Is the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test difficult? Explains exam range and trends, pass rate, study method

The "Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test" is one of the tests required when working as a Japanese language teacher. It is said that it is difficult to pass the exam, but as a guide to your ability to teach Japanese, if you want to become a Japanese teacher, you should take the exam.

Here, we explain how difficult the Japanese language education ability test is, its outline, pass rate, and questioning tendency. We also introduce recommended study methods, so please refer to them when you take the exam.

Outline of Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test

First, I will explain the outline of the Japan Educational Proficiency Test.

What is the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test?

The Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test is a proficiency level of basic abilities and knowledge of Japanese language education that is conducted for those who are engaged in Japanese language education and those who are learning to become a Japanese language teacher. It is a test that asks.

Even if you do not have this qualification, you can become a Japanese language teacher or teach Japanese, but many schools and companies use whether or not they pass this exam as a guideline for hiring. Anyone can take the test, so it can be said that it is a test that does not hurt to challenge.

Composition, test range and trends of the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test

Looking at the composition of the questions, the scope of the exam, and the trends from the outline of the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test that has been conducted in 2019 and is scheduled to be conducted in 2020, it consists of the following three items.

・ Exam I: This is a measure of basic knowledge that leads to the practice of Japanese language education. The answer time is 90 minutes and the score is 100 points.

・ Exam II: Voice questions will be given on "problem-solving ability" and "basic knowledge". The answer time is 30 minutes and the score is 40 points.

・ Exam III: This is a measure of whether you have sufficient on-site response ability and basic problem-solving ability as a Japanese teacher. The answer time is 120 minutes and the score is 100 points.

In addition, the examination range will be set in five categories: "1. Society / Culture / Region", "2. Language and Society", "3. Language and Psychology", "4. Language and Education", and "5. Language in General". Especially in "4. Language and Education" and "5. Language in General", it seems that the contents to be given priority tend to be concentrated.

From "Language and Education", in addition to curriculum organization ability, teaching method, evaluation method related to student ability, items such as misuse analysis and teaching material development are also given. From "Language in general", knowledge about the world's languages, comparison with Japanese, understanding of Japanese grammatical structure and phonology, as well as interpersonal relationships and ability to adjust different cultures are asked.

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Qualification to take the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test

The qualifications for the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test are not particularly limited, and anyone can take the test. However, if you want to become a Japanese teacher directly from a high school graduate without completing 420 hours of courses related to Japanese language education, you should consider that passing is essential.

Pass rate and tendency of Japanese language education ability test

Next, I will explain how difficult the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test is, the reason and the pass rate.

Pass rate for the last 3 years

The pass rates for the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test conducted over the past three years are as follows.

First year of Reiwa: 28.2% (9,426 examinees, 2,659 successful applicants)

FY2018 28.3% (6,841 examinees, 1,937 successful applicants)

2017 25.4% (5,767 examinees, 1,463 successful applicants)

The pass rate itself is not so high and it can be said that it is a difficult qualification, but it can be seen that the pass rate is increasing year by year and the number of examinees is also increasing.

Tendency of Japanese language education ability test ・ Points that are considered difficult

One of the reasons why the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test is difficult is the wide range of the test. In addition to understanding the vocabulary and grammar required to teach Japanese as an academic discipline, you also need the ability to solve problems as an educator and knowledge of international affairs and culture.

In addition, since there is also an audio listening test for the above test range, it is important to take specialized measures in listening to pass the test.

What kind of measures should I take to pass the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test?

How to study for the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test

Now that you know the trends, pass rates, and difficulties of the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test, we will explain how to study.

Is it difficult to pass by yourself?

Looking at the trends and pass rates of the Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test, we can see that it is a difficult qualification to take the test and aim to pass it. If you want to pass the exam by yourself from a place where you have no knowledge of Japanese language education, you need to thoroughly practice past questions and spend a considerable amount of time studying to cover the textbook. Let's do it.

Since past questions and textbooks are commercially available, it is not impossible to pass by self-study depending on your efforts, but it is difficult because you need to spend time and effort other than study time, such as efficient study schedule and how to select textbooks. It is also true that there are aspects.

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It is recommended to take a course to be more thorough

If you want to acquire a qualification without any knowledge of language or education, not limited to Japanese, it is recommended that you take a course and take the exam. An efficient study schedule for passing the exam and textbooks based on it will be prepared, which will greatly reduce the time to think about "what to choose and where to focus on".

Compared to self-study, it is certainly difficult to take a course if you cannot afford it. Also, just because you are taking a course, it may be difficult to pass if you neglect to study by yourself.

If you take a course and learn an efficient study method that focuses on points, the quality of self-study will improve. Especially for the disadvantage of self-study, which tends to be "it's up to you whether you do it or not", you can keep your motivation for studying by deciding to take the course, so it will be a support to aim for passing with a strong will.

Summary

The Japanese Language Education Proficiency Test is not an essential qualification for becoming a Japanese language teacher, but it is important when aiming to become a Japanese language teacher directly from a state of no knowledge, and it is used as a guideline for recruitment in many schools and companies. It is a qualification. In addition to Japanese grammar and teaching ability, the range of questions is wide, such as international affairs and ability to respond to different cultures, and there is also a listening test, so considerable measures are required.

The pass rate is less than 30%, which is a difficult qualification, but the chances of passing by yourself are not zero, and you will be able to aim for a smoother pass by taking the course.

This article is a partial re-edit of the article published in Nihongo Biyori by KARUTA.
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