[USPTO Patent Bar Tests and Simulator] Most Popular Articles

How long is an access code valid? Will it expire?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:34:56 GMT

Access codes are not tied to a particular question pool and remain valid indefinitely. Your saved simulated exam session will also remain available indefinitely.

Resolving "Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision" errors

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:40:50 GMT

Some customers have encountered the message "Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision" while attempting to launch our Patent Bar simulator software. Unfortunately, this is a symptom of a particularly nasty error that occurs within Microsoft Windows under certain relatively rare circumstances. This error is not caused by our software, but is instead a Java Plug-in configuration issue. To correct the error, you will need to manually edit your Windows registry [UPDATE: Running a registry cleaner like the free EZCleaner may resolve this issue without the need to manually edit the registry yourself.] Here are the steps involved:

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, follow this link to view an article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

1) Determine the full path to the latest JRE version installed on your computer under C:\Program Files\Java. For example, if JRE version 1.5.0_05 is the latest version installed on your computer, then the full path to that JRE will be C:\Program Files\Java\jre_1.5.0_05

2) Open "regedit" by clicking Start->Run then typing "regedit" in the Open: field and clicking "OK".

3) Within regedit, open "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Javasoft\Java Plug-in" Now, insure that there is a key here with the same name as the name of the latest JRE version installed on your computer. For example, if JRE version 1.5.0_05 is the latest version installed on your computer, then there should be a key under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Javasoft\Java Plug-in" named "jre_1.5.0_05" If there is not one, then create one by right-clicking "Java Plug-in" and choosing New->Key then type the name of the appropriate JRE.

4) Under the key for the latest version of JRE installed on your computer, there should be a String named "JavaHome" If there is not one, then create it by right-clicking and choosing New->String Value and type "JavaHome". The value of "JavaHome" should be the full path that you determined in step (1) above. If the value is different, then change it by right-clicking "JavaHome" and choosing "Modify".

After you've completed all the steps above, close regedit and restart your computer. Now, the Java Plug-in should be properly configured within your web browser and the "Java Plug-in detected JRE Collision" issue should be resolved. As always, please feel free to contact us if you encounter any issues while attempting to use our software.

What type of computer is required to use your software?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:43:20 GMT

Our software runs on all modern computer systems and all major operating systems and web browsers. We support all platforms of Apple computers and Mac OS X, all Microsoft Windows platforms, Linux, Unix, and OS/2. If you are unsure of our support for your computer platform, please contact us.

While our software is compatible with all major webbrowsers including Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, AOL, and others, we recommend the freely available Firefox browser. Click the button below to install Firefox now:

Do you charge for shipping?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:34:39 GMT

No, we do not charge for shipping. Our software is delivered electronically and available for download direct from this website, so it isn't necessary to ship anything.

When will I receive my email receipt and order information?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:35:22 GMT

Your email receipt is delivered within an hour and usually much sooner. Your receipt email will contain your access codes or any other order information needed to use our services. Please insure you are checking the same email account you entered during the registration and checkout process. Also, be sure to check your SPAM/Trash folder in case our email was inappropriately routed there instead of your Inbox.

Does your software come with a guarantee?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:35:27 GMT

CATPrep is committed to customer satisfaction and will make every effort to address any concern raised by our users. We will refund 100% of the purchase price of any access code for our software for users who express dissatisfaction with their purchase. We are able to offer this satisfaction guarantee due to the fact that our software is currently used by students and course instructors worldwide and we are confident of the quality of our products and services.

I'm having problems installing Adobe Flash Player on Windows

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 02:07:18 GMT

Please refer to Adobe's Support documentation for help resolving Flash Player installation issues on Microsoft Windows.

How may I pay for my registration and is it secure?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:39:06 GMT

CATPrep protects your financial information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. Your financial information is never stored by our payment processing system. Instead, it is passed in encrypted form directly from your webbrowser to our backend credit card processor. Once your payment is complete, you will be emailed a receipt for any transaction.

Most purchases with major credit cards are handled directly from our secure server. However, we also offer express checkout by Paypal and support other payment options through Kagi, which accepts many forms of payment worldwide in various currencies.

When you purchase access codes to our software using this site, your personal payment information is sent directly to the payment processor over an encrypted connection. We never see or handle this data and its security is guaranteed by payment processor you selected to transact your payment. For more information, you can read about PayPal's security measures here or Kagi's buyer's FAQ here.

How can I register for simulated USPTO Patent Bar Exams?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:39:21 GMT
To register for simulated Patent Bar exams, simply select a pack from our USPTO Patent Bar Registration page. The price for each pack is listed there along with further instructions.

Is your Patent Bar material current?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:42:39 GMT
Yes, our answers and explanations are current with MPEP edition 8 revision 4 (the current revision used for the USPTO exam). We even offer some great MPEP study aids for revision 4 including quick search and a downloadable single-file version of the MPEP. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Which USPTO Patent Bar Exams are available using your software?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:40:15 GMT
We offer nine complete exams that are each delivered in two sessions (Morning & Afternoon). A listing of each exam and session offered is available here.

Does your Patent Bar Simulator include questions from the computer-delivered USPTO exams?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:38:00 GMT
Unfortunately, the USPTO currently restricts access to all of their newer computer-delivered exam material and until they officially release such questions, we will be unable to incorporate them into a commercial product like our Patent Bar Simulator. However, many core questions have remained unchanged in the newer exams and most students find that close to 50% of their actual exam questions come from the material we use in our simulator.

You can download and run our Patent Bar Simulator without charge, so feel free to compare it to the walkthrough of the computer delivered format made available by the USPTO. Our simulator's user interface (buttons and navigation) was designed to emulate the USPTO's software as closely as possible. Please read our MPEP download page for information regarding the MPEP available during the actual exam.

Also, you may wish to review this community maintained website regarding computer-delivered exam material.

How does your software compare to Patent Bar Prep courses?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:41:07 GMT
Our service is intended to emulate the USPTO's computer-delivered Patent Bar exam as closely as possible. We offer a test simulator, but not a course. The need for supplementary material is unique to each student. Most students find that well over half of their actual test questions appear in our material (because we use actual test questions from previous years). If you haven't already seen it, you would probably benefit greatly from this long-running thread on intelproplaw.com

Can I sit for the same simulated Patent Bar exam multiple times?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:41:56 GMT
Absolutely. You may sit for our simulated exam sessions as many times as you wish. However, please note that you must use a new access code each time you wish to have one of your simulated sessions graded, saved, and displayed for review.

Can I stop the Patent Bar simulation or timer and continue the session at a later?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:42:19 GMT
We intentionally prevent timing disruptions during the USPTO Patent Bar simulation since one of the primary goals of our simulator is to assist candidates in practicing under realistic timed conditions. The only way to assess your level of preparation and get an accurate scoring assessment is to practice in a 3 hour stretch. If you simply want to drill with the questions then we recommend starting and quitting the simulated session as many times as you need to work through every question. You do not need to use an access code for that since you're only prompted to use one prior to saving and scoring your results and there is really no point in scoring a session you have completed that way since it would not be an accurate assessment.

Can I print my results using your Patent Bar Simulator?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:41:24 GMT
Our software does not provide a direct print function, but as with any desktop application, you can simply use your "print screen" button to capture your entire screen (including the Patent Bar Simulator content) for printing purposes.

What is a Patent Bar Access Code?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:39:52 GMT
Our Patent Bar Simulator software requires you to enter an unused access code before it will score and save the results of your simulated USPTO Patent Bar exam session. You may sit for each exam session as many times as you wish, but a new code will be required each time you wish to have a session scored and the results presented to you with explanations. After you use an access code to score and save your session, that scored session will also be saved to our servers using the access code. This enables you to enter the used access code at a later time to review your previously scored session with results and explanations.

How can I install the Patent Bar Simulator locally on my computer?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:38:34 GMT
If your network setup prevents you from launching the online version of our software, or you simply prefer to download the Simulator and run it locally from your computer, you may access an archive of each Patent Bar exam here:

Microsoft Windows Users: Patent Bar Simulator

How can I download and use the searchable MPEP?

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:38:55 GMT
You can read about and download our searchable single-file MPEP here.

How to review your saved session and results

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:02:52 GMT
To review a saved simulated USPTO Patent Bar Test session, simply launch the same exam again and click the "Review" button available at the bottom of the screen once the exam launches.

What are my Patent Bar access codes?

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:20:28 GMT
We display your access code links on our order confirmation page after you successfully register and we also email them to you with your receipt. If you did not save them and are unable to locate the email just visit our Patent Bar Access Code Lookup page to retrieve your order information and access codes.