The USPTO is not the same office it was two years ago. Since January 2025, shifts in leadership, policy emphasis, and internal guidance have changed how applications are examined and how prosecution outcomes are determined. Some of these changes have generated significant attention in the patent community, while others have been more subtle. All of them have real consequences for practitioners and applicants trying to build and protect patent portfolios today.

Some IP teams interview on every application at the USPTO, while many others only interview as a last resort late in prosecution. And everyone has their reasoning to back their decisions. But what does the data say?

It’s common for patent applications to suffer at least one rejection during prosecution. To overcome rejections, patent professionals will often request an interview with the assigned USPTO examiner. But are some examiners more receptive to interviews than others?