Yesterday, the Examination Board published a notice "EQE 2024: Publication of results" on the EQE website reading:

EQE 2023 main exam candidates have received their results today (4 July).

Congratulations to all that passed one or more papers! 🥂🍾🎈🥳💐

And to those that passed the complete EQE, in first and single sit or spread over several years: double congratulations: if you are a patent attorney trainee, you are just a request for entry on the list (and the decision to grant that request) away from being a European Patent Attorney (professional representative on the list). Hope to meet you at some EPO, epi or other kind of event in the future!

Update 5 July 11:30: The Examiner's Reports are not yet available (except that for paper A, available 4 July late afternoon). nor are the statistics.

Update 5 July 15:20: The Examiner's Reports are available on the Compendium pages; However, statistics are not yet available.

Update 6&11 July: The Candidate's answers are now also available on the Compendium pages. As you may see on LinkedIn, the English Candidate's answer for D 2023 is from one of "our" candidates: nice compliment Laura, to have been selected (also for us as your tutors ;)) We are also proud that also the German Candidate's answer for D is from one of "our" candidates of our courses in German. And... also the French Candidate's answer for D is from one of "our" candidates of our courses in French!🥂🍾

Update 11 July 11:40: Still no statistics yet for Pre-Exam nor main exam papers. Candidates asked me when to expect them - I do not know either, but I can give historical data. Statistics were published for Pre-Exam and main exam at the same time. For EQE 2022 the statistics were available quickly, the day after the main exam results. But for EQE 2021, the results letters for the main exam were send to the candidates on 21 June while the statistics came out only on 6 July.

Update 14 August: The statistics have been published late July (dated 18 July 2023)!

Pre-Exam 2023: 519 candidates,  84,78 % pass, 15,33 % fail 

Paper A 2023: 873 candidates, 70,56% pass, 4,35 % compensable fail, 25,09 % fail

Paper B 2023: 820 candidates, 61,52% pass, 9,17 %  compensable fail,  29,31 % fail

Paper C 2023: 1176 candidates, 54,08 % pass, 12,08 % compensable fail, 33,84 % fail

Paper D 2023: 836 candidates, 38,28 % pass, 10,29 % compensable fail, 51,43% fail 

The pass rate for Pre-Exam 2023 is in the usual range (ignoring Pre-Exam 2022 in which 30 marks were neutralized). The relative low low number of Pre-Exam candidates (usually 700-900) is probably an effect of the lower hiring of trainees during the COVID-period.

The pass rate for A 2023 is higher than the usual range (50-60% from 2015-2019 and 2022) but comparable to A 2021 (which was exceptionally high at 74%).

The pass rate for B 2023 is in the usual range (65-75% from 2015-2019 and 2022; with B 2021 being lower than the usual at 55%).

The pass rate for C 2023 is in the usual range (39-54% from 2015-2021, and 2022l after an exceptionally low C 2014 at 34%).

The pass rate for D 2023 is in the low end of the usual range  (usually between 35 and 55%), possibly due to high pass rate of Pre-Exam 2022 -with a 97% pass rate as 30 marks were neutralized- and D 2022 – few resitters.

Comparing with the last two, online, exams of EQE 2022 and EQE 2021 (note the latter had many more sitters due to cancellation of EQE 2020):

Pre-Exam 2022: 680 candidates, 96,76% pass, 3,24% fail - note: Part 3, 25 marks and Q.20, 5 marks were neutralized
Pre-Exam 2021: 626 candidates, 87,38% pass, 12.62% fail
Paper A 2022: 886 candidates, 59,82 % pass, 13.09 % compensable fail, 27,09 % fail
Paper A 2021: 1905 candidates, 74,38% pass, 4,41 % compensable fail, 21,21 % fail
Paper B 2022: 1158 candidates, 77,55 % pass, 6,74 %  compensable fail,  15,72 % fail
Paper B 2021: 2005 candidates, 55,26 % pass, 10,02 % compensable fail, 34,71 % fail
Paper C 2022: 1400 candidates, 49,14 % pass, 12,07 % compensable fail, 38,79 % fail
Paper C 2021: 1852 candidates, 47,08 % pass, 9,67 % compensable fail, 43,25 % fail
Paper D 2022: 704 candidates, 62,64 % pass, 8,52 % compensable fail, 28,84% fail – note: Question 5, 5 marks, was neutralized, so this is not a very good reference – check D 2019 instead
Paper D 2021: 2003 candidates, 85,87 % pass, 5,89 % compensable fail, 8,24 % fail – note: complete part D1-1, 25 mark, was neutralized, so that D 2019 is a more realistic  reference (which had a relatively high pass rate):
Paper D 2019: 1133 candidates, 52 % pass, 11 % compensable fail, 36 % fail 

For 2019 and the preceding 5 years, see here.

