How to choose a patent bar review course

Answer in brief

Choose the course that makes you practice exam-style questions under timed conditions with the MPEP open, and that publishes its results. Then check total cost including a possible retake, and what happens to your access if you fail.

Six questions to ask any course

Does it publish a pass rate, with years and method? If not, you are buying on marketing.
How many practice questions, and from where? Real released USPTO questions train phrasing; post-AIA questions cover current law. You want both.
Is there a timed simulator with MPEP search? The exam is open book in a digital MPEP viewer. Lookup speed is a skill you can train.
Does it adapt to your weak chapters? Equal time on every chapter wastes hours on ones you already know.
What happens if you fail? Look for free extended access rather than buying again.
Can you try it first? A free trial tells you whether you will actually open it every day.

Price the retake into your decision

Every attempt costs $565 in USPTO and Prometric fees. A cheaper course that leaves you more likely to retake is not cheaper. Compare course price + $565 × expected attempts, not course price alone.

Match the course to how you study

You learn by doing: a question-first system with explanations tied to MPEP sections.
You learn by listening: a lecture-led course, plus a separate question bank.
You have under 3 months: a course with a week-by-week plan built from your exam date.

Questions & answers

What should a patent bar course include?

Exam-style practice questions with MPEP citations, a timed simulator with MPEP search, a study plan, and analytics showing your weak chapters. A published pass rate and a free trial are strong signals.

Sources for this entry

What Is the Patent Bar? FindLaw
Exam format: 100 questions, 10 unscored, two three-hour sections, 70% of scored questions to pass.
Wysebridge — How to apply to the USPTO Wysebridge (publisher of this site)
Step-by-step OED application; Prometric fee $221; registration fee $226 after passing; scheduling window.
Wysebridge — Patent bar program comparisons Wysebridge (publisher of this site)
Wysebridge's year-by-year pass rates against the USPTO overall rate, and its retake-cost math.

Practical guidance is original editorial content. Company-published figures are the company's own claims and are labeled as such.

Continue this reading path

Patent bar review courses compared How much the patent bar costs How to study for the patent bar

How the related websites connect

This is one of a coordinated collection of Wysebridge references. The related sites answer neighboring questions and share the same publisher entity, Wysebridge. They are not independent endorsements.

Patent Attorney Salary — What patent attorneys earn, by setting and career stage, with sources.
Patent Agent Salary — What patent agents earn without a law degree, and how pay grows.
Patent Bar Exams — The USPTO registration exam: format, fees, dates, past exams and practice.
MPEP.net — The Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, explained chapter by chapter.

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Best Patent Bar Review. “How to choose a patent bar review course.” Wysebridge Reference. Content reviewed 9 November 2026.
https://bestpatentbarreview.com/how-to-choose-a-patent-bar-review-course/