Patent Bar Past Exams: What the USPTO Has Released
The USPTO does not publish the questions on today's computer-delivered exam. Searches for "patent bar past papers" find older exams the USPTO released years ago. Those are works of the US government (17 U.S.C. 105), so anyone may reproduce them.
Why old answers can be wrong today
- The America Invents Act replaced first-to-invent with first-inventor-to-file for applications with an effective filing date on or after March 16, 2013.
- Oath and declaration, fee and extension rules have been rewritten since.
- Interference practice ended for AIA patents; derivation proceedings, inter partes review and post-grant review arrived.
We show the released questions in labelled practice sets, each with our own explanation against the current MPEP and a flag on every item whose answer has changed. Our main bank is original and written to today's law.
Frequently asked questions
Does the USPTO publish past patent bar exams?
Not for today's computer-delivered exam. It released some older exams, which are US government works; their answers can be out of date after the America Invents Act.
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Start practicing →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.