High School Equivalency Examination (Japan)高卒認定

Overview

The Koto Gakko Sotsugyo Program Nintei Shiken (高等学校卒業程度認定試験, "Koutei Shiken" or "Kousotsu Nintei") is a national examination run by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It lets someone who did not complete regular senior high school earn a certificate recognised as equivalent to a high school diploma, usable for purposes such as sitting university entrance examinations and for employment that requires a high school-level credential. It replaced the older University Entrance Qualification Examination (大学入学資格検定) in 2005.

This is a supplementary route for people outside the ordinary 6-3-3 school track covered in this site's jp-curriculum programme file — people who dropped out of senior high school, did not advance to senior high after junior high, or are currently enrolled in a part-time or correspondence senior high course and want the credential before finishing.

Who can apply

A candidate must turn 16 by the end of the fiscal year (by 31 March of the following year) in which they sit the exam. Within that age floor, the exam is open to:

• People who have graduated from junior high school, or have equivalent academic ability, and who did not go on to senior high school.

• People who dropped out of senior high school partway through.

• People currently enrolled in a senior high school, including part-time and correspondence courses, who want the certificate before completing their course.

Someone who has already graduated from a regular senior high school, or who already holds an equivalent qualification (this certificate, or the older University Entrance Qualification Examination), cannot take it again as a route to the same credential.

Exam pattern

Each subject is a separate written paper marked out of 100. The required subject list is organised by subject area rather than a fixed list of papers, because science and some other areas offer a choice of which specific papers to sit.

Historically this totals 8-9 subjects depending on the science pattern chosen. Secondary reports describe an Informatics (情報) paper being added as an additional required subject from the 2026 (Reiwa 8) cycle, which would raise the total to 9-10 subjects — this change could not be confirmed directly against MEXT's own page in this session, so candidates sitting the exam from 2026 onward should check MEXT's current subject list before planning around either figure.

A candidate can be exempted from sitting a subject again if they already passed it in an earlier sitting of this exam, if their senior high school transcript shows the equivalent credits already completed, or if they hold a sufficiently high grade in a recognised external test in that subject (such as Eiken for English or Suken for mathematics, at a level MEXT designates).

Marking and results

Each subject is passed or failed on its own; there is no requirement to average scores across subjects. The pass line for a subject is reported to sit at roughly 40 out of 100, though the exact cutoff can vary a little by subject and by sitting rather than being a single fixed number published in advance. Results on a passed subject are shown in three performance bands (A: roughly 80-100, B: roughly 60-79, C: the pass minimum up to 59), which do not affect whether the subject counts as passed.

A subject passed in one sitting is carried forward: the candidate does not need to sit that subject again in a later sitting, and only the subjects still outstanding need to be retaken. The certificate is awarded once every required subject has been passed or exempted.

Important dates

The exam is held twice a year, with exact dates set by MEXT and published ahead of each sitting. For the 2026 cycle, reported dates are:

These figures come from exam-preparation sites reporting MEXT's published schedule rather than a direct fetch of MEXT's own page, so candidates should confirm the current year's exact dates on MEXT's site before relying on them.

Fees

The fee depends on how many subjects a candidate registers for in that sitting, and is paid by affixing revenue stamps (購入可能な収入印紙, bought at a post office or convenience store) to the application form rather than by cash or bank transfer:

How to apply

A candidate first obtains the official application packet ("Examination Guide", 受験案内), available free of charge from MEXT and from each prefectural board of education, either by requesting it online through the Telemail document-request service or by picking it up in person. The completed application form, with the correct value of revenue stamps affixed for the fee, a passport-style photo, and any supporting documents for exemptions claimed, is then sent to MEXT by registered mail within the application window for that sitting. Cash payment, bank transfer, and hand delivery of the application are not accepted.

After the exam

Passing gives a certificate recognised as equivalent to high school graduation. Holders can use it to meet the eligibility requirement for university and junior college entrance examinations, and employers generally accept it wherever a high school diploma is required. Some university admission processes additionally require a candidate to reach a minimum age before actually enrolling; candidates should confirm current age and eligibility rules with MEXT or their target institution rather than assuming the certificate alone is sufficient at every age.

Preparation tips

• Decide the science-subject pattern (two papers including "Science and Human Life", or three of the other four basic science papers) early, since it changes both the total subject count and the study load.

• Check whether any subjects can be exempted through existing senior high school credits or a recognised external test score (such as Eiken or Suken) before planning a full study schedule — exemptions reduce the number of papers that actually need to be sat.

• Because each subject only needs to clear its own pass line independently, prioritise clearing weaker subjects individually rather than trying to raise every subject evenly.

• If a sitting ends with some subjects still unpassed, confirm which ones already passed are carried forward, and plan the next sitting around only the outstanding subjects.

• Confirm the current year's required subject list directly with MEXT before registering, given reports of an added Informatics requirement from the 2026 cycle.