Professor Andrew Beckerman-Rodau - Suffolk University Law School

Patent Bar Exam Requirements

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) publishes strict requirements to sit for the patent bar exam. Below is a list of information related to the examination.

You do NOT have to be an attorney to take the examination.
However, you MUST have a science background to qualify to take the examination.
A non-attorney who passes the examination can become a "Registered Patent Agent."
An attorney who passes the examination can become a "Registered Patent Attorney."
What the examination tests: The examination primarily tests knowledge of the patent law and the procedures used by the USPTO. The examination questions are all based on the current version of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP). The MPEP is used by patent examiners in the USPTO. The examination is a closed-book examination. However, a copy of the MPEP will be made available to applicants during the examination.
Type of examination: The examination consists of 100 multiple choice questions. Each question has five choices to choose from. You have a three hour block of time for the first 50 questions and a second three hour block of time for the second set of 50 questions. [Link to sample exams]
It is highly recommended that you take a review course prior to taking the examination (List of commercial review courses).
Application to sign up for taking the patent bar examination.
The USPTO General Requirements Bulletin (see below) explains the specific types of science backgrounds that will qualify an applicant to take the examination.
- USPTO General Requirements Bulletin Official USPTO Info about the Patent Bar Examination (Revised January 2008).
Where & when is the exam given: The exam can be taken at the convenience of the applicant. It is administered by a commercial testing company (PROMETRIC) which has offices located throughout the U.S. PROMETRIC requires applicants to take the exam on a computer. If you do not want the take the exam on a computer the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office offers a paper version of the exam once a year at its office in Alexandria, Virginia.


Adobe's free Adobe Acrobat Reader® is required to view these articles. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader® installed, please download it by clicking on the "get adobe reader" icon to the right.