tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post7205087750196269767..comments2024-03-28T16:45:51.051+00:00Comments on The IPKat: EPO declares eEQE format went "very smoothly", but do candidates agree?Verónica Rodríguez Arguijohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05763207846940036921noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-84787213348222107892021-03-15T13:37:04.173+00:002021-03-15T13:37:04.173+00:00It was clear that the papers were not adapted or a...It was clear that the papers were not adapted or adequately checked. There were alot of mistakes in the papers and plenty of confusing/contradictory statements across papers A, B and C. That's not usually the case at all. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-90755246650320938892021-03-15T11:33:23.761+00:002021-03-15T11:33:23.761+00:00For those who are seasoned observers of the EPO, i...For those who are seasoned observers of the EPO, it is no surprise that their management would decide to issue a self-congratulatory statement that others might find difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile with their understanding of events.<br /><br />The difference on this occasion is that there are many first-hand witnesses that can testify to the fact that, all things considered, the EPO's statement is complete BS. With this in mind, it is an illuminating exercise to consider how much weight to afford to statements from the EPO in circumstances where it is much more difficult to obtain independent evidence to either prove or disprove the veracity of the EPO's reporting.Proof of the puddingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-14490864481882730342021-03-15T10:54:52.148+00:002021-03-15T10:54:52.148+00:00Would we have been April 1st, I would have taken E...Would we have been April 1st, I would have taken EPO’s publication on the “success” of the e-EQE as a nice April’s fool joke, but this publication is adding insult to injury. <br /><br />By no ways the e-EQE in the form it was proposed this year can be a true equivalent of a paper EQE. Unless the EPO proposes a system in which offers the same possibilities as any standard text processing program, any kind of e-EQE will not be equivalent to a paper EQE.<br /><br />The decision to cancel the EQE was taken in March 20, the decision to go over to an e-EQE in July 20. This was part of the strategic orientation of the present head of the EPO. Everything has to be digitised to the maximum. An e-EQE is as such a good thing, but not the e-EQE which was offered at the beginning of March. <br /><br />Why did it take till shortly before Christmas to offer a first opportunity to the candidates to test the system? There were then two further test possibilities before the exam, the last one just a week before the actual exam. This is not acceptable.<br /><br />What did the people in charge of the e-EQE think when they sent out at the beginning of February a user’s notice of 90 pages? This should have been done in September 20 at the latest. It simply shows the amateurism of those involved. Using a text processor in which the most basic key combinations ends the candidate to lock the system or even to exclude himself is not acceptable. <br /><br />That not all possible candidates participated in the mock is not necessarily to blame them. Lots of candidates hoped to use company computers, but this was not possible as very few IT managers were prepared to give EQE candidates administrator’s rights. Some needed to get equipment like larger displays or even cameras.<br /><br />The papers used were the papers foreseen for 2020. The suggestion was made to use the 2020 papers as mocks. In view of the considerable amount of costs needed to draft a paper this was a no go. Paper C had to be split, but the split seemed quite arbitrary and not thought through. <br /><br />Normally each paper is benchmarked before it is let on the candidates. In view of turn of events, one can have strong doubts that this was done with the present e-EQE. <br /><br />Everything was rushed in the two months before the exam. And trying to sell this as a great success shows how far some people at the EPO have lost touch with reality.<br /><br />The previous comments were clear enough to show what reality was. The gap between reality and the fiction described by the EPO is awesome. <br /><br />I would add that according the EPO, the quality of the products it delivers has steadily increased since 2010. Why should it be different with the e-EQE? <br />The anonymous EQE candidate helpernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-67130669220958840552021-03-15T09:02:08.425+00:002021-03-15T09:02:08.425+00:00My opinion - they need to scrap wiseflow system fo...My opinion - they need to scrap wiseflow system for future years. Its unworkable for these exams. J-Donoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-82263527058422219092021-03-15T09:00:12.901+00:002021-03-15T09:00:12.901+00:00I think its clear the committee will need to be fl...I think its clear the committee will need to be flexible and apply much consideration this year. Whether they do this or not remains to be seen. As you've mentioned already Ned, there are far too many factors that could influence the exams this year. Further, the papers do not really seem to fit well with the current online format. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-51480048426541486282021-03-15T08:58:11.064+00:002021-03-15T08:58:11.064+00:00Agreed about paper C and also paper B and to a cer...Agreed about paper C and also paper B and to a certain extent, Paper A as well.