[Tangurena]

To become a patent attorney, one needs an undergraduate degree in science or engineering, followed by a law degree. Most folks aiming for law degrees pick easy majors for their undergrad degree and are thus automatically excluded from sitting for the patent agent exam (when you pass the bar, you then become a patent attorney).

To make things more difficult, the America Invents bill passed last year changes a lot of things, so folks studying for the exam now have twice as much material to study in order to pass.