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[Spa]

No Problem! I had similar questions and had to rely on some good samaritans. Now it is my time to give back.

Go to the Categories link on the front page and the subsequent summarized chapters.

If you want I might still have some of the saved word documents that I can share. Send me a personal message to which I can respond.

The only time I read the Chapters/sections directly from the MPEP was when I was reviewing my wrong/right answers after my exams. But reading these sections directly, tedious as it might sound, helped me remember the sections directly from the MPEP.

"In your strategy, you mentioned after you finished reading the outline you practiced old exams and then went back to reading MPEP chapters - did you mean you went back to reading the entire chapters on original MPEP or the summarized ones on mypatentbar? I am a little confused ...sorry for being so ignorant."

I read the summarized ones on mypatentbar.

In short, looking back, I think I did read both the summaries and the MPEP directly. Yes! My strategy was redundant and too tedious, but I felt confident and prepared for the exam. I might find some posts that mention about some quick searching techniques, I can attach them here. Basically, you need to familiarize yourself with the MPEP so well, that you know how/where to search it on the D-day.

Good luck.

[Spa]

Look at some these posts from mypatentbar.com where Christine talks about the searching techiques she used. I used them too and they were very helpful.

ChristinaNo Gravatar January 11, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    Appeal questions were to the end of the appeal process.

    PCT questions were to the beginning of the process, namely, when the US/RO is not competent to receive.

    REMEMBER! and mark my words! always search part of an answer in the appropriate chapter as a searching technique, especially unique phrases in the answers. For example, typing in “personal acquaintence” took me to the sweet spot on one of the questions in the December exam.

    TYPE IN PART OF THE ANSWER(S) once you open the right chapter. It’s a great search method. Type in the truncated term! such as “reject” for rejection/rejects/rejecting or “indefinit” for “indefinite/indefiniteness/etc. or “inventor” for inventorship/inventors/etc. Of course, this means you have to know the right chapter; but a very quick review of the table of contents of the chapter will allow you to guess where approximately in the chapter the answer may be; so you can skip to that general section and then start searching for the word. Don’t ever sit there and “read” a portion. If you can’t find it ASAP, you are not using the word search function appropriately. For example, one answer on the exam was on the on sale bar, and said “an offer for sale, that was rejected.” Go to Ch. 2100, see ToC for “on sale” go to 2133 or that general area, search for “reject” and just starting hitting return. You will come across the answer quickly.

    Remember, do it fast! Don’t waste time reading. Read the table of contents in about 10 seconds, enter the term or phrase in the approximate spot and start hitting enter really fast (without reading) until something looks really promising.

    Reply
422 ChristinaNo Gravatar January 11, 2010 at 5:52 pm

    Here’s another thing about searching:

    Use the CFR table of contents! Type in the truncated term at the very beginning of Appendix R, get a CFR number. Read that CFR really fast to see if the answer is in there, or if the CFR is long, type in a search term. If not in the CFR do this:

    Go to section R of the MPEP index, at approximately page 95, there you will see a correlation of the CFR with the MPEP under “Rules, patent” You will not need to use any other part of the MPEP index but this section! This will tell you exactly where in the MPEP to find that part of the CFR.

    Example: Question on application files that cannot be located. Go to Appendix R, the CFR, type in “locat” as the term. This takes you to CFR 1.25, if you don’t find the answer in the CFR really fast then go to the MPEP index at section “R” approximately page 95, go to CFR 1.251 under that section and it says it is discussed at MPEP 508.04. go there and start searching for terms, if necessary.

    This is another really good search method. Note that the MPEP index is generally useless. The CFR Table of Contents (for part 1) is really good; in correlation with the “R” section of the MPEP index, it takes you right where you need to go.

    The best practice exam for this searching technique is the 2002 April AM exam. Use the CFR, then “R” of the MPEP, and search for terms or phrases in either.

    Reply

[smgsmc]

To Aqua00,

I took the exam almost 4 yrs ago; but I've helped several people prep since.  Not much has changed, so I'll offer you some random tips.

(1) Before you surge ahead, have you verified that you qualify to sit for the exam?  I don't know what your degree is in, but if it's bio related, I remember there's an issue if your diploma states "biological science" rather than "biology".

(2) Simply reading through the MPEP page by page won't work for most people (though a few here have reported that they have done so).  The analytical level is not high (probably 11th grade high school).  There's a lot of brute force memorization...and a lot of generic test taking techniques.

(3) There's a lot of prep material available, ranging from free to ~$3000.  You need SOME prep material to provide guidance on which sections of the MPEP to focus on and to coach you on test taking techniques.  Check out eBay.  The computer test was introduced in July 2004.  The test taking techniques for the computer exam are different from those for the old paper exam.  Always double check that the material is geared for the computer exam. 

