The Culture of Exam Season in Japan
Each winter, Japan enters what is commonly called 受験シーズン (juken season), a period when students across the country sit for entrance exams that determine admission to high schools and universities.
The stakes can be very high and shape someone’s future: exam results can influence educational paths, career opportunities, and even social mobility. Over time, the system has adjusted through demographic change and new admissions routes, while public debate has grown around pressure and student wellbeing.
What Is “Juken” (受験)?
The term juken (受験, じゅけん) literally means “to take an exam,” but in Japan it also refers specifically to the process of sitting for competitive entrance examinations that determine admission to the next stage of education. Instead of simply progressing forward, students often must pass exams to enter private junior high schools, selective high schools, and most universities.
Competition can begin early, with some families preparing children for private junior high school entrance exams as early as elementary school, since access to certain institutions can improve long term academic pathways.
High school entrance exams are widespread across Japan, particularly for public and private schools with strong reputations. University entrance exams are the most consequential stage, often seen as a gateway to future employment and social mobility.
School prestige plays a significant role in shaping perceived opportunities; graduating from a highly ranked university, especially national universities or renowned private institutions, can influence recruitment prospects, access to large corporations, and overall career trajectory. While this system has gradually diversified in recent years, educational background continues to carry weight in hiring practices.
For universities, students typically take the Common Test for University Admissions (大学入学共通テスト) each January, which assesses achievement of foundational high school learning and measures the abilities needed for university study. In the 2026 admissions cycle, the national standardized university exam drew 496,237 applicants, an increase of 1,066 compared to the previous year.
Data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology show that the undergraduate university advancement rate (including graduates from previous years) reached 59.1% in 2024, a record high. The results are used by national and many private universities as a screening benchmark, often followed by institution specific exams later in the season.
The Timeline of Exam Season
Preparation often begins years in advance, but the most intense period unfolds from autumn through early spring.
Autumn: Applications and Final Preparation
By early autumn, high school seniors finalize their university choices and submit applications. Study schedules become more rigorous, with extended hours at school, juku (cram school), or at home. Mock exams are frequent during this period, helping students gauge their standing and adjust their target schools if necessary.
Many students apply to multiple institutions, typically categorized as “safe” schools (where admission is likely), “realistic” options, and more competitive “reach” schools. Doing so is partly a form of risk management because results are released on different dates and because each exam carries uncertainty, even for strong students.
January: The Common Test for University Admissions
In mid-January, students sit for the Common Test for University Admissions (大学入学共通テスト), a nationwide standardized exam that serves as a screening tool for national and many private universities. Performance on this exam plays a decisive role in determining which second stage exams students can realistically pursue.
February–March: Individual University Exams
After Common Test results are released, universities administer their own entrance examinations, often in February. These subject specific tests can be more specialized or demanding, depending on the institution and faculty, and students may travel across the country to sit for different exams.
March: Results and Next Steps
By March, universities announce admission results. For successful applicants, enrollment procedures begin soon after. For others, options include accepting a place at another institution, attending a preparatory school (予備校, yobikō) to retake the exams the following year, or reconsidering academic and career plans.
Juku and the Extra Study Economy
One of the most visible features of exam season in Japan is the role of juku (塾), private cram schools that supplement regular schooling and focus on entrance exam preparation. While public schools follow the national curriculum, juku concentrate on test strategies, past exam questions, and intensive subject review. A related term is yobikō (予備校), which usually refers to specialized prep schools for university applicants, including repeat test takers.
Although not mandatory, juku attendance is very common, especially among students aiming for competitive schools and universities. Survey data from 2023 show that 45.9% of Grade 6 students and 60% of Grade 9 students receive support from a juku or private tutor (including online tutoring).
Classes usually take place in the late afternoon or evening, after regular school hours; during peak exam preparation periods, students may attend multiple times per week. Winter and summer vacation periods often include special intensive courses designed to reinforce weak areas.
Students learn not only subject content but also how to manage time, anticipate question patterns, and avoid common mistakes. Frequent mock exams (模擬試験, moshiken) simulate real testing conditions, rank students nationally or regionally and provide percentile rankings, allowing students and parents to assess their likelihood of admission to specific schools.
The financial cost is considerable: according to a recent national learning cost survey, average annual juku fees are:
- Public elementary: ¥75,194 ($490); private elementary: ¥259,492 ($1,693)
- Public middle high: ¥230,385 ($1,503); private middle high: ¥168,058 ($1,096)
- Public high school: ¥147,140 ($960); private high school: ¥166,867 ($1,089)
This spending turns exam preparation into a family investment rather than only a student responsibility. At the same time, it raises concerns about inequality, since access to supplementary education can lead to higher performance but also depends partly on household income.
