🚀 go-pugleaf

Robert P. Bell wrote:

> Both Attorneys and Agents must register to practice.  From the OED
> perspective, there is little distinction between them.  I started as an
> Agent (and have an Agent's certificate to show for it).  When I became an
> Attorney, they issued a new certificate, with the same number.
> 
> So the numbers are assigned equally to attorneys and agents, and the
> registration numbers are a good quantifier as to the number of folks
> taking the exam and the number available to practice.

As for the number taking the exam, you have to factor in the 
obnoxiously low pass rate. A change of 25% to 33% results in
a change from 4,000 to 3,000 taking the test (approximate).

As a note here, this is one way that you can tell that the
PTO is a government agency - it responded to an increase in
demeand by a reductiotn in services, in dropping from offering
the test twice a year to once a year.