On Thursday, elementary school sixth graders and junior high school third graders across Japan participated in the Ministry of Education’s annual national achievement test. This year, junior high school students took part in a new, computer-based science test, which began on Monday.
The 2025 fiscal test covered Japanese language, mathematics, and science. Around two million students from about 28,000 schools across Japan took the test.
Test results will be released in July, with by-prefecture data available in August or later. In response to concerns about excessive competition and region-based rankings, the data will be shared in a way that focuses on distribution, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis.
For the first time, junior high school students used computers for their science tests. Each student was given a device to take the test, which included video-based questions and content tailored to individual students.
One example from the test involved a video showing the color change of flames from burning magnesium. Students were asked to identify the chemical change by moving diagrams on the screen. The Ministry of Education plans to expand computer-based testing to all subjects by fiscal 2027, replacing the current written test format.
