Overview
The Certified Care Worker Exam (介護福祉士国家試験, Kaigo Fukushishi Kokka Shiken) is Japan's national examination for the kaigo fukushishi qualification, a national credential for care workers. It is run by the Social Welfare Promotion and National Examination Center. The 39th exam, in fiscal year 2026 (Reiwa 8), is held on 31 January 2027. It is a written, multiple-choice exam only.
Who can apply
Candidates must qualify through one of several routes. The Center lists these categories:
Graduates (or expected graduates) of a designated care worker training school, or people who completed commissioned training.
People with practical care experience plus completion of the Practical Training course (jitsumusha kenshu), or plus the former Care Worker Basic Training and the training for suctioning and tube feeding.
Graduates of welfare-track high schools, including advanced courses, who entered in fiscal 2009 or later.
Graduates of special-case high schools who then worked in care for at least 9 months.
Graduates of welfare-track high schools who entered in fiscal 2008 or earlier.
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) candidates who have worked in care for at least 3 years.
Three years of work experience alone is not enough for the experience route. Foreign nationals working on a Specified Skilled Worker (type 1) or Technical Intern visa apply through the experience route. Each route needs its own certificate when applying.
Exam pattern
The exam has 125 questions across 13 subjects: 12 subjects plus one comprehensive case-based subject. Questions are mostly five-choice multiple choice and may include figures, tables, photographs and illustrations. It is held in a single day, in a morning session and an afternoon session, and is grouped into three parts.
| Part | Subject groups | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A | Human dignity and independence with basics of care; understanding of society; human relationships and communication with communication skills; life support skills | 60 |
| B | Mechanisms of mind and body; understanding of development and ageing; understanding of dementia; understanding of disabilities; medical care | 45 |
| C | Care process; comprehensive case-based questions across all areas | 20 |
For 2026 (the 39th exam), the standard timings are 10:00 to 11:45 for the morning session and 13:40 to 15:35 for the afternoon session. Candidates who sit only some parts have shorter sessions: Part A runs 10:00 to 11:45, Part B 13:40 to 14:55 and Part C 13:40 to 14:20.
Visually impaired candidates, braille users and EPA candidates get extended time (1.3 or 1.5 times, depending on the category). Other foreign nationals can request kanji-with-readings papers and 1.5 times the time. People with disabilities can request accommodations in advance.
The exam is held in 35 prefectures. The requested exam location cannot be changed after applying, and the Center may reassign candidates to a nearby location.
Marking and results
Each question is worth one mark, for 125 marks in total. To pass in a single sitting, a candidate must score at or above a pass mark set at about 60 percent of the total, adjusted for the difficulty of the questions, and must also score on every one of the 11 subject groups.
From the 39th exam, part-by-part passing applies. A candidate who sits all parts but misses the overall mark can still pass if they reach the part-level mark for every part, where the part marks are set by splitting the overall pass mark in proportion to the average scores of all candidates in each part, and they scored in every subject group of those parts. A part that is passed stays valid until the second year after the exam in which it was passed, and a candidate can later sit only the parts they have not passed.
Important dates
For the 39th exam (fiscal 2026):
Application period: 22 July 2026 to 2 September 2026.
Exam date: 31 January 2027.
Results published online (examinee numbers): 23 March 2027.
Results notices posted: 26 March 2027.
Fees
For the 39th exam, the exam fee is 20,510 yen. It must be paid by credit card or at a convenience store within the application period, or the application is void.
How to apply
Applications are made online through the Center's website. Before starting, prepare an email address (one per applicant, and it cannot be changed once registered), a face photo, and the certificate required for the applicant's eligibility route. The fee must be paid within the application period.
After the exam
Passing the exam leads to registration as a certified care worker. Graduates of designated training schools who finish by the end of fiscal 2026 can register as care workers without passing the exam for five years after graduation, and can continue the registration after that by passing the exam or working in care for five continuous years. Those who graduate from fiscal 2027 onward must pass the exam to become certified care workers.
Some candidates, such as certain welfare-track high school graduates, special-case high school graduates with at least 9 months of experience, and certain EPA candidates, must complete a further care process course before registering, unless they provide evidence of practical training or basic training completed within three years of passing, or hold a qualifying certificate. The Center's page lists the exact categories and cut-off years.
Preparation tips
Study across all 11 subject groups, since a score of zero in any one of them means failure even with a high total.
Check the Center's published exam standards for each subject and work through past papers, which the Center posts on its website.
Practise case-based questions, because the comprehensive subject covers all areas.
Collect the certificates for your route early, since the application cannot be completed without them.
When is the 39th Certified Care Worker Exam?
It is on 31 January 2027, and applications ran from 22 July to 2 September 2026.
How much does the exam cost?
For the 39th exam, the fee is 20,510 yen.
How many questions are on the exam?
There are 125 questions across 13 subjects, mostly five-choice multiple choice, each worth one mark.
Can I pass only some parts?
From the 39th exam, yes. A passed part stays valid until the second year after the exam in which it was passed, so later you can sit only the remaining parts.
Is three years of work experience enough to apply?
No. The experience route also needs completion of the Practical Training course or the equivalent training listed by the Center.