Come 2020, and the admission policies for Japanese universities and colleges, both public and private, will undergo changes pertaining to the entrance test. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan has announced changes to the existing National Center Test for University Admissions, a standardised test accepted during admissions into Japanese colleges and universities.

In its current version conducted by National Centre for University Entrance Examinations, the test comprises multiple-choice questions on science, mathematics, foreign languages, civics, history, geography, and Japanese language and culture. In the revised format, named Daigaku Nyugaku Kyotsu Test, students will be asked to answer certain questions in the Japanese and mathematics section using 80 to 120 characters to evaluate their skills of thinking, judgment and expression.

Private universities might also introduce stringent admission criteria from 2020, including admission essays and necessary volunteer work. MEXT hopes to bring about welcome changes in the high school teaching methods in Japan through their revised university entrance examination pattern.

MEXT’s proposal to do away with the English segment in the existing National Center Test was met with opposition from National Association of Upper Secondary School Principals, Japan Association of National Universities and Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges. In fact, following the admission reforms, universities might accept the available private-sector English proficiency test scores or the admission test English segment scores to evaluate the spoken proficiency of the candidate. MEXT has not yet revealed which of the private-sector English proficiency test scores are to be endorsed.