The dates for EQE 2025 have been published on the EQE website (notice of 20 July 2023):

The time schedule is similar as that of EQE 2024 and 2023, with the papers in the sequence D-A-B-C-Pre-Exam, and again showing at least one day in between successive main exam papers. It seems likely that the exam will again use WiseFlow and -for the main exam- the FlowLock editor/browser.

The published schedule provides for papers Pre-Exam, A, B, C and D, so it seems to be an EQE of the current format. 

Comment: If discussions about the New EQE converge this autumn/winter and the Administrative Council decided in the new regulations, I can imagine that there may be exams for the New EQE Fundamental Module(s) in 2025 in parallel with or replacing the Pre-Exam as of March 2025. However, to date (14 August 2023), no decisions seem to have been made as to the final New EQE format, nor as to the time of introduction of the New EQE, nor of any transitional provisions.

NB: The dates for EQE 2024 can be found here (discussing notice 20 September 2022).

The "Information on the schedule for the EQE 2024 examination papers" (dated 27 July 2023) is now available on the EQE website. 

Please feel invited to post to our blogs for the respective papers if you wish to comment on the EQE 2024 schedule:

• Blog Schedule Pre-Exam 2024
• Blog Schedule Paper D 2024
• Blog Schedule Paper A 2024
• Blog Schedule Paper B 2024
• Blog Schedule Paper C 2024

The Supervisory Board of the EQE issued a decision on "Notification and time limit calculation" dated 26 June 2023:

• For Pre-Exam 2024: see here
• For Paper D 2024: see here

Today, the EPO published the News message show below (no changes made, except for emphasis added):

• [begin  citation]

European qualifying examination 2023 completed

23 March 2023    

This year's European qualifying examination (EQE) ran from 6 to 13 March [note from the blog editor: actually, from 7 to 17 March 2023]. In total, 2 148 candidates of 58 nationalities participated and almost 40% of candidates were women. All in all, the four papers that each candidate can sit, plus the pre-exam paper, last a combined total of 24 hours and are simultaneously available in German, English and French.   

We wish all candidates that will sit one or more EQE papers this and/or next week good luck / bonne chance / gute Fahrt!

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.

It was a major achievement to move from an EQE that is fully paper based -the exam papers as well as the material you can bring being only on paper, and a handwritten answer- with candidates sitting in about 8, some of them big, exam locations scattered around Europe - to an online e-EQE in a secured browser -the exam papers as pdfs and/or (in full or in part) onscreen, legal texts partially online, a typed answer in a basic editor, online invigilation-. 

But... the level of praise and the absence of reflection as to the growing pains and serious problems in the press release does not really feel justice to how candidates and tutors, as well as other stakeholders, have experienced the preparation phase and the exam itself. The message seems to have been drafted by a Public Relations department and it seems not to have been checked for the sensitivity of the issues that arose in the preparation of and during the exams, of the impact that such a message has on candidates, some of which feel that their voices and experiences have been ignored.

In particular, the press release downgrades the issue at D1-1 to "solved quickly within a few minutes". That does not really reflect the real situation where some candidates were affected for the whole of D1-1, at least, and where an additional 30 minutes was awarded but not received by all candidates (as a Flowlock browser refresh was needed to actually receive the 30 minutes), and where the break schedule was changed with a sever impact on the length of the lunch break (from planned 45 minutes to only 25)... I refer to our Good luck blog, our First impressions blog for many comments from candidates, as well as to our D1 blog.  Luckily, the Examination Board did react in a fast and appropriate way with a message on the e-EQE webpages, on the next day, with the guarantee that no candidate will be disadvantaged as a result during the marking process. , as is also indicated in the press release.

The Press Release is show below in full (no changes made):

EQE goes digital

The above Notice from the Examination Secretariat concerning the conduct of the EQE 2021 has been published on the EQE website.

