Quick background on me; I'm in my last year of university for an Engineering degree, I would like to take the Patent Bar however I have concerns about my eligibility due to my degree not being among those explicitly listed in Category A (for those who are familiar) of the Patent Bar requirements bulletin.
Does anyone know of cases in which someone has applied for the patent bar while still finishing their Bachelors degree, and was granted a conditional acceptance (meaning they could take the exam once they had received their degree)? My worry is that If I apply now I will receive a rejection and I will not know whether it was due to the lack of completion of my degree, or because of my degree itself (not qualifying under Category A or B) and will have wasted a lot of money on the application fees for no reason. I know this issue could be resolved by waiting to apply until after graduating, but I would rather not wait that long if at all possible. I asked this same question to the OED and the answer I was given was that I needed to submit my application.
If anyone has any input or suggestions I would appreciate it.
Patent Bar Application Before Finishing Undergrad? Forum
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h_m321
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markdighton
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Re: Patent Bar Application Before Finishing Undergrad?
You're unfortunately correct. The rules are quite clear that you have to have a bachelor's degree in hand before you can take the Exam. And you have to have it before you can really apply. There is no conditional acceptance. They'll just reject you for failure to meet the academic requirements, without word on whether they would accept your coursework once you DO get your degree.
Here's some consolation: If you apply and they tell you "no," they'll return $200 of your application fee (eventually...it can take a while, but it WILL come). So, it costs you "just" $100 to find out if you qualify. But i can pretty much guarantee that you'll be out the $100 if you apply now. Wait until you get your degree.
If you want some reassurance that you'll qualify under Category B, you can send me your transcript and I'll help you figure it out.
And you also don't need to wait until you're given permission to sit for the Exam to start studying. In fact, we generally recommend that you start studying before you send in your application. But that's mostly for people who we know will qualify. (If you buy our course and the PTO tells you "no, you're not qualified," we'll give you back your money to the last penny. The only thing I can't give you back is your time spent studying.)
But you should be able to get this done over the summer, before starting law school (which is VERY smart), regardless. They give you a 90-day (3-month) window to take the Exam. We recommend studying for a month (full-time) or two months (part-time). So, if you start studying at the beginning of the summer, and just send in your application as soon as your official transcript showing your degree is available, it should all work out well
Sincerely,
Mark Dighton, Esq.
Admin. Director, Patent Office Exaxm Course
PLI
mdighton@pli.edu
Here's some consolation: If you apply and they tell you "no," they'll return $200 of your application fee (eventually...it can take a while, but it WILL come). So, it costs you "just" $100 to find out if you qualify. But i can pretty much guarantee that you'll be out the $100 if you apply now. Wait until you get your degree.
If you want some reassurance that you'll qualify under Category B, you can send me your transcript and I'll help you figure it out.
And you also don't need to wait until you're given permission to sit for the Exam to start studying. In fact, we generally recommend that you start studying before you send in your application. But that's mostly for people who we know will qualify. (If you buy our course and the PTO tells you "no, you're not qualified," we'll give you back your money to the last penny. The only thing I can't give you back is your time spent studying.)
But you should be able to get this done over the summer, before starting law school (which is VERY smart), regardless. They give you a 90-day (3-month) window to take the Exam. We recommend studying for a month (full-time) or two months (part-time). So, if you start studying at the beginning of the summer, and just send in your application as soon as your official transcript showing your degree is available, it should all work out well
Sincerely,
Mark Dighton, Esq.
Admin. Director, Patent Office Exaxm Course
PLI
mdighton@pli.edu
