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Anyone take the Patent Bar recently or currently studying to take it?

I'm trying decide what prep to do and have thoroughly confused myself looking through past threads with the updates and all. Any opinions or stories of success (or failure) would be helpful. I'm fairly naive in patent prosecution so I'm looking for a program that a novice can understand and learn with.

1) Find the most recent PLI Patent Bar Review course on eBay.

2) Buy it.

3) Keep it in mint condition.

4) Use it to study for the patent bar.

5) Pass the exam.

6) Sell it back on eBay.

This is what I did, and I actually MADE money when selling it back.

I took it a few months ago, using PLI. Yes it's expensive and you could surely pass with other, cheaper options. But it worked, and I think the confidence I had from taking the course helped mentally, especially because so much of the information available online became outdated rapidly when they started testing the AIA. The most recent past exam available is from 2003!

Also, in regards to Biglaw Associate's point, I found the (online only) video lectures to be much more helpful than the printed materials, and as far as I know there's no easy way to get those secondhand. But that really depends on how you learn best.

Thanks for the responses.

Biglaw Associate - What all would I be missing out on if I buy it second hand? Just the online video lectures? And how dated could I go before becoming counterproductive?

GULCPerson - How many hours all in did it take to watch all the videos? I would tend to agree that watching those would be better for retainment then simply reading outlines, although to be fair I don't know the layout of the printed materials.

I'm hoping to be able to be proficient in the 150-200 hour range. I know some people say 200+ is needed though.

purkinje wrote:Thanks for the responses.

Biglaw Associate - What all would I be missing out on if I buy it second hand? Just the online video lectures? And how dated could I go before becoming counterproductive?

GULCPerson - How many hours all in did it take to watch all the videos? I would tend to agree that watching those would be better for retainment then simply reading outlines, although to be fair I don't know the layout of the printed materials.

I'm hoping to be able to be proficient in the 150-200 hour range. I know some people say 200+ is needed though.

I took it a few years ago and had everything I needed in the package that was sold to me on eBay. I don't remember viewing any online videos, and I thought the materials I had were more than enough to prepare.

I haven't looked at the new exam, but I assume there is some new AIA stuff on there. (I took it pre-AIA.)

purkinje wrote:Thanks for the responses.

Biglaw Associate - What all would I be missing out on if I buy it second hand? Just the online video lectures? And how dated could I go before becoming counterproductive?

GULCPerson - How many hours all in did it take to watch all the videos? I would tend to agree that watching those would be better for retainment then simply reading outlines, although to be fair I don't know the layout of the printed materials.

I'm hoping to be able to be proficient in the 150-200 hour range. I know some people say 200+ is needed though.

I don't remember exactly, but I want to say there was about 40 hours of substantive lecture videos. They tracked the written materials very closely, going through the relevant details of each MPEP section, as well as the answers to some practice tests and other learning exercises.

When I took the exam in March, I'd guess 15-20% of the questions on my exam were AIA specific. I was pretty nervous about those because there are no officially published examples of AIA subject questions