Preparation for Paper M1 2027 courses offered as on-site and/or online training

The first Paper M1 was sat by EQE candidates in March 2026. M1 2027 will take place on Tuesday 02 March 2027 and is intended for those candidates who fulfil the requirements to present themselves to this examination (see the new Regulation on the EQE; Supplementary publication 3 – OJ EPO 2024). Candidates must have performed at least two years of professional activity and have passed paper F in order to take the new paper M1. Alternatively, candidates can take all papers M1-M4 after gaining 3 years of practice, but then they need to pass M2, and M1 or M3.

Paper M1 assesses whether the candidate can carry out tasks relating to the analysis and assessment of information and evaluate and act on instructions from a client. It further assesses whether the candidate can understand an invention and/or data provided by the client, assess the invention in view of prior art and analyse whether the invention and theapplication or patent comply with the provisions of the EPC.

Paper M1 is defined in Article 1(5)(b) REE. It lasts three hours and consists of two parts, each lasting 90 minutes. Each part may contain one or more task(s).

Paper M1 may comprise different types of questions, such as multiple-choice questions, multi-select questions, tabular questions, questions requiring a fill-in answer, dropdown menu questions, rating choice/rank order questions, multi-point scale matrix questions and/or drag and drop questions, as well as open questions requiring a free-text answer.

CEIPI organises a seminar preparing for paper M1 2027, offered either as 3-day on-site seminar in Strasbourg or as 5-half-day seminar online in November 2026. The number of training hours of both seminar formats is the same. The seminar is complemented with a mock examination course in February 2027, to help candidates in preparing themselves for paper M1.

The seminar preparing for paper M1 will take place from 16 to 19 November 2026 as on-site training and from 16 to 20 November 2026 in its online format (number of training hours unchanged).

The seminar will be offered either as a "Strasbourg seminar" on-site (3 days, Monday early afternoon to Thursday noon) or remotely (5 half-days, Monday to Friday). Experience has shown that the on-site training format prepares candidates most efficiently for the examination, because it intensifies interaction between tutors and participants and among the course participants. The CEIPI therefore recommends to give priority to the on-site training format. However, in order to also prepare those candidates for the EQE who cannot attend the on-site seminar, the course preparing for Paper M1 of the EQE 2027 will also be offered as online training.

The seminar for paper M1 will start with 2 days (on-site) or 3 half-days (on-line) dedicated to exercises dealing with topics and skills likely to be covered by this paper and to the discussion of these exercises with a CEIPI tutor. This programme will be completed by two half-day sessions dedicated respectively to a mock exam M1 according to the announced format of the paper, and to the presentation and discussion of the CEIPI model solution to this paper with a tutor.

This seminar will be organised in the three official languages of the EPO (German, English and French).

Mock exam course preparing for paper M1 2027

The mock exam course preparing for paper M1 2027 will take place on 01 February 2027. It will exlusively be organised online.

Candidates wishing to improve their skills in respect of paper M1 are strongly advised to also enrol for this mock exam course. In this course, candidates put themselves under examination conditions and write a full paper M1 within the same time as available in the EQE examination and according to the format of this paper.
The aim of the course is to give the candidates the possibility, close to but also sufficiently in advance of the EQE 2027, to exercise their skills in sitting a paper under examination conditions. With the feedback of a tutor following afterwards and the possibility of asking last-minute questions, candidates will have a better idea of whether certain issues need closer study and/or which skills should be further trained. 

The course is offered in English, German and French language.

The course is open only for candidates who have enrolled for paper M1 of the EQE 2027.

See our complete price offer for 2026-2027

Please note that early enrolment is advisable.

For organizational reasons, the number of participants has to be limited. Applications will be treated on a first come, first served basis. If the seminars are oversubscribed, names will be put on a waiting list.

Closing dates for the submission of applications:

For seminar M1: 7 October 2026

• Enrolment fees: 1 250 €

For the mock exam course M: 8 January 2027

• Enrolment fees: 800 €