The Notice provides (cited in full, no changes made):

10 March 2021

Notice from the Examination Secretariat – Conduct of the EQE 2021

Following the European Qualifying Examination (EQE), which took place from 1 to 5 March 2021, the Examination Secretariat has received a number of emails from candidates describing their circumstances and individual experience in relation to the pre-examination or the papers of the main examination.

Candidates are hereby informed that their emails will be forwarded to the Examination Board. However, there will be no individual acknowledgement of receipt.

 The dates for EQE 2022 have been published on the EQE website (Notices page), here (Notice of 19 April 2021),

The complete EQE does no longer take place in a single week (in 2011: Pre-Exam on Mon, D on Tue, A on Wed, B on Thu, C on Fri), but is spread over two weeks: the main exam papers on Tue and Thu, the Pre-Exam on Fri of the second week.

Compared to the earlier announcement of 15.11.2018 (wherein the EQE was planned from 21.03.2022 to 24.03.2022), the EQE 2022 starts two weeks earlier, with the D paper on 08.03.22. 

The Pre-Exam will take place after all main exam papers, rather than on the day before the main exam.

[Update 10 May 2021:] As e-EQE 2021, the EQE 2022 will be held online and can be taken at any suitable location chosen by the candidate.The examination system Wiseflow will be used (https://europe.wiseflow.net/) (See Announcement EQE 2022)

Enrolment

The dates of each examination paper can be found under EQE notices.

Compulsory registration

Enrolment to the pre-examination will only be open for candidates who have registered at the latest by 15 January of the year in which they intend to enrol for the pre-examination [note from the editor: so, by 15 January 2021, already expired]. See OJ EPO 2018, A99.

All information can be found at registration as candidate.

Enrolment periods

1. Pre-examination 2022

Candidates may enrol as from 3 May 2021. Applications must be submitted no later than 12 July 2021 via myEQE. For a first time enrolment to the pre-examination candidates must have registered at the latest by 15 January 2021. Candidates who have previously been admitted to the pre-examination are already registered.

2. Main examination 2022 (Papers A, B, C and D)

Candidates may enrol as from 17 May 2021 Applications must be submitted no later than 06 September 2021 via myEQE.

Fees

Please note that the fees relating to the EQE may only be paid by credit card or bank transfer. Candidates are strongly recommended to use a credit card as their method of payment as this will ensure swift payment. If the prescribed fees are not validly paid, the application for enrolment will be deemed not to have been filed. Candidates are reminded of the strict application of the closing dates for enrolment. Articles 121 and 122 EPC do not apply. As bank transfers are prone to delays they are therefore not recommended as payment method shortly before the relevant deadline. Fees may not be paid by debiting an EPO deposit account.

Certain candidates can request a fee subsidy (eligibility criteria apply).

---

Update 10 May 2021:  

The "Announcement of the European qualifying examination 2022" has been published on the  (Notices page), here. It is expected that this Announcement will be published in the OJ of May or June. [Update: published in OJ 2021, A44 in the May issue].

The Announcement provides all detail on Pre-examination and main examination.

I. General

1. Compulsory registration

2. Dates of the pre-examination and the main examination and deadlines for enrolment

2.1 Date of the pre-examination and enrolment deadline

2.2 Dates of the main examination and enrolment deadline

3. Payment of fees

4. Withdrawal

II. Enrolment process

1. Online access

2. Professional activity 

2.1 Required periods of professional activity

2.2 Remission of the period of professional activity – Article 11(5) REE and Rule 16 IPREE

2.3 EPO examiners

3. Choice of papers 

4. Fees - Rules 7 and 8 IPREE

4.1 Fee increments

4.2 Examination fee subsidies 

5. Communications

III. Information on data protection

Please refer to the full announcement for details.

The Examiners' Reports are available for Paper A, for Paper B, for Paper C, and for Paper D!

The results (marks for candidates, pass rates and other statistics) are not yet available, neither publicly on the EQE website, nor via myEQE for individual candidates. It seems reasonable to expect that they will become available shortly (as in previous years, the results and the examiner's reports always became available shortly after each other; however, in previous years the results became available before the Examiners' Reports).

Update 21/6/2021: The results letter have been send to the candidates.

"The purpose of the present examiners' report is to enable candidates to prepare for future examinations (cf. Art. 6(6) of the Regulation on the European qualifying examination for professional representatives)."

