Announcement Regarding the 2011 Junior High School Graduate Equivalency Examination

 1 Purpose

This national exam is to ascertain whether those who sit the exam have the academic abilities equivalent to a junior high school graduate or not. Those who pass the exam will receive a qualification which states that they are eligible to enter senior high school. This exam is targeted at the following groups of people:

 

l  Students who were exempt from or whose guardians delayed their entry into compulsory education due to unavoidable circumstances such as illness.

l  Students who were not exempt from, or whose guardians did not delay their entry into, compulsory education but who will be more than 15 years of age by the 31st of March 2012 in which the junior high school graduate equivalency exam is to be held and so cannot graduate junior high school. This fact has been acknowledged by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as being an unavoidable circumstance.

l  Those students who will be older than 16 years of age by the 31st of March 2012

l  Those students who will be 15 years of age or older by the 31st of March 2012 and do not hold Japanese citizenship.

 

2 Examining Body

The equivalency exam will conducted by the forty-seven prefectural boards of education in cooperation with related government ministries and agencies, related organizations and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

 

3 Qualifications of Candidacy

1. Those who have been or are currently exempt from or are delaying compulsory education and will be more than 15 years of age by the 31st of March 2012.
2. Those who were not exempt from, or whose guardians did not delay their entry into, compulsory education but who will be more than 15 years of age by the end of the year in which the junior high school graduate equivalency exam is to be held and so cannot graduate junior high school. This has also been acknowledged by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as being an unavoidable circumstance.
3. Those who will be older than 16 years of age by March 31 2012 (excluding those who are included in condition 1 or 4.)
4. Those who do not have Japanese citizenship and will be more than 15 years of age on March 31st 2012.

 

4 Application Period

From Thursday September 8 to Wednesday September 28 2011 (mail stamped as posted on September 28 will be accepted.)

 

5 Application Materials

1. Equivalency exam application form and a resume
2. An abstract of your family register or a copy of your certificate of residence (for non-Japanese citizens, please include a copy of your foreign resident card in line with the Foreign Citizen Registration law (1952 Law no.125) or a certification of the information recorded on your foreign resident registration file) issued within the last six months.
3. Two 5cm x 5cm photographs of your upper body taken within the last six months, facing the camera and without anything covering the head or face.
4. An officially issued reason for deferment or exemption from school enrollment (only for those candidates who fall under point 2 of section 3, qualifications of candidacy) from the education committee of your city, town or village (including special wards, this is the same for point 5 below).
5. Paperwork issued by the education committee of your city, town or village stating the reason upon which you were acknowledged as being unable to graduate junior high school (excluding candidates who fall under point 2 of section 3, qualifications of candidacy.).

 

6 Application Desk

1. Candidates wishing to take the exam should submit their application materials to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
2. In the case that candidates are not eligible for the exam, the Ministry will send back their applications details with an explanation of why they were not accepted.
3. For candidates who fall under category 3 of the previous section ‘qualifications of candidacy’, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will decide whether they are eligible for the exam or not. If they are deemed ineligible then the Ministry will send back their application details with an explanation of why they were not accepted.
4. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will issue eligible candidates with an examination admission ticket.
5. From the application paperwork submitted from the candidates, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will provide each prefectural board of education which is holding the exam with a copy of the necessary paperwork and an original copy of the examination admission ticket.
6. Applicants who apply to skip sections 3 or 4 of part ten, ‘methods of examination’, must provide documents proving that they have been examined for their knowledge and ability and passed a test.
7. Regarding section 4 of part ten, ‘methods of examination’, applicants must submit proof that they returned to Japan after the 8 September 2008 (a photocopy of their passport, for example). This includes:
   1. Foreign passport-holders who apply for exemption or require a question book prepared with furigana readings.
   2. Japanese citizens who hand in paperwork under point 2 of section five (Application Materials) and have had it officially confirmed.
   3. Naturalised Japanese must record their naturalized status on the paperwork requested in part 5 of section two (application materials.)

 

7 Date and Time Schedule of the Exam

 

	Morning		Afternoon
Examination Subject	Japanese	Social Studies	Math	Science	Foreign language (English)
Time	10:00-10:40	11:00-11:40	13:00-13:40	14:00-14:40	15:00-15:40

 

 8 Examination Venue

Each region’s venue will be decided at the prefectural board of education’s discretion.

 

9 Subjects to be tested

Japanese, Social Studies, Math, Science, Foreign Language (English)

 

10 Method of Examination

1. The exam will be a written test (Braille will be provided for visually impaired candidates)
2. In the case that special provisions are necessary for candidates with disabilities, please contact us individually.
3. Candidates who have passed the exams listed below may defer taking the English exam if they choose to do so.

(ア)  Test in Practical English Proficiency administered by The Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP), Inc. Candidates must have passed level 3 or higher.

(イ)  English Proficiency Test administered by The Commercial High School Association (Zensho).

Candidates must have passed level 3 or higher

(ウ)  The United Nations Association’s Test of English administered by the United Nations Association of Japan. Candidates must have passed level E or higher.

1. In the case that special provisions for candidates marked with ※ below have been made, the following steps will be taken:

1) For candidates who have level N2 or higher of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) can defer sitting the Japanese section of the test if they choose to do so.

2) A question booklet with furigana can be provided if requested by the candidate.

 

※ Students who will be allowed the provisions listed above:

1)    Those who are not Japanese citizens

2)    Those Japanese citizens who have spent more than two years living abroad (and have returned within three years of the application submission date.)

 

11 Announcement of Exam Results

Exam results are scheduled to be announced on December 9 2011.

Results will be sent to the candidates individually. Candidates who have passed all sections will be issued with a certificate of equivalency, while those who pass individual sections will receive a certificate stating which sections they have passed. All others will receive their individual marks for each section. We will also notify each prefectural educational committee of the results of candidates in their region.

 

12 Expenses when taking the exam

Regarding expenses, we will reimburse the invigilators for their expendables and provide a small payment as a token of appreciation.

13 Other

1) Announcement of the exam’s fixed date:

The equivalency exam’s fixed date, venue and application deadlines will be announced through official channels.

2) Each prefectural board of education will have the paperwork prepared in the case of candidates submitting applications by hand. Candidates should apply for the materials either directly to the prefectural board of education or through the municipal board of education. Moreover, we have decided that each prefectural board of education should have the examination guide for reference.