(4) One essential prep software is a computer simulator.  There are various available that have the old exams in computer test format.  You can pick one up for $50 or less.  At some point in your studies, you should be able to score 90% or so in ~1.5 - 2 hr (for a normal 50 question, 3 hr session).  If you don't, you need to change your study material and techniques.  Don't just memorize.  Understand why each correct answer is correct, why each incorrect answer is incorrect, and why some answers don't make any sense at all.  Know where the answer is located.  When you see a question, you must know at the very least which doc to consult first (USC, CFR, PCT, MPEP).  For the MPEP, you should know which section and preferably which sub-section.  When I prepped, using the PDF version of the MPEP, I exploded all the section, subsection, sub-subsection headings and practically memorized them.

(5) There are various search techniques.  Make sure you practice to make sure one works for you.  It's important to note that the keyword "Search" function is not supported.  Only the literal string search "Find" and "Find Next" is supported.  So if you are looking for "board of appeals", you must include the "of".  For people who grew up with Google, this is not intuitive.  Also, with the one-instance-at-a-time function, you can end up trapped moving from one instance to another within the same sentence or from one sentence to another within the same paragraph.  This apparently worked for one person with a fast trigger finger, but I would be wary of it.  But, hey, if it works for you, fine.

[Aqua00]

@smgsmc... thanks for your note. [(1) Before you surge ahead, have you verified that you qualify to sit for the exam?  I don't know what your degree is in, but if it's bio related, I remember there's an issue if your diploma states "biological science" rather than "biology"].

Yes, that's a good point. My PhD is in 'Biotechnology' and my masters is in 'plant biology' or 'botany'. I just took it for granted that I would be eligible. I checked the USPTO website and my PhD major is not listed in the list of disciplines that qualify...so I am not sure if I can still apply. Also all my degrees are from outside US..it seems like I will have to get all my master's and undergrad transcripts evaluated ...I had my PhD diploma evaluated once though. Wonder if I can call USPTO and check my eligibility?

After reading several posts here... i got the impression that you can pass the exam by just reading MPEP and that buying a course was an overkill ....but what you say makes sense that, I need a more focused approach and a review course would be helpful in doing so. Will check ebay to see if I can get a good deal.  Do you have any suggestions on which to go for? I see most people have used PLI.

As regards the, search functions, I am not there yet and will know once I start the practice exams. So far I have just been reading the condensed version of MPEP on mypatentbar.com. I just glance at the practice questions every time I finish a chapter and try to answer the question not by searching the answer but just to test my knowledge and how much I remember after reading each chapter...so far my performance has been poor and rarely my answers are right. But since its too early in the preparation,and I know I will get better once I use the search technique effectively and have read all the chapters.
 

[smgsmc]

@smgsmc... thanks for your note. [(1) Before you surge ahead, have you verified that you qualify to sit for the exam?  I don't know what your degree is in, but if it's bio related, I remember there's an issue if your diploma states "biological science" rather than "biology"].

Yes, that's a good point. My PhD is in 'Biotechnology' and my masters is in 'plant biology' or 'botany'. I just took it for granted that I would be eligible. I checked the USPTO website and my PhD major is not listed in the list of disciplines that qualify...so I am not sure if I can still apply. Also all my degrees are from outside US..it seems like I will have to get all my master's and undergrad transcripts evaluated ...I had my PhD diploma evaluated once though. Wonder if I can call USPTO and check my eligibility?

As far as eligibility for the exam is concerned, the key degree is your undergrad degree.  For example, if you have a BS EE, you would automatically qualify under Category A.  But if you have a BA Economics and a PhD EE, for example, you would not automatically qualify under Category A, and you would have to qualify under one of the other categories.  You should call and discuss your situation.   You need to submit formal papers for them to review.  You should get this straightened out before proceeding. 

Added:  You need to be careful here.  If you start studying before you apply, you run the risk that your application will be denied, and you will have spent all that time studying for nothing.  On the other hand, be aware that once your application is approved, you have 90 days in which to take the exam (which means a more concentrated study schedule if you don't start studying until you receive approval).  If you miss the 90 day window, you can reapply, but you have to pay the fees again.  You can decide the risk vs $ trade-off.

And:  What is your citizenship status?

PPS:  In the event you don't qualify, but you still want to pursue patent work, you still can.  Without a registration, you can't represent clients before the USPTO.  You can work as a technical specialist in a law firm and carry out almost all the responsibilities that a patent agent would, except a registered practitioner would sign the forms.  Also, the other options that Wiscagent listed earlier do not require USPTO registration.  A knowledge of the MPEP could still be useful background, so study time would not be totally wasted.

[Aqua00]

My undergrad is in Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (Animal science as they call it here)....since in my country we did not have a single discipline that we could major in at the time.  I do have a feeling that this would qualify..but I will make sure I call the USPTO tomorrow and confirm. As regards the citizen ship status, I m a permanent resident. As far as I know that should not be a problem. I will keep my preparation on anyhow and see what happens. Having a little knowledge of patent rules and regulations never hurts. Thx.