The Examiner's Reports provide general comments to each of the papers, as well as the Possible Solutions for each and -for A, B and C- an indication of the marking.

The Examiner's Reports do not contain any comments as to the side-effects of the online format, nor whether that has somehow been reflected in the marking, except for the indication in the Examiners' Report of Paper C that: "The examination of 2021 was different from previous years in several aspects, the most important of which is that it was held online and that it was split in two parts. Technical aspects regarding the shift to an online exam are not part of this report".

Update 21/6/2021: The results letter send to candidates provides:

"Due to the technical issues that occurred during the first flow of part one of paper D of the electronic EQE of 2021, the Examination Board has decided to exceptionally neutralize this part of the examination. Therefore, the Examination Board has exceptionally awarded to all candidates full marks (25 marks) for the flow D1-1, which consisted of questions 1, 2 and 6."

The tables with marks attached to the results letters show the marks that were actually scored by the candidate (excluding the neutralization); the score shown in the letter itself includes the effect of the neutralization.  

• Blog A 2021
• Blog B 2021
• Blog C 2021
• Blog D1-parts of D 2021
• Blog D2-part of D 2021

The EQE secretariat has published statistics on EQE 2021:

Pre-Exam: 626 candidates, 87,38% pass, 12.62% fail

Paper A: 1905 candidates, 74,38% pass, 4,41 % compensable fail, 21,21 % fail

Paper B: 2005 candidates, 55,26 % pass, 10,02 % compensable fail, 34,71 % fail

Paper C: 1852 candidates, 47,08 % pass, 9,67 % compensable fail, 43,25 % fail

Paper D: 2003 candidates, 85,87 % pass, 5,89 % compensable fail, 8,24 % fail

A total of 2780 candidates enrolled to one or more main exam papers. 1093 candidates have fulfilled the conditions of Article 14(1) REE, i.e., have passed the EQE and can request to be entered on the list.

The pass rates for paper A and C are within the "normal bandwidth". The pass rates suggest that the marking has been somewhat lenient to "compensate" for the special circumstances of this year's EQE (in particular, cancellation of EQE 202 due to Covid-19; preparation via videoconferencing and self-study due to Covid-19 restrictions throughout the year; first online exam; relatively unknown platform; uncertainty). 

The pass rate for B is very low compared to earlier years; as may have been expected in view of the discussions on the paper, e.g., in the comments on the blogs, e.g. as to the deviating character of the paper (without one clear solution direction) and the unusual aspects despite the "same character as before" indication given in advance. 

The pass rate for D is very high due to the neutralization of D1-1, where all candidates received the full 25 marks of 25 marks, such that only 25 (20) marks had to be scored of the other 75 marks (25 D1 and 50 D2) to obtain a pass (compensable fail). No statistics is available on the effect of the neutralization, e.g., no statistics is available on the results without the neutralization, so that the effect of the 20% extra time and the effect of the D1:D2 ratio being 50:50 rather than the previous 40:60 cannot be estimated.

Unfortunately, no list of individual sores (marks vs EQEregnr) has been published, nor can it be expected that it will be published as our requests thereto have been denied, so that we cannot perform any analysis on the obtained marks, nor can we present the distribution of marks as we used to do on these blogs. 

The published statistics also show pass, compensable fail and fail rates by place of residency and by place of nationality of candidates.

The "Information on the schedule for the EQE 2023 examination papers" is now available on the EQE website. 

The various schedules are addressed in our blogs for the schedules respective papers:

• Pre-Exam 2023
• Paper A 2023
• Paper B 2023
• Paper C 2023
• Paper D 2023

Note that the document indicates that it may be subject to minor changes as testing continues.

You may also want to refer to other information from the EPO (EQE Secretariat, Examination Board, Supervisory Board):

• Dates of EQE 2023 - notice of 16 December 2021
• Announcement of the European qualifying examination 2023 - OJ 2022, A12
• Code of conduct for the e-EQE- decision dated 19 February 2021
• EQE website

Please feel invited to post your comments to the blogs for the respective papers. It is possible to post anonymously and do not need an account, but please give your name or a nickname for an easy and inter-human interaction.

The dates for EQE 2024 have been published on the EPO website (link).

It shows Pre-Exam, A, B, C and D, so it seems to be an EQE of the current format. 

