Tests in Japan

 久しぶりですね！Long time no see, everyone! May and early June can be a hard time for a lot of US secondary school students. With AP Testing, finals, and standardized testing, it can feel like we test a lot! Japan also has a very heavy emphasis on testing- one that overshadows the United States.

What are the important tests in Japan, and how do they compare to the United States?

Tests in Japan「日本の試験」

Japan has the same regular finals and unit tests as the United States has. However, Japanese entrance exams are some of the most important tests in a student's life- even more than the SAT or ACT, or almost any other US Test. Going into junior high school, high school, and university may involve taking entrance exams which rank a student's proficiency and decides their academic (and, as a result, their lifelong) future.

Junior High and High School Examinations

Junior high and high school entrance exams are not mandatory like university entrance exams. It's always an option to enroll in Japan's free public school system instead of taking these tests. However, for very academically driven and competitive students, it may be beneficial to enroll in schools known for preparing students well for tests in the future. To have better chances of attending a top school like Kyoto University or the University of Tokyo, attending a high school known for good test preparation is encouraged- thus, high school entrance exams are a part of many students' lives. Some students may even take junior high school entrance exams to enroll in a better, private junior high school. Some schools cover all nine years of a student's education, causing parents to prepare five-year-old children for rigorous testing.

Many students attend 塾「じゅく」, "cram school" or "after-school classes" to help them study academics or prepare for entrance exams. This takes the place of after-school club activities for many students.

As a US high school student, there's a lot of preparation and competition for the college admissions process. Imagining needing to think about this going into high school, and maybe even going into junior high, is a bit scary. However, having the option to attend schools better suited for academics may make classes more interesting and reward early on efforts by students to do the best they can academically.

University Entrance Examinations

Like the ACT and SAT in the US, standardized testing is very important for high school students in Japan. However, it's even more important for students in Japan. Failure may mean being unable to go to college.

Colleges have specific score requirements for applicants. The competition is so high, that only around 76% of high school graduates are able to attend college. This high stress makes some of the earlier actions for university entrance examinations more pertinent in a student's and parent's eye. These tests are so stressful that students will spend endless sleepless nights and study constantly to ensure their success- a period known as 試験地獄「しけんじごく」, "exam hell".

Students who fail these exams become 浪人「ろうにん」, "samurai without a master", who study for a year on their own in order to someday pass their exams.

The competitiveness and stress of these exams are even higher than the US's, as a bad exam score means no chance of going to a good college (or sometimes, college at all). Only needing to worry about one thing sounds nice, but the amount of stress on just one day and one exam sounds like a bit much to me.

Conclusion

The test-oriented education of Japan changes a student's life drastically. Entrance examinations will dictate the university a student goes to and the job they will get, changing their life for the better or the worse. There's a snowballing effect regarding the schools a student attends throughout their education and their test scores, and this makes entrance examinations very important and stressful.

Do you think the United States testing system is better than Japan's? Would you ever want to take an entrance examination? Let me know!