Disclaimer: Our trainee blogs are written by trainees for trainees, offering career insights and industry perspectives.
Out with the old, in with the new EQE!
After 44 years, the European qualification exam (EQE) for trainee patent attorneys is changing. The restructure, in part accelerated by the recent shift to online examinations, follows a consultation from a joint working group from the EPO and epi to tailor the exam to the digital environment, while ensuring that the EQE is still an assessment of fit for practise. As chair of the epi Professional Education Committee, Appleyard Lees partner Julia Gwilt has been involved with the project. We’re very fortunate that she has been here to explain the upcoming changes! Below we explain the differences and how it affects our training.
The old EQE consists of a pre-examination, to be taken two years after joining the profession, and four subsequent qualifying examinations, which may be taken the year after passing the pre-exam. The pre-exam assesses the candidate’s ability to answer legal questions, while the four qualifying examinations (A, B, C, D) assess the core skills essential to practice before the EPO.
The new system will spread out the exams, enabling candidates to sit the foundation (F) module after just one year of training. Two of main (M) examination modules, M1 and M2, may be sat after two years, and the remaining two main modules, M3 and M4, after three years. The new exams don’t map exactly onto the old exams, as they have been designed to progressively test the competences required to become a European Patent Attorney. However, they do collectively test the same skills and knowledge.
The new EQEs will be rolled-out sequentially over the coming years. Starting with module F in 2025, M1 and M2 in 2026, and M3 and M4 in 2027. At the same time, the old EQEs will gradually be withdrawn – the last pre-exam will be offered in 2024 and the last set of papers A to D in 2026.
Candidates who started training before March 2023 (that’s us!) were due to sit the pre-exam (which is no longer happening!) in 2025. Luckily, the working group have thought of that, and they have granted us an exemption to the pre-exam. This will give us one shot at the old EQE in 2026. If we don’t pass all four exams first time, there’s also a system of exemptions to make sure the ones we do pass aren’t wasted when we move to the new system.
If you would like to hear partner Julia Gwilt explain the new module F in more detail, she will be hosting a CIPA webinar “Goodbye EQE Pre-Exam, Welcome Module F” on Tuesday 12th March 2024 at 12.30pm.
Whether exciting or a bit scary, the new EQEs are almost here and are going to be an important part of any new trainee’s lives. We’re looking forward to seeing how they evolve!
