On Friday, April 23, 2021, the Patent Office Practice Committee held a virtual brown-bag lunch meeting on the USPTO’s proposed changes to the General Requirements Bulletin (which detail the requirements applicants must satisfy in order to sit for the patent bar exam). Patent Office Practice Committee Co-Chair Matthew Van Eman led the program, which gathered input from the membership on the USPTO’s proposals and ways the USPTO can improve the process for qualified applicants to satisfy these requirements. The group discussed proposed additional degrees that could be considered for inclusion in the “Category A” of specified bachelor’s degrees that presumptively qualify for acceptance, the proposal to add master’s and doctoral degrees to Category A, and relaxing coursework requirements for certain Category B applicants. The discussion also included a proposal for a flexible “common sense” approach for acceptance of applicants who have degrees that are not explicitly recited in Category A, but that clearly meet the USPTO’s requirements, such as certain interdisciplinary degrees and degrees from foreign universities, so as to avoid the need to submit a petition under Category B. Finally, the group discussed ways the system could be improved to increase diversity amongst the patent bar and provide an easier path to admission for applicants who are presently underrepresented in the patent system.