The time schedule again shows at least one day in between successive main exam paper. It seems likely that the exam will again use WiseFlow and -for the main exam- the FlowLock editor/browser.

Comment: If discussions about the New EQE, following the consultation that closed 31 Aug, converge quickly, I can imagine that there may be exams for the New EQE Fundamentals in Q.3 or Q.4 2024, or that they will replace the Pre-Exam as of March 2025. However, no time of introduction of the New EQE, nor any transitional provisions, have been published to date (26 Sep 2022).

NB: The dates for EQE 2023 can be found here.

In this appeal, a candidate contests the marking of Papers B, C and D of the e-EQE 2021. The candidate submitted in the grounds of appeal that there had been severe technical problems with the examination software during the examination of Papers B, C and D of the e-EQE 2021. The problems had reduced the time available for answering the papers and caused the appellant extreme stress and considerable psychological disadvantages. This had led to serious disadvantages compared to other candidates who had not experienced these problems. He further submitted that he "filed a complaint on the same day of the examination of Paper D, stating all the problems [he] experienced and the actions [he] took to report and receive help from the invigilators to solve the problems" and similarly for paper C. However, he had not received any answer to these two complaints. The Board considered that "The Examination Board was therefore obliged under Rule 19(4) IPREE to take a written and reasoned decision on the appellant's complaint regarding the alleged disturbances during the examination of Papers D and C, considering all the available evidence. However, no such reasoned decision was taken at any time". The Board remitted to the Examination Board for a new decision to be taken regarding Papers C and D, to let the Examination Board decide whether the complaint is unfounded or well founded, with -respectively- reasons or an appropriate compensation.

A new section is now available on the EQE website preseneting a proposal for the new EQE and announcing that an open consultation will be launched to enable all interested parties to give their feedback on it. As a first step, the concept of the new EQE is presented on the new EQE webpage.

Documentation is presented together with a complete set of mock papers for the various modules in the Wiseflow system (after registration), as well as in pdf. Feedback will be collected by means of a questionnaire for all interested people and parties.

The website provides the following [emphasis added; some small editorial changes made; figures added]:

"New EQE - Proposal and consultation

A proposal for the new EQE is now available and an open consultation will be launched to enable all interested parties to give their feedback on it. As a first step, the concept of the new EQE is presented.

The consultation will be launched in the second half of May and will remain open until 15 July 2022 [15/7/2022: extended to 31 August]. To be able to access the model papers, please register via the link under "Model papers" below. Feedback will be collected by means of a questionnaire. The answers to the questionnaire will be evaluated by the EPO-epi working group.

Introduction

The European qualifying framework proposed for the next generation of patent attorneys is a competences-based system that builds on the existing EQE to bring it closer to today's profession, adjust it to the digital environment, refine the approach to evaluation and ensure the highest quality standards.

The proposed scheme is a joint EPO-epi endeavour that can now be enhanced via the consultation. While open to everyone, the consultation mostly targets the profession, training centres and other interested parties. The model examination papers and the overall concept draw on 40 years of experience with the current EQE, the work of EPO and epi professionals, the feedback received from training institutions and numerous discussions with a range of stakeholders over the past 18 months.

The new qualifying system builds on a competences-based analysis of the existing EQE. A modular evaluation scheme of cumulative knowledge and increasing complexity assesses whether candidates have the specific and transversal competences, and the different kinds of underlying knowledge, expected of attorneys. The outcome consists of six modules that gradually progress from acquiring legal and procedural knowledge towards its practical application.

Becoming a European patent attorney under the new scheme will require candidates to take exams amounting to 20 hours over a minimum period of three years. The new format is adapted to allow for evaluation in the digital environment. It includes parts to be autoscored [note from the editor: as well as open questions erwquiring a free-text answer] and shortens time spent on the computer. In parallel, the scope of the situations assessed has been broadened to ensure preparation for all steps along the patent grant procedure.

The learning journey takes candidates from remembering and understanding the fundamental provisions of patent law to performing typical actions such as analysing claims and drafting patent applications. They then continue to acquire the more in-depth knowledge required to take decisions at specific points of the patent procedure and design patenting strategies. The journey is organised into semestral examinations, although this timetabling is optional for the main papers: candidates can either follow the sequential approach or decide to take all main exams together at the end.

