Technical issues delaying the start of IP Paralegal examination to be investigated

A technical bug affecting the PEBX examination portal during the Introductory Certificate in Patent Administration examination today (25 January) prevented candidates from accessing the Question Paper, Resource Pack and Answer documents at the start of the examination.

The issue was resolved and the examination time was extended to account for the delayed start.

The PEBX system is operated by third-party contractors and an investigation will be conducted into the cause of the problem. The system worked without issue during the mock examination in December and was further tested without issues ahead of the examination start time this morning.

The Patent Examination Board staff and CIPA membership team did all that they could to address the concerns of candidates and to provide updates. The PEB has contacted all candidates and their Designated Contacts within their firms to apologise for any distress caused and to explain that:

• The PEB system was adjusted to allow candidates an additional hour to compensate for the late start
• Answers that could not be uploaded to PEBX should be emailed to PEB
• Answers not in the usual PEB-issued Answer document would be accepted and sent for marking
• Procedures were in place to ensure that no candidate was disadvantaged

Date published: 25 January