Extension of Patent Attorney Exam Language Score Validity from 2 to 5 Years

The validity period for recognizing official language test scores in the patent attorney exam will be extended from 2 years to 5 years.

On the 26th, the Korean Intellectual Property Office announced that the batch amendment of six presidential decrees, including the "Enforcement Decree of the Patent Attorney Act," which contains this content, has been promulgated and will be applied starting next month.

The amendment includes extending the recognition period for official language test scores and abolishing the recognition period for the Korean History Proficiency Test scores. This is a follow-up measure to the recommendation for system improvement by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (last October) and aims to reduce the burden of taking official language tests and other requirements for national qualification exams.

Official language test scores are used to substitute the English subject in the first stage of the patent attorney exam. The amendment will take effect from the 27th of next month. To extend the recognition period for scores expiring after this date, candidates must pre-register on the Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation website before the expiration of the validity period set by the language test administering institution to verify authenticity.

Applicants intending to take the 62nd patent attorney qualification exam next year, whose language test scores are set to expire after the 27th of next month, must extend the validity period through pre-registration. If the validity period expires without pre-registration, the language test scores will not be recognized, so caution is required.

Mok Seong-ho, Director of the Industrial Property Policy Bureau at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, said, "Until now, candidates had to renew their language test scores every 2 years to secure scores for the patent attorney exam. However, with the amendment of the Enforcement Decree of the Patent Attorney Act, language test scores will be recognized for 5 years, which is expected to reduce the time and financial burden associated with preparing for language tests."