The first foundation module assesses the entry level of legal knowledge needed to operate in the European patent system. The second foundation module requires candidates to implement the knowledge gained in claims analysis and applied procedural patent law. Once candidates have completed the foundation modules, they can go on to take the main modules.

The first main module focuses on assessing information and client instructions, and tests whether candidates understand the invention, the instructions received and communications from examiners and others. The second main module puts candidates’ drafting skills to the test: they must prove their expertise in drafting and amending claims, replying to Office actions and drafting notices of opposition and other documents. In the third module candidates must reason, argue and manage advanced procedural aspects of patent law, assessing various options at a given point in the procedure in order to offer advice. Finally, in the fourth module, candidates must prove that they have the skills to handle relations with the client and the competences to provide advice and build on previously acquired knowledge in the areas of information, drafting and patent prosecution.

The consultation on the future European qualifying examination (EQE) will aim at gathering feedback on the proposed format for the EQE. The material provided for the consultation will include, in addition to the concept paper, details of the proposed modules, the list of competences tested, a set of model examination papers for these modules and a questionnaire. The model papers, produced by a joint EPO-epi team, will give an idea of how the future EQE might look. Please actively contribute once the model papers and questionnaire are available.

Depending on the outcome of the consultation, a fully-fledged reform of the Regulation on the European qualifying examination (REE) and its implementing provisions (IPREE) will follow. The EQE 2023 will be conducted under the current regulations.
[Note from the editor: it seems not decided whether the EQE 2024 will be under the current or the new regulations, nor are transitional provisions proposed yet; the timeframe for that seems however very short in view of the effort required for preparing the exams and for candidates and tutors to prepare for a new system , but it has been suggested that EQE 2024 would already be under the new regulations -  for EQE 2025, it is provisionally assumed that the new regulations will apply].

Proposal

The proposal section provides details of the concept behind the proposal and the tested competences, as well as a description of the modules, in 3 pdf files:

• A competence based modular proposal
• Competences
• Tables summarising the modules
• 
  
  

Model papers

Model papers (modules) have been prepared to show how the new system might look. To enable you to experience the full range of digital possibilities available, we strongly recommend registering via the link below to get access to the online examination platform (Wiseflow). When registering, please indicate a valid email address that will not change for the next few months. Please register even if you already have a Wiseflow account.

For all those who have registered by 19 May 2022, user accounts will be created in the week starting on 23 May 2022. It is expected that the model papers will also be made available in the course of this week. For those who register after 19 May 2022, user accounts will be created on a weekly basis.

You will receive an automated email from Wiseflow with an activation link. 

• Register now

The model papers will also be made available here [=on the New EQE webpages] as a simple PDF.

Questionnaire

Your feedback is important and will help to pave the way for an adjusted design of the EQE.

The questionnaire will be opened once the period for registering on the online platform has closed and the model papers are available."
[note from the editor: it is assumed that "once the period for registering has closed" is to be understood as "19 May 2022", and that there will not be a closure of the registration, in view of the second paragraph of the section titled "Model papers" which says that registration remains possible after 19 May 2022.]

Update: Consultation Mocks available 

On May 30, registered participants received an email from the EQE secretariat that the Mocks are vaialable in Wiseflow for the consultation:

"Dear Participant,

 

The model papers are now available in Wiseflow.

If you had no Wiseflow account for the EQE, or if you registered for the consultation process with a different email address, you should have received this morning an email for the activation of your (new) Wiseflow account. The email is from noreply@wiseflow.net. Please check your spam folder.

The papers of modules M2 and M4 can be downloaded as PDF-files, and they are also accessible in the lockdown browser. For the latter, the invigilator password is aaa. It is needed to exit without submitting an answer. Please note that once you have submitted your answers you can no longer access the paper.

To provide your feedback, a dedicated questionnaire is also available on the EQE website (https://www.epo.org/learning/eqe/new-eqe.html). It offers a wide range of multiple-choice questions as well as the option of a free text answer. Only feedback given using the questionnaire can be taken into account.

We hope you enjoy exploring the new model papers and we look forward to your comments and suggestions. "

Posted 13 May 2022 as "New EQE - Proposal available and consultation will start shortly". First three figures from "A competence based modular proposal" from the New EQE website. 
Updated 7 June 2022 as "New EQE - Proposal available and consultation has started (incl model papers)". Last figureL screenshot from Wiseflow.

