Patent Bar Exam
Chris Casson has passed the Patent Bar Exam, so let’s take a look back at the process he went through to study, register for, and take the Exam:
September 9, 2011: Chris decides to take the Patent Bar Exam.
September 22, 2011: Chris attends a PRG Patent Bar Review Course, taught by PRG instructor Paul Gardner. Chris then creates a study plan.
September 29, 2011: Chris begins using...
December 2011
3 posts
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Taking the Patent Bar Exam, and Passing!
What a relief! I don’t know if I’m happier to have achieved my goal of passing the Patent Bar on the first attempt or just knowing that I don’t have to take it again or write a blog post sheepishly explaining why I didn’t pass. I do know that not knowing exactly how many and which questions I got wrong will drive me crazy for some time to come, so I’ll just choose to assume I got them all...
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Final Countdown to the Patent Bar Exam
The countdown to the test continues, and I don’t feel the same way about it from one minute to the next. I am eager to get it over with and repossess my evenings and weekends, but no matter how prepared I actually am, I will be nervous about whether or not I can pass the test. I often dread logging on to ExamWare™ to answer practice questions in the evenings, but once I do, I sort of actually...
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Two Weeks Until the Patent Bar Exam!
I will be taking the Patent Bar within two weeks. That’s kind of a scary thought. In all reality, however, I’m starting to feel more and more confident about my chances of passing on December 14th.
Over the last couple of weeks I have been continuing my general strategy of answering questions from one PRG Patent Bar Review course section at a time, with a simulated exam sprinkled in on the...
November 2011
3 posts
4 tags
It's Official: The Date is Set for the Patent Bar...
It’s finally actually official: I’m taking the Patent Bar. Yesterday at work I got a letter from the USPTO telling me my application to sit for the exam has been accepted, and I needed to make an appointment with Prometric to take the exam at one of their local testing centers as soon as possible. So that’s what I did. I used Prometric’s website to sign up, and the whole process was fairly...
A Guest Post from Brad Buehler: I’ve Taken the PRG...
You’ve dedicated a week of your life to taking the live course or scheduled time and watched the videos on-line and now you are asking yourself, “Now what?” At this point, I suggest it is a great time to take a practice exam through ExamWare™. Ideally, you should set aside the time for a full six-hour, 100 question simulated exam; however, a three-hour, 50-question simulated exam will still...
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Succeeding in the Practice Exams
I took my first simulated exam (well, half-exam) about two weeks ago, and it did not go well. Up to that point, I had answered quite a few practice questions and become somewhat familiar with the MPEP, so I felt relatively confident. However, it seemed like I got all the difficult questions that have a lot of details and very few of the simpler questions that can be answered in a minute or less,...
October 2011
3 posts
2 tags
Going Through the Registration Process for the...
Well, I finally got my Registration Examination application sent to the USPTO. The level of procrastination may be a good sign, since Paul Gardner likes to emphasize the natural predisposition toward extreme procrastination found in all patent agents. Or it may just cause major stress and complications for me later if I am unable to find a convenient time and/or place to take the test out of the...
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Patent Bar Exam Study Strategies and Annoyances
Since I last blogged I have been concentrating my efforts on learning to navigate the MPEP. I have been doing this by using ExamWareTM to answer questions randomly sampled from all of the sections. Before now I had some awareness regarding how large and difficult the MPEP is, but having to actually use it to answer exam questions has been something of an eye-opener.
I should note here that my...
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PRG Director Brad Buehler: The America Invents Act...
The America Invents Act is the most sweeping change to US Patent Law in decades and anyone preparing for the exam, or even thinking about the exam, is rightly questioning what this means. As of right now and, I suspect, for the near future, the new legislation will not affect the basis for the exam.
When the USPTO changes the basis for the exam, as happened in January 2011, 90 days notice is...
September 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Studying with ExamWare™
Today’s post will be a little bit brief, but the reasons for this serve to illustrate some of the complicating factors in studying for the Patent Bar while working and raising a child. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my wife works a couple nights each week and I watch our son those nights. Last night was one such night. I put the boy to bed at the usual time and began to write the post. ...
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Keys to Success: A Study Plan and PRG Patent Bar...
What have I gotten myself into? That’s what I would be asking Brad if I hadn’t received some excellent advice regarding a study plan from him at the PRG course in Newport Beach. Instead, after five long days of information overload last week, I know what I need to do in order to be successful.
A Study Plan
My study schedule will have to remain flexible, though, since I have a 10 month old son...
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Guest Post from PRG Director Brad Buehler: Study...
“What have I gotten myself in to?” That is a question I hear frequently as I work with individuals who have made the decision to sit for the Patent Bar Exam, but haven’t yet developed a study plan. I’ve spoken with many test-takers over the years, and I always tell them that knowledge of what to expect and adequate preparation are important keys to success. I hope that...
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Why I'm Taking the PRG Patent Bar Review Course
The CIA didn’t want me as a secret agent. The FBI didn’t want me as a special agent. Patent Resources Group is going to assist me in recovering from these disappointments by helping me become a Patent Agent. Actually, my path towards taking (and hopefully passing) the Patent Agent’s Registration Examination is a little bit more logical than that.
I graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree...