Checked 29 September 2026. High around each update. Source-materials list last updated 29 May 2026; exam updated 23 Sep 2026. The USPTO says the materials "may be revised from time to time, including during their examination window", so re-check the list before you sit.
The US Patent Bar is not a test of the MPEP alone. The USPTO's source-materials list (last updated 29 May 2026) names four documents, led by the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024, and the General Requirements Bulletin tells you to know the patent laws and 37 CFR Parts 1, 3, 11, 41 and 42 as well. The reference materials are on the exam computer, with external links removed. This guide lists what is tested, how the list has changed, the 29 MPEP chapters, and a way to plan your reading inside your admission window. If you are not a US citizen and you live in India, you cannot sit this exam. The USPTO's General Requirements Bulletin says the registration examination "is not administered to aliens who do not reside in the United States". Of non-citizens, only US lawful permanent residents may apply for registration; others living in the US with qualifying work authorisation can get only limited recognition, and the one foreign-reciprocity clause, 37 CFR 11.6(c), covers Canada alone. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the USPTO, its Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) or Prometric. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from the USPTO General Requirements Bulletin, the Code of Federal Regulations and USPTO pages, and OED decides every application.
USPTO source-materials list (29 May 2026); MPEP index page; Registration examination page (29 Sep 2026).
Where other pages get this wrong
The exam draws on four source documents plus the patent laws and five Parts of 37 CFR, not the MPEP alone.
Commonly published instead: The shorthand "the patent bar tests the MPEP".
The GRB (August 2026) says an applicant "should be familiar with the patent laws, USPTO rules of practice (Parts 1, 3, 11, 41 and 42 of Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations), procedures as related in the Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP), and other published USPTO policy and procedure", and that the published reference material "will control in the event of a conflict with the MPEP". It adds that the exam "may also include questions dealing with standards of ethical and professional conduct".
The four source documents
| No. | Document (as the USPTO lists it) | What it covers (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024, published November 2024 | Examination procedure across 29 chapters, from secrecy orders to international design applications |
| 2 | Consolidated Trial Practice Guide, November 2019 | Practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in trials such as inter partes review and post-grant review |
| 3 | Changes to Representation of Others Before the USPTO, final rules (Federal Register, 3 April 2013) | The rules on who may represent others, including the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct in 37 CFR Part 11 |
| 4 | Implementation of the Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Programs with Participating Offices | Requesting accelerated examination based on work by a participating office |
The summaries in the third column are ours, written to orient you; the documents themselves are what is tested. The USPTO's note at the foot of the list matters in practice: every reference document has live links while you study, but "during the actual examination at the test center, all external links will be redacted. There will be no access to external websites during the examination."
How the tested material has changed
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| From 18 Sep 2023 | Source list "beginning September 18, 2023": MPEP Ninth Edition, Revision 07.2022 plus the same three other documents | Source-materials list, Wayback capture of 1 Feb 2025 |
| 18 to 23 Sep 2025 | Testing blackout while the exam was updated | Registration examination page, Wayback capture of 14 Feb 2026 |
| From 24 Sep 2025 | The exam covers MPEP Revision 01.2024 | Same capture |
| 29 May 2026 | Source list last updated; still MPEP Revision 01.2024 (published Nov 2024) | Source-materials list (current) |
| 17 to 22 Sep 2026 | "No examination will be administered from September 17, 2026 through September 22, 2026" | Registration examination page, Wayback capture of 13 Aug 2026 |
| 23 Sep 2026 | "The USPTO updated the registration examination on September 23, 2026"; it still covers MPEP Revision 01.2024 | Registration examination page (29 Sep 2026) |
What the 23 September 2026 update changed is not stated. Before the update the USPTO said both the current and the updated examinations would cover MPEP Revision 01.2024; after it, the page says the exam was updated and covers that revision. It describes no change of subject matter, and the source-materials list is the same one dated 29 May 2026. We do not guess at what moved.
A trap in the other direction. Revision 01.2024 is the current MPEP: the USPTO's MPEP page says it is "up-to-date as of January 31, 2024", and lists later changes separately as "Subsequent Publications" (that list was current as of 20 July 2026). The MPEP page also says the listed subsequent publications "supersede one or more portions of the current MPEP", and the USPTO publishes current fees, laws and rules separately. No USPTO source we read says how the exam treats a point where Revision 01.2024 and a later change differ, so check the source-materials list before you sit and do not assume either way. There is no newer MPEP revision.
The 29 MPEP chapters
The USPTO publishes no weighting of questions by chapter, and it does not say how many questions come from the non-MPEP documents or from ethics. The list below is the MPEP's own chapter list; nothing in it tells you where the questions cluster.
| Chapter | Title (MPEP index page) |
|---|---|
| 100 | Secrecy, Access, National Security, and Foreign Filing |
| 200 | Types and Status of Application; Benefit and Priority Claims |
| 300 | Ownership and Assignment |
| 400 | Representative of Applicant or Owner |
| 500 | Receipt and Handling of Mail and Papers |
| 600 | Parts, Form, and Content of Application |
| 700 | Examination of Applications |
| 800 | Restriction in Applications Filed Under 35 U.S.C. 111; Double Patenting |
| 900 | Prior Art, Search, Classification, and Routing |
| 1000 | Matters Decided by Various U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Officials |
| 1100 | Statutory Invention Registration (SIR); Pre-Grant Publication (PGPub) and Preissuance Submissions |
| 1200 | Appeal |
| 1300 | Allowance and Issue |
| 1400 | Correction of Patents |
| 1500 | Design Patents |
| 1600 | Plant Patents |
| 1700 | Miscellaneous |
| 1800 | Patent Cooperation Treaty |
| 1900 | Protest |
| 2000 | Duty of Disclosure |
| 2100 | Patentability |
| 2200 | Citation of Prior Art and Ex Parte Reexamination of Patents |
| 2300 | Interference and Derivation Proceedings |
| 2400 | Biotechnology |
| 2500 | Maintenance Fees |
| 2600 | Optional Inter Partes Reexamination |
| 2700 | Patent Terms, Adjustments, and Extensions |
| 2800 | Supplemental Examination |
| 2900 | International Design Applications |
Your source-material tracker
Tick each chapter and document as you finish a first full read. It covers the MPEP chapters and its rules and treaty appendices, the other three source documents, the patent laws and the five Parts of 37 CFR the GRB names; the ethics standards and other published USPTO policy the GRB also mentions are not itemised. It keeps nothing but the ticks, in this browser only.
0 of 42 done
Ticks are saved only in this browser on this device.
The exam day, as it affects how you read
| Rule | What the USPTO says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reference materials | Available on the computer delivering the questions; you may not bring your own notes, study materials or scratch paper | GRB IX.C, X.C |
| Scratch paper | Prometric provides scratch paper and a pencil, collected and destroyed at the end | GRB X.D |
| Format | 50 questions in 3 hours, twice; 5 choices per question | GRB IX.B |
| Breaks | An optional timed one-hour lunch break; unscheduled breaks run the clock | GRB X.D |
| Before and after | A 15-minute tutorial on the test software, a 15-minute survey after | GRB X.D |
| Identification | A current government photo ID with signature, such as a passport, whose name matches line 1b of your application exactly | GRB X.C |
| Confidentiality | A non-disclosure agreement at the test site; disclosing questions bears on moral character | Registration examination page |
The on-screen reference is why the USPTO says what it does about preparation: the exam tests the ability "to analyze factual situations and properly apply the patent laws, rules and procedures", and at about 3 minutes 36 seconds a question (our arithmetic), you have time to confirm a detail, not to learn a chapter. Prometric's USPTO computer tutorial, linked from the USPTO page, shows the test software before exam day. The USPTO will not counsel applicants on the law and cannot recommend any preparation course (GRB IX.D and IX.E).
Study inside your admission window
Your notice of admission opens a window in which you must schedule and sit the exam. The USPTO page (29 Sep 2026) says OED is setting it to 180 days until further notice; the standard is about 90 days. Enter your admission date and weekly study hours to see when the window closes and how many hours fit before it.
Our arithmetic. The USPTO publishes no weighting of questions by MPEP chapter, so the per-chapter figure is a plain average across the 29 chapters, not a recommendation. Book the Prometric date early: the GRB warns that “some test sites fill quickly”. Extensions “may be requested and granted an unlimited number of times” (GRB), but each must be requested, with the fee, before the current window expires.
Keeping up while you study
- The USPTO says applicants should "regularly check the source materials to verify the subject matter that may be tested, as the materials may be revised from time to time, including during their examination window".
- OED announces the date updated reference materials start appearing on the exam in the Official Gazette and at uspto.gov/Practitioners (GRB IX.A).
- The USPTO's electronic filing systems changed on 15 November 2023, when Patent Center fully replaced EFS-Web and Private PAIR; our reading is that any older study notes built around EFS-Web describe a system that no longer exists.
- Book your Prometric date early; the GRB warns that some sites fill quickly and that Prometric cannot schedule outside your OED window.
Sources: source-materials list (29 May 2026), GRB issued August 2026, USPTO Patent Center notice (15 Nov 2023).
Nothing on this page is legal or immigration advice. For your own case, write to OED (OED@uspto.gov), and on visas speak to a US immigration lawyer. ProSyllabus has no US Patent Bar practice quizzes yet, so this guide does not point you to any.
Which MPEP revision does the patent bar test in 2026?
The Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024, published November 2024. The USPTO confirmed after the 23 September 2026 update that the exam covers it.
Is the US Patent Bar open book?
The reference materials are available on the exam computer, with external links redacted. You may not bring your own notes or materials.
What are the source materials for the patent bar?
The MPEP (Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024), the Consolidated Trial Practice Guide of November 2019, the 2013 final rules on representation of others, and the Global and IP5 PPH notice, as listed by the USPTO on 29 May 2026.
Does the exam test ethics?
The GRB says the exam may include questions on the standards of ethical and professional conduct for registered patent attorneys and agents. The USPTO does not say how many.
How many chapters does the MPEP have?
Twenty-nine, numbered 100 to 2900, from secrecy and foreign filing to international design applications.
Which MPEP chapters carry the most questions?
The USPTO does not publish a weighting by chapter, so any split you see elsewhere is not the USPTO's.
What changed on 23 September 2026?
The USPTO says it updated the exam that day after a blackout from 17 to 22 September, but describes no change in subject matter; the source-materials list is unchanged.
Is there a newer MPEP than Revision 01.2024?
No. It is the current MPEP. Changes published after 31 January 2024 are listed separately as Subsequent Publications and are not part of the Revision 01.2024 text.
Which parts of 37 CFR should I know?
The GRB names Parts 1, 3, 11, 41 and 42 of Title 37.
Sources
- official — USPTO OED — "Source materials for the questions and answers on the registration examination" (last updated 29 May 2026): MPEP 9th ed. Rev. 01.2024 (published Nov 2024), Consolidated Trial Practice Guide (Nov 2019), 2013 representation-of-others final rules, Global/IP5 PPH notice; external links redacted in the exam (PDF)
- official — USPTO source-materials list as captured by the Wayback Machine on 1 Feb 2025 (list updated 19 Nov 2024): "beginning September 18, 2023", MPEP 9th ed. Rev. 07.2022 (PDF)
- official — USPTO — Registration examination page (last updated 29 Sep 2026): exam updated 23 Sep 2026; 180-day scheduling window "until further notice"; 100 questions, 90 scored, 63 of 90 to pass; 10 unscored beta questions
- official — USPTO Registration examination page as captured by the Wayback Machine on 13 Aug 2026 (page last updated 1 Jun 2026): exam to be updated 23 Sep 2026, no examination 17-22 Sep 2026
- official — USPTO Registration examination page as captured by the Wayback Machine on 14 Feb 2026 (page last updated 25 Nov 2025): from 24 Sep 2025 the exam covers MPEP Rev. 01.2024, after a blackout of 18-23 Sep 2025
- official — USPTO — MPEP index page: current MPEP is the 9th Edition, Revision 01.2024, published Nov 2024 and "up-to-date as of January 31, 2024"; list of 29 chapters; "Subsequent Publications" listing current as of 20 Jul 2026
- official — USPTO — Consolidated Trial Practice Guide, November 2019 (source material 2)
- official — Federal Register — Changes to Representation of Others Before the USPTO, final rules (3 Apr 2013), as linked from the USPTO source-materials list (source material 3) (PDF)
- official — USPTO — Implementation of the Global and IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Programs with Participating Offices (source material 4) (PDF)
- official — USPTO OED — General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases, "Issued August 2026" (PDF created 11 Aug 2026): section III (Categories A-D, eligibility of aliens), IV-VII (application, fees, review), IX-XI (the examination, test administration, reapplying), XIV (after passing)
- official — USPTO — Patent Center fully replaces EFS-Web and Private PAIR (15 Nov 2023)
- official — Prometric — USPTO examination computer tutorial, linked from the USPTO Registration examination page. Prometric's own USPTO information pages refused our requests (HTTP 403) and were not read
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
