Patent Bar Exam Guides

Plain-English guides to the USPTO registration examination and the path to registration, each with its sources and an as-at date. Then take a free practice exam to see where you stand.

Patent Bar Prep is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or its Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED). Bank questions are original; USPTO-released exam questions are shown only in separate, labelled sets. The exam format, fees and source materials are set by the USPTO and can change; confirm the current details on uspto.gov before you apply.

• Patent Bar Exam Guide (2026): Format, MPEP Edition and ScoringHow the USPTO registration exam works: 100 five-choice questions (90 scored) in two 3-hour sessions, 70% to pass, and the MPEP revision it tests.
• Which MPEP Is on the Patent Bar? The Exam's Source Materials (2026)The exam tests MPEP 9th ed., Revision 01.2024 (Nov 2024), the 2019 Trial Practice Guide, the 2013 representation rule and the PPH notice. What that means.
• Patent Bar Pass Rate: USPTO Statistics FY2022 to FY2026The USPTO reports a 46% pass rate on 2,309 registration exams in FY2026. Five years of figures, what they mean and why candidates fail.
• Patent Bar Requirements: Categories A, B, C and the Design BarWho may sit the patent bar: Category A degrees, Category B coursework, Category C via the FE exam, and Category D for the design patent bar. From the GRB.
• How Much Does the Patent Bar Cost? USPTO and Prometric Fees (2026)US$118 application, US$226 exam fee and a US$221 Prometric fee per attempt, then US$226 to register. Reschedule fees, extensions and what a retake costs.
• How to Apply for and Schedule the Patent Bar ExamApply to OED (Form PTO-158 or the OEDCI portal), get admitted, then book Prometric within the 90-day window. Results, extensions and rescheduling.
• Failed the Patent Bar? Retake Rules and What to ChangeAfter a failed attempt you reapply and pay again, and your new window opens no sooner than 30 days later. How to use the gap well.
• How to Pass the Patent Bar: A Study Plan That Uses the MPEPStudy by MPEP chapter, learn to search the MPEP fast, drill fact patterns and date counts, and sit full six-hour mocks before you book.
• Searching the MPEP During the Patent Bar: How to Use the ReferenceThe MPEP is on the exam computer, searchable, with external links redacted. When to search, what to search for, and how to keep to 3.6 minutes a question.
• AIA First-Inventor-to-File Cheat Sheet: 35 U.S.C. 102 for the Patent BarAIA 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) prior art, the effective filing date, the one-year grace period and the 102(b) exceptions, with the MPEP sections to search.
• Patent Agent vs Patent Attorney: Same Exam, Different PracticeBoth pass the same USPTO registration exam. A patent attorney is also a member of a state bar; a patent agent is not. What each may do.
• Patent Bar Past Exams: What the USPTO Has ReleasedThe USPTO does not publish current exams. It has released some older ones, which are public domain. Why their answers can be wrong today, and how to use them.