<br />For B and C, the claim formatting was so difficult to work with - it introduces errors and mistakes as the formatting was absolutely unbearable at times. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-2637501628184238982021-03-14T19:37:33.884+00:002021-03-14T19:37:33.884+00:00Actually, the D1-1 was "just one" and th...Actually, the D1-1 was "just one" and the most apparent of the drawbacks. I believe that the structure of this year's be and even more the split paper C, have been the worst issue ever. I completely failed paper C after so much studying due to lack of time, which did not allow me going properly through the documents. Further, I must admit that the online exam is extremely stressful (you feel drawbacks just around the corner) and fatiguing. S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-87117317596317780682021-03-14T18:39:07.582+00:002021-03-14T18:39:07.582+00:00Of course candidates are very grateful that the EQ...Of course candidates are very grateful that the EQE went ahead, but "doing your best" should still guarantee a certain minimum quality. It is a professional qualification, critical for future careers. <br />I am sure the D1-part 1 issues will be taken into account.<br />But no-one who can state with a straight face that Wiseflow, LD Browser and Zendesk was a good solution. It was cobbled together in the last weeks (Zendesk invigilators were not allowed to speak because it would be registered as "second voice" in the room by the AI, and candidates had to check every 20 mins whether they were still logged in to Zendesk due to the automatic timeout). The info on the website was updated just days before the exam.<br />If the individual struggles of candidates are also taken into account in the marking (also "doing their best"), then it does not matter what the official press releases say. But flexibility should work both ways.Ned Luddnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-75162352001407593642021-03-14T18:34:43.421+00:002021-03-14T18:34:43.421+00:00At least set up a review. I don't believe many...At least set up a review. I don't believe many people in the EPO thought nothing was wrong with the new eEQE format. There were positives but there are also clearly more things that can be done to improve. Camnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-50225036633900072152021-03-14T18:06:59.378+00:002021-03-14T18:06:59.378+00:00I'm thankful that we have been told to email t...I'm thankful that we have been told to email the exam sect, who will then forward onto the exam committee, but will anonymity be respected?<br /><br />The last thing I want is to write something which will be used against me. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-14386114626977896762021-03-14T17:57:38.628+00:002021-03-14T17:57:38.628+00:00 Because they seem to have started from the quotin... Because they seem to have started from the quoting that all candidates will cheat (i say this based on the tinge and content of communications and the first webinar)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-6343098804905889942021-03-14T17:55:40.185+00:002021-03-14T17:55:40.185+00:00Nobody is saying that they do not want e-EQE onlin...Nobody is saying that they do not want e-EQE online. Indeed, I too didn't expect everything to go well but the start of the week really was a bad start. Papers B and C were then clearly not fit for the current e-EQE online format. I would throw in paper A into that mix too. I didn't expect any press release to happen by the EPO but to release a statement to suggests things went well does NOT reflect what actually happened during the week. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-5221431870092630062021-03-14T17:53:37.136+00:002021-03-14T17:53:37.136+00:00I sat all four papers for the first time, having b...I sat all four papers for the first time, having been unable to last year due to the late cancellation. <br />I am thankful (I think- stress has been unnecessarily high) for being able to sit the exams without another year's delay. <br />However, the system and adaptations were wholly unsuitable. Limiting myself to technical problems outside my control, I had four technical problems related to the software in spread over the four exams. I, along with other candidates, took the considerable time to attend the three mocks and try to digest the huge amounts of material and contradictory statements in the lead up to the exams. Thus, the technical problems I experienced cannot be considered my fault. <br />My experience of, on average, one technical problem per exam is not at all unusual, based on slacking with several fellow candidates.<br />This is all before one comments upon the inadequacies of the system when actually working and the dodgy adaptation of the papers. <br />The self-congratulatory statement from the EPO is a final kick in the teeth and yet another example of the poor communications from the EPO throughout the set up and conducting of EQE 2021.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-51551217212287939442021-03-14T17:53:13.067+00:002021-03-14T17:53:13.067+00:00I'm grateful we can do the exams online. I'...I'm grateful we can do the exams online. I'm not grateful that the EPO has decided brushed aside candidates painful experience, concerns and feedback with this press release. I don't think they will take anything into account this year judging by this press release. