Japan Launches Unified University Entrance Examinations

Japan commenced its two-day unified university entrance examinations on Saturday, utilizing 651 locations nationwide. This year, there has been an increase of approximately 3,200 candidates, bringing the total number of applicants to about 495,100.

The first day of the exams covers subjects such as geography, history, civics, and languages, both Japanese and foreign. The second day will focus on sciences, mathematics, and informatics, with the latter being introduced for the first time in response to updates in the educational curriculum guidelines.

This year's unified exams have been streamlined, reducing the number of courses from 30 to 21 across seven subjects. In a significant change, the informatics exam will assess candidates on programming and related topics.

Following the downgrade of COVID-19's classification under infectious disease law in May 2023, no additional health protocols will be implemented at exam sites, mirroring the approach taken in the previous year.

Organizers have alerted candidates that any instances of cheating will be reported to law enforcement. According to the National Center for University Entrance Examinations, a total of 838 institutions, which include 81 national universities and 522 private universities, will utilize the results from these unified exams for their admission processes.

Preliminary average scores are expected to be released on January 21, with final results available on February 6. For those who are unable to participate in the scheduled exams due to health concerns, such as COVID-19 or influenza, as well as those affected by traffic accidents or other incidents, makeup exams will be held on January 25 and 26 at designated venues in Tokyo and Osaka.

Further information regarding the makeup exams and application procedures can be found on the National Center's official website.