Yesterday, it was announced that the EPO introduces a new certification scheme for patent administrators: EPAC.

DeltaPatents will offer a course in Q3-Q4 2022 covering the EPAC syllabus for candidates that plan to sit EPAC 2022 (exam on 12 December 2022). Our detailed course offering will be provided on our website in the course of July. Please monitor our website for our detailed announcement and enrollment to the course.

Please refer to our blog on the EPAC announcement in our Patent Procedure blog for more details.

NB: it is not possible to post comments to this brief blog post in the EQE section. Please post any comments to our blog on the EPAC announcement.

Today, candidates have received the results letters for EQE 2022. 

We congratulate all candidates that passed one or more papers, as well as those that got compensable fails and have the possibility for sufficient compensation.

Please feel invited to post your comments to this blog, preferably using your name or a nickname to facilitate communication.

The Examiner's Reports are also available in the Compendium.

If you want to address specific elements of specific papers, posting comments to the dedicated blogs is suggested; these are available via these links: A 2022, B 2022, C 2022, D1 2022, D2 2022.

Update 7/7/2022:

The statistics have been published!

Pre-Exam 2022: 680 candidates, 96,76% pass, 3,24% fail   - note: Part 3, 25 mark, was neutralized

Paper A 2022: 886 candidates, 59,82 % pass, 13.09 % compensable fail, 27,09 % fail

Paper B 2022: 1158 candidates, 77,55 % pass, 6,74 %  compensable fail,  15,72 % fail

Paper C 2022: 1400 candidates, 49,14 % pass, 12,07 % compensable fail, 38,79 % fail

Paper D 2022: 704 candidates, 62,64 % pass, 8,52 % compensable fail, 28,84% fail - see below

The high pass rate for Pre-Exam 2022 is due to the neutralization of full Part 3 (25 marks) as well as Q.20 (5 marks). When no neutralization would have been necessary, we estimate that the pass rates would -in view of the type (claims part split into two concise cases) and difficulty level of the paper- have been similar to that of Pre-Exam 2021 (87%) and 2019 (88%).

The pass rate for A 2022 is on the high end of the usual range (50-60% from 2015-2019, with A 2021 being exceptionally high at 74%).

The pass rate for B 2022 is relatively high compared to the usual range (65-75% from 2015-2019, with B 2021 being lower than the usual at 55%).

The pass rate for C 2022 is in the usual range (39-54% from 2015-2021, after an exceptionally low C 2014 at 34%).

The low number of candidates for paper D 2022, as well as the relatively high pass rate for D 2022 (usually between 35 and 55%) can be explained by the low number of resitters due to the neutralization of 25% of the paper of D 2021.
The pass rate for D 2022 is also high due to the neutralization of one full 5-mark question (Q.5) - as there is typically 10-12% in the 5-mark wide compensable fail bin, and candidates in this mark range score about 50% of the marks, this has probably resulted in a 3 %pt higher pass rate).

Compare with EQE 2021 (many more sitters due to cancellation of EQE 2020):

Pre-Exam 2021: 626 candidates, 87,38% pass, 12.62% fail
Paper A 2021: 1905 candidates, 74,38% pass, 4,41 % compensable fail, 21,21 % fail
Paper B 2021: 2005 candidates, 55,26 % pass, 10,02 % compensable fail, 34,71 % fail
Paper C 2021: 1852 candidates, 47,08 % pass, 9,67 % compensable fail, 43,25 % fail
Paper D 2021: 2003 candidates, 85,87 % pass, 5,89 % compensable fail, 8,24 % fail
note: D1-1, 25 mark, was neutralized, so that D 2019 is a more realistic  reference (which had a relatively high pass rate):
Paper D 2019: 1133 candidates, 52 % pass, 11 % compensable fail, 36 % fail 

For 2019 and the preceding 5 years, see here.
Note that since 2021, the EQE is online and only parts of the exam papers could be printed, the paper could bee seen in a basic pdf-viewer and the answer had to be given in a basic editor (or T/F boxes for Pre-Exam) in a secured locked browser, while until 2019 the exam was based on printed papers and handwritten answers. Further, in the online exams, the Pre-Exam, Paper C and Paper D were split into (4, 2 and 3) parts and additional time was available to compensate for the restrictions created by these splits (in particular, as candidates could no longer freely divide their time over the complete exam length, nor choose the sequence in which they addressed the questions).