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-3008004219283863892021-03-14T17:51:47.299+00:002021-03-14T17:51:47.299+00:00papers A, B and C seemed like they haven't bee...papers A, B and C seemed like they haven't been through proper checks. There were lots of errors and mistakes in the papersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-74287111843797542182021-03-14T17:50:37.835+00:002021-03-14T17:50:37.835+00:00I agree with others. The system was clearly not re...I agree with others. The system was clearly not ready to go online. Papers were not sufficiently adapted to the new eEQE format - that is clear this year. What is disappointing is that the EPO had 1 year to sort it out. The week was far from ideal for many many candidates so it cannot be labelled as a success at all. I didn't expect the EPO to release such a false statement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-50706406866228342382021-03-14T17:48:15.204+00:002021-03-14T17:48:15.204+00:00It is absurd to suggest that things were smooth th...It is absurd to suggest that things were smooth this year. Perhaps they need to talk to candidates and invigilators before issuing such ridiculous statement.Absurdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-12180819818175579142021-03-14T17:47:09.775+00:002021-03-14T17:47:09.775+00:00I'm not sure saying the e-EQE running smoothly...I'm not sure saying the e-EQE running smoothly this year is accurate at all. The DI situation has never happened before and papers A, B and C seemed like they have been through proper checks. There were lots of errors and mistakes in the papers. <br /><br />I don't think it is an easy task but equally, they had a whole year to sort this. The PEB exams were held in less time and more successfully. It is simply down to the online format being much simpler. Why create an over-complicated system where both parties (EPO and candidates) will only suffer. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-20608971190792296332021-03-14T17:08:54.889+00:002021-03-14T17:08:54.889+00:00There is no doubt that they did the best they coul...There is no doubt that they did the best they could. It was not an easy task. However, stating that the eEQE was a success is simply not true and quite frankly an insensitive and disrespectful statement towards this year's candidates. The software was not suitable for online patent exams. Simple functions like strikethrough, which I am pretty sure a patent attorney uses daily, were not available, not to mention that highlighting in the pdfs was also not possible and neither was annotating. The side-by-side view was far from perfect and it was very time consuming to navigate from page 1 to page 12 as one could not just scroll down as in a "normal" pdf, but had to scroll down to the bottom of the page and then click to get to the next page (and repeat for every single page). The formatting in the editor was completely lost if one wanted to copy a passage from one section in the editor to another. All the issues reported during Mock 1, 2, and 3 clearly showed that the system was not ready, but nothing was done to fix it. One can only hope that a different software will be chosen for next year's EQE and also that the exam papers will be properly tested under exam conditions using the software before deciding to use them as exam papers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-89353725737435531402021-03-14T15:33:09.825+00:002021-03-14T15:33:09.825+00:00I think the examination process was well organized...I think the examination process was well organized and the EQE board did their best as usually. Every year all involved witness a comparable amount of anger and bold statements.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-18382796944905199452021-03-14T13:02:40.774+00:002021-03-14T13:02:40.774+00:00It is a wholly inappropriate statement to make. My...It is a wholly inappropriate statement to make. My firm and myself will shortly be submitting a formal complaint to the Exam Sect about the lack of adaption of the exam papers as well as the wiseflow system in general. Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-33945929569106847902021-03-14T12:58:18.697+00:002021-03-14T12:58:18.697+00:00Absolutely disagree that the e-EQE format ran smoo...Absolutely disagree that the e-EQE format ran smoothly. What were they thinking releasing a statement like this when it is not the truth at all. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-77688129703085226312021-03-14T12:56:16.114+00:002021-03-14T12:56:16.114+00:00With this press release, I fear the EPO will disre...With this press release, I fear the EPO will disregard many of the concerns candidates have legitimately raised about the softwareJoJonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-76291826836275774732021-03-14T12:32:56.233+00:002021-03-14T12:32:56.233+00:00Can't help but laugh that they think the langu...Can't help but laugh that they think the language issue was only a few minutes. It took 30 minutes for many candidates to resolve - that's 30% of time available in D1. <br /><br />They didn't even mention about those candidates who got booted off the system randomly despite being promised the extra 30 minutes. Where was that in the statement?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-18849584699345638142021-03-14T12:30:13.156+00:002021-03-14T12:30:13.156+00:00A disappointing statement by the EPO which clearly...A disappointing statement by the EPO which clearly does not resonate with candidates and even tutors' experience of the system during the EQE week. They should take down that ridiculous statement. NOT ONnoreply@blogger.com