Students also face psychological pressure, not wanting the family investment to go to waste and feeling stressed by constant testing and comparison with peers.
Luck and Belief During Exam Season
Exam season in Japan is also accompanied by rituals and symbolic practices meant to offer reassurance and encouragement to examinees. Over the years, these customs have become a recognizable part of exam culture.
Shrine Visits and Good Luck Charms
It is common for students to visit shrines to pray for academic success; many purchase omamori (お守り) specifically designed for exam luck, often labeled 合格祈願 (prayers for passing). These charms are kept in school bags as a source of reassurance.
Shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar from the Heian period later deified as Tenjin, the kami of learning, are particularly popular during exam season. Major Tenjin shrines across Japan see increased visitors in January and February, when students go to pray for good results.
A well-known example is Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka, where the grave of Sugawara no Michizane is located. In Tokyo, Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, located close to the University of Tokyo, is also especially popular among students.
Another common practice is writing wishes on ema (絵馬) wooden plaques. Students inscribe their target schools or hopes for success and hang the plaques on shrine grounds.
Exam Season Superstitions
Exam culture also includes superstitions based on wordplay and symbolic foods. The most famous example is the association between KitKat and “kitto katsu” (きっと勝つ, “surely win”), which is said to have emerged from a Kyushu dialect pun and spread by word of mouth among students around 2002. Later, in 2009, Nestlé partnered with Japan Post on a campaign that allowed customers to send KitKat bars as messages of support through roughly 20,000 post offices nationwide.
The specially designed packages included space for a handwritten note and postage, allowing the chocolate to be mailed as a good luck charm to students preparing for university entrance exams; the idea spread nationally and became closely associated with exam season. “Good luck” foods also include classics like katsudon and tonkatsu, since “katsu” sounds like the verb “to win.”
Success, Failure, and “Rōnin” Students
Because entrance exams are highly competitive, not all students secure admission to their first-choice school. When results are announced in March, some students move forward as planned, while others face rejection and must reconsider their next step.
One common path is becoming a rōnin (浪人), a term that originally referred to masterless samurai who had lost their lord and were left without a fixed position in society. In the education context, it describes students who have graduated from high school but did not pass their desired university exam and choose to spend an additional year preparing to try again. Many rōnin enroll in specialized prep schools (予備校, yobikō), where they dedicate a full year to focused study and mock exams.
Taking a gap year to retake exams is relatively common, particularly among students aiming for selective national universities. For some families, it is seen as a strategic investment in future opportunities; for others, it represents added financial and emotional strain. The decision often depends on how competitive the target university is and how close the student came to passing.
Social perceptions of rōnin students are mixed. On one hand, perseverance and dedication are respected qualities; on the other, repeating a year can carry stigma, especially in a system where classmates move forward together.
The emotional pressure surrounding this choice is reflected in data: according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) from 2018, students in Japan showed one of the highest levels of fear of failure, with 77% agreeing that when they fail, they worry about what others think, compared with 56% across OECD countries.
How Exam Culture Is Changing
Although entrance exams remain central to Japan’s education system, signs of change are visible. Demographic decline has reduced the number of university age students, and some institutions, particularly private universities outside major metropolitan areas, have begun introducing more flexible admissions pathways.
In addition to traditional written exams, certain universities now offer admissions based on recommendations (推薦入試) or comprehensive selection processes (総合型選抜), which evaluate essays, interviews, extracurricular activities, and motivation statements alongside academic performance.
A national research by the Ministry of Education reported that, for 2024 university entrants, general selection (一般選抜) accounted for 40.9%, school recommendation selection for 26.7%, and comprehensive selection for 19.3%. These routes aim to assess qualities beyond test scores, including communication skills and long-term potential.
At the same time, high pressure testing has faced increasing criticism. Educators and commentators have questioned whether a single set of exams can accurately measure a student’s ability, especially when preparation often depends on access to supplementary education such as juku or yobikō.
Mental health has also become a more visible topic in public discussion. As awareness grows around stress, burnout, and youth wellbeing, media coverage and educational policy debates increasingly address the emotional costs of intense competition.
Schools and families are beginning to acknowledge the psychological dimension of exam preparation, and while the structure of juken remains largely intact, conversations about balance, resilience, and support are becoming more common than in previous decades.
Education, Pressure, and Reform
The culture around entrance exams reflects real pressures: preparation can widen gaps between families, results can affect self-image and social standing, and the possibility of becoming a rōnin remains a major source of anxiety for many students. Recent changes, including new admission pathways beyond national exams, suggest a slow transformation in how merit is evaluated, with other qualities increasingly taken into consideration rather than relying solely on a single test score.
Even as written exams remain central, discussions about balance, support, and student wellbeing are becoming more visible, and they are likely to influence how exam season is experienced in the years ahead.
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