We had 2100B today, same format as 2100A.
I don’t know (and am too lazy to check) if the notes we use are available to those outside the PTO, but we have what amounts to a highly condensed MPEP that we use to provide us with the “highlights” for the certification exam. An examiner prepared these notes, chapter by chapter, when he was studying for the sig test. They’re great notes, and they usually do hit the salient points well.
I’m not so sure how well they transfer to a lecture format, but they are very helpful to get a quick overview of a chapter in the MPEP, and to get familiar with what can be found in each chapter.
~Relativity
This post raises an interesting question about public access. Do these “notes” belong to the PTO? It would seem that if they’re used as a formal basis for examiner training, they do. Were they prepare with taxpayer funds? So . . . shouldn’t they be U.S. Government property and available to the public?
Well, the PTO isn’t paid for by taxpayer dollars to begin with (just to nitpick).
I’m wondering if, since you put “notes” in quotes, you think there’s some otherwise unlisted information in the notes? They really are just notes taken from the MPEP. Also, there is a lot that is generated in an administrative agency in terms of memos and other documents that are not intended for public distribution.
Like I said, however, I have no idea if these are available to the public.
What difference does it make? No offense, but who would want access to a “condensed” version of the MPEP prepared by an examiner?
Relativity, if they helped you pass whatever exam PTO (mis)management administered, great, but that would appear to be the extent of their value.
JD: I agree completely. There’s really no good reason anyone on the outside would want access to these notes. One can’t search them the way one can search the MPEP. They’re good if you have very little time to study, and want to hit the salient points so you are familiar with the material on a basic level.
As a side-note, I think the best thing the notes may represent is how to take notes. Does anyone really get the full value of notes one hasn’t taken onesself, by taking the time to understand the material so well that one can pull out the important bits?
One might try searching the notes in .pdf form by storing them in one folder and searching across all of the files. It is an effective search, but I found during the exam that none of the questions are repeated from the notes.
On the note interpretation point, I think there is value to reading other people’s notes, and particularly just putting an asterik or arrow next to the points that I find interesting.
Creating slides is much different than just making notes, but as you might have figured out, the MPEP reviews are just a long list of bullet points organized by chapter.