Annual meeting of EQE tutors and members of the EQE committees ("Tutor meeting") on EQE 2022 - Dates and registration
Today, the annual meeting of EQE tutors and members of the EQE committees ("Tutor meeting") on EQE 2022 has been announced op the epi website.
Tutors that prepared candidates for the Pre-Exam 2022 and main exam papers 2022 meet with members of the EQE committees and the Examination Board, online, on 8-9 November 2022, to discuss the exam papers. The meeting is organised by the Secretariat of the European Qualifying Examination (EQE) in cooperation with epi.
For full details and registration for the meeting, as well as for Wiseflow access for EQE 2023 preparation, see the News message on the epi Website here and the survey here. It is indicated that, "In November, the Wiseflow system will be operational again, and, if you are interested in receiving access to the Wiseflow system to see the examination papers (past papers & epi Mock papers) as the candidates would see them to support your candidates towards EQE 2023 better, please check the appropriate box [in] Q8 in the survey [below]. The access link to the Wiseflow system will be sent by separate email in November."
Registration is open until 1 November 2022.
NB: For the tutor's report on the EQE 2021 papers and meeting, refer to epi Information 4/2021. A similar report will be published for the EQE 2022 papers and meeting in epi Information 4/2022.
What's the point in discussing when nothing really changes. Papers A, B and C are not fit on wiseflow and candidates have been saying this for some time. Nothing changes with these meetings.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree.
Delete1) It is not only about getting things changed - it is also about understanding of the papers, the answering and the marking - which tutors can then share with new candidates.
2) Many feedback from earlier meeting did lead to changes.
3) There is a proposal for a New EQE, exactly because it was recognized that an online exam platform is not well suited for the current style of exam papers. The online exams of 2021 and 2022 had to compromise - exam design takes a long time and changing the exam regulations as well. Compromises are by definition not perfect... so we have to deal with these compromises until all boundary conditions get us to a new optimum (I think it is fair to consider the exams before 2019 to be an optimum, but even that had a compromise: you had to write it by hand, on paper, and were not allowed to use your main daily life tool, i.e. a computer).
4) The meeting is not the only place where stakeholders have influence - there is also the official channels, emails to the secretariat, complaints and appeals if on specific matters, communication from candidates via tutors, from candidates and tutors to and via epi, ... If you do not want to participate in any channel, fine, but if others find it useful, I suggest you respect that.
I believe that it would be very helpful if some of you tutor guys would be appointed to sit EQE as external observer, in order to monitoring the flow of system and give a real-time feedback even to invigilators which I found completely helpless, and even later to give a proof because my complaints this year were completely ignored and I had any evidence of that.
DeleteSome tutors did, I think about 5 per main exam paper, since many years and also in the last two online EQEs The epi invites tutors in advance and then selects a few. Unfortunately the opportunity was not given not for the Pre-Exam.
DeleteTutors can also register for the Wiseflow Mocks, so that they can also test the system and get familiar with it. DeltaPatents always gives feedback, directly to the EQE Secretariat and on our blogs, which often led to imporovements and./or FAQ items.
This is reassuring because I'm just already terrified that something could go wrong sitting next EQE.
DeleteHope you fired them all
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that there are no representatives from students that attend these meetings. Why not. They are stakeholders but only tutors and examiners are invited as far as I understood. Just seem like a closed group meeting.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you consider tutors not to represent candidates?
DeleteBy the way, please do not post your comments anonymously but use your name so that we can communicate more easily and pleasantly. And I cannot represent an "anonymous" ;)
I found a good progress this years spreading papers in 2 weeks since we don' have a frontal exam anymore there is no use to have all 4 papers in a row in 4 days.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion new e-EQE papers should be taken twice in a year maybe splitting papers A-B in some date, C-D maybe six month later.
Unless you accept to schedule it in 2 year o more (plus a year for pre-exam), sitting all papers in the same time is a hard mental and physical stress.
I think spread it should be helpful for a better planning of the massive load of study you need.
It is understandable too a little bit of frustration of fellow candidates who didn't pass papers and faced IT issues.
Its great that there is a meeting that takes place but I can also understand candidates frustrations where many candidates (rightly or wrongly) do not feel that improvements/issues have been fully taken into account.
ReplyDeleteFor example, wiseflow has been a terrible introduction into the e-EQE system. There are many other IT solutions, like the PEBX system in the UK, that are much better. As I know, most candidates are against the terrible wiseflow system as it is inflexible, impracticable and the papers (especially C) does not work with the platform.
If these meetings really do take into account candidates experiences and views about the papers, then surely the platform to take the exams itself are discussed. In addition, many candidates feel that paper B (and to some extent paper A) are going beyond the remit of what it is required to be tested. The subject matter of Paper B is not line with being fair to all background of the candidate as an example.
I'm just sharing the fact that not all candidates feel these meetings have any impact. That may be correct or incorrect but we don't see any actual outcomes from these meetings, any points/actions put into place for future exams apart from a summary of what was discussed.
I would like to see more challenges to the exam committee on what they are testing, why? and how is it related to real life practices.
ReplyDeleteFor example, why do the exam committee felt the need to have 5 or 6 independent claims for paper A in 2021. I can understand a device and a corresponding method claim. They then had a method of making paper sheet, a product by process claim. In real practice, this does not appear to be a sensible approach to claim drafting. It also favors biotech attorneys...
I agree with Sydney, this year too paper A has 4-5 independent claim, plus the device was claimed in use. These are the reports that future Patent attorneys will have to train with. Hope they never have be in a court for a counterfeiting action.
DeleteAre the epi Information 4/2022 notes available yet?
ReplyDeleteYes, since a few days:
DeleteHTML of the Report at https://information.patentepi.org/issue-4-2022/tutors-report-on-the-eqe-2022.html or
PDF (full issue at) https://information.patentepi.org/uploads/pdf/epi-Information-04-2022.pdf)
A bit disappointed that not many queries and questions were submitted. Paper A 2022 was especially questionable this year. I do not agree it was the same content as previous years and it also heavily favoured life science colleagues who deal with product by process claims on a much regular basis in their jobs than others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with earlier comments. The committee should accept and allow sitting candidates to participate in these events. Maybe there would have been more questions, queries and challenges of the papers.
And what are the outcomes. What will the committee take on board and change. Its not clear from the report at all.
ReplyDeleteThere doesn't seem to be any substantial discussions between committee and tutors recorded (especially for A, B and C) and just a summary of the content of the papers.
I read this post on Salted Patent blog where seems that EPO, despite 2 billion € of revenue in a year seem to not have funds to arrange EQE for patent attorneys.
ReplyDeletehttps://saltedpatent.blogspot.com/2022/10/some-history-eqe-costs-in-2008-ca13908.html?sc=1672827782331#c6447548229700645417