Friday, January 15, 2021 Information from the training sessions "The 2021 e-EQE" on 14 January 2021

 

Yesterday, two e-EQE Virtual classrooms were organized by the Academy/EPO/epi. (see annoucement)

• The first session targeted candidates and tutors; the second session was for tutors only. The session has been recorded and will be available on the EQE website soon.
       Update 18/1/2021: the recording is now available on the e-EQE website.
  
  
• It was announced that there will be two more session like this, for further questions (end Jan [28-1-link]; mid Feb [11/2-link]). Also, the online information will be updated.

Candidates are all strongly advised to test the e-EQE platform with Mock 1 and Mock 2 well before the exam.

• Check the e-EQE webpage, regularly! https://www.epo.org/learning/eqe/e-eqe.html  
• Only about 1/3 has opened the flows of Mock 1… important to check the flows and the system!
• Check the tips from the documents on the e-EQE website!
• Check the FAQ in the EQE website!

In the session, many questions were answered, confirming what is already in the FAQ or adding some more detail. The following topics may be worth to mention.

Getting started

• Note that, before you can access the papers (the "flows"), you should first have used the very first email from Wiseflow where you can set a password. 
• Note the different passwords.

Admin rights

Admin rights are needed to install and run – without admin rights, the software cannot be secure. There are two possible ways:

1. You can have admin privileges yourself; OR:
2. Your company IT can whitelist this software to run with admin privileges , even if you do not have admin privileges yourself.

So you donot need these privileges yourself, but your software can have it (That solution is also used within the EPO).

Recommended to set your computer to “No updates during the exam week” (and maybe a few days before), so that the system is stable and there is no risk of any effects due to Windows/iOS updates.

Invigilation

AI inviligation needs a reference image = very first entry image: Need to show ID card or passport.

Any webcam can do. Lighting conditions are important. 

Neutral background to capture entry image and during the exam!

Will be part of Mock 2 (not in Mock 1).

Check the e-EQE website for details.

It is not required to indicate where you are going to sit.

But place must be in line with the guidelines and rules:

In closed room, alone, no other person allowed, no big glass walls, no disturbance.

Coming late / Late starting:

In paper exam, hardly ever happened. Only once when there was a snow storm in Munich

Recommended to log in into the Wiseflow system 1 hour before the exam

Recommended to print once the documents are available.

No need for as late starting

If 1-2 minutes late, will be accepted, but time is lost

If 15 min or more later, you will not be let in.

Headsets, headphones, earplugs
Headphones/earplugs not allowed.
In general, only allowed to have electronics needed to take the exam, but nothing else.
Not allowed to cover your ears – ears shall be visible on the camera (considered part of the face)
All sound that comes into your ear shall also come into the microphone of the invigilation.

Camera

Camera should be in front of you, centered at top or bottom of the screen that you are going to use.
Laptop camera is allowed with external screen if the camera can be so positioned
External camera and speakers are allowed, but no earplugs/headset

Printer
Printer can be in different room, can use a network printer (but make sure that you will have it available and are not delayed by long print jobs from colleagues).
As it is allowed before the lockdown browser is started, when you still have full control of your hardware and network.
However, once the lockdown browser is started, you cannot print anymore – so, only start the lockdown browser after you have collected your printout and have closed your door.

External screen; other devices
Allowed to use an external screen if you use a laptop, but you will need to shut down your laptop screen.
Cannot use an additional laptop to e.g. access your electronic documents – can not use any other electronic equipment than what you need to do the exam.
Can use mobile phone as wifi hotspot, as long as it is preconfigured and not in reach of the person sitting the exam, so e.g. in next room. But recommended to use cabled internet connection.

Any spare equipment should be outside the room or, if inside the room, well out of reach.

Unscheduled breaks

W.r.t. toilet/unscheduled breaks:
- Scheduled breaks are indicated in the Schedule;
- Pre-Exam has 70-min parts: not allowed to leave the examination room during a 70-min part, unless you handin your answer of the part (=conclude on that part);
- DI has 90-min parts: not allowed to leave the examination room during such a 90-min part, unless you handin your answer of the part;
- For all other papers (A, B, 2 parts of C) and for the DII-part, you can leave the room, but need to notice the invigilator when you leave and when you come back.

Other software

Cannot use other software than the exam system. So cannot use Excel, Word, …
Flockdown will shut down other software when it starts.

Highlight/annotation (main exam)

You can NOT highlight in the assignments (pdfs of paper) – not supported by the system.
But could copy the text into the editor, as workaround - some highligting/formatting features are available in the text editor.

Paper C

Paper C has been split into two equal parts – equal time, but not necessarily equal marks (“100 marks for paper as a whole, but no further comments; may be different between the two parts”)
- First part lot of reading, relatively easy attacks
- Second part less reading, relatively longer and more difficult attacks

Calendars for Paper D and Pre-Exam

In Mock 1 (DI and Pre-Exam), the calendars were only available after logon to Wiseflow but before starting the Flowlock browser: recommended to print the calendars in advance to be sure to have them available during Mock 2 and during the real e-EQE!

The Mock 2 calendar is likely to be the same as the e-EQE 2021 calendar.

Using multiple tabs: be aware

If you open too many copies of the Assignment in many many Tabs, the system may crash and reboot. So do not open too many Tabs! (Issue is under investigation)

External Resources

During the exam, there is an “External Resources” link at the top of the browser window. It will give access to:
- Calendars
- e- EQE technical manuals
- In Mock 1, you can browse complete EPO website – that will NOT be possible in real e-EQE. Rather, in the e-EQE: A limited set of legal documents will be available; working on it; aim to get (most of the) documents from the legal syllabus. These will NOT be searchable.

Copy of answer

Candidates will be able to download a copy of their answer at the end of the exam time.

Mock 1

You can access Mock 1 as often as you like (provided you did not submit your answer).

Refer to the WISEflow guide for EQE candidates (Version for Mock 1), par 6.2.2 (bottom of page 7):

"6.2.2. Mock 1

You will be sent an email containing two flow‐specific passwords: a participation password and an invigilator password.

You can then start, exit and re‐start the flow as often as you wish after the first access, provided that you have not handed in your answer.

For example, if you want to exit the LockDown browser without handing in your answer (by clicking the red Exit button in the bar at the top of FLOWlock), you will need to use the invigilator password.

Note: Once you have handed in your answer you can no longer re‐enter the flow."

Mock 2

Most papers are reworked old papers, updated to current standard; DI is new.

Unfortunately, no information yet which old papers were used, so there is a risk that you have already practice the paper that is the basis of Mock 2 when you sit it.

Mock 2 is provided do be done in the same time schedule as the real e-EQE, but one month in advance.

Mock 2 papers have not foreseen to be used outside the scheduled time, but this may be considered.

Not back to paper exams in the future

Future EQEs will not go back to paper, exam-hall EQEs. It will continue to be an online exam. 

As time was short, the e-EQE 2021 papers are still in more-or-less paper-based style now, adapted to be done online and to be done in parts (where you would otherwise need to sit too long behind your computer without breaks). The formats will be developed further for future exams.

Practicing and sitting

Good luck with your further practice, and with your exams!!!

Please feel invited to share your experiences with the platform as comments to this blog. 

Indicate whether your comment relates to the main system/ a specific (part of a) main exam paper or the pre-exam system/ a specific part of the pre-exam paper.

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