3-9 months before application
Prepare school exams and interviews
EJU is often just 'one of the entry tickets,' not a master switch that issues an offer — at top schools, the school exam (the university's own test) is where applicants are actually separated. It is not an ad-hoc extra question but the main way a school lands 'who it wants to admit' (the AP) into the room: essays, interviews, oral exams, and practical / portfolio tasks can all appear. The biggest mistake is not lack of effort but carrying a standardized-test mindset to the end and assuming 'a high score is safe.'
Traps
Why people get stuck here
These misconceptions aren't rare scenarios — most people hit at least one of them at this step. Knowing in advance doesn't mean you won't stumble, but it can save you a few weeks of detours.
'High EJU means safe; the school exam is a formality' — many schools use EJU as part of holistic review or a first-stage filter, then still weigh the subject exam, interview, oral exam, and documents.
'School exams are all written' — official examples include not only essays and compositions but interviews, oral exams, group discussion, practical exams, and portfolios.
'Essay = composition, write it casually' — official scoring weighs understanding the prompt, giving reasons, controlling length, and accurate, plain Japanese; 小論文 and 作文 are clearly distinguished in official guidance.
'Memorizing model answers is enough for interviews' — schools bring your statement of purpose, activity report, group-discussion content, and basic subject Q&A into the interview, and a memorized feel falls apart under follow-up.
'You can always find past papers online' — some schools release only part, some allow only window viewing, some are distributable but not posted online; finding papers is a 'channel-management' problem, not just a search problem.
'Buying one 赤本 covers the international-student school exam' — the publisher states that content differs by faculty within the same university and may be omitted; a few include the international-student Japanese essay, but coverage is not uniform.
'Art / sports / architecture need no early portfolio' — official pages explicitly require works, portfolios, practical exams, and work descriptions, often due on the application or interview day.
'After EJU you can rest before preparing the school exam' — the gap between EJU and the school exam is often tight, and many universities start the second stage from late autumn to winter.
'Get N1 / N2 and the interview takes care of itself' — official selection often tests written Japanese, interview performance, oral exams, and even bilingual Q&A separately; a certificate shows an overall level but does not do the 'explain clearly under pressure, at the right pace, with proper register and vocabulary' step for you.
'Every faculty I want offers an international-student route' — some faculties do not run this selection at all, or only for some routes; confirm whether they recruit before preparing.
Breakdown
How to break this task down
Follow the checklist below and you won't miss anything important. You don't have to finish it all at once, but every item should be clearly answered within this stage.
- As soon as your EJU schedule is set, read the 'selection method / exam subjects' section of the target school's international-student admission guide and confirm whether there is an essay / interview / oral exam / practical or portfolio at all.
- Read the AP (admission policy) against the selection method: if the AP stresses logical expression, communication, and initiative → drilling alone is not enough; if it leans toward subject thinking, data analysis, observation and presentation → steer your writing, oral answers, and work descriptions that way.
- Once the items are clear, decide the past-paper route early: download if you can, book a viewing if it is window-only, contact the admissions office if it is 'distributable' — do not leave past papers to the last week.
- Break the target school's requirements into modules and practice each: essay / composition, subject exam / fundamentals, interview / oral exam, practical / portfolio, and a tech rehearsal for pre-arrival / online formats.
- Run at least two mocks: the first exposes problems; the second brings timing, order, nerves, and answer pacing close to the real thing.
Tool
Related tool
There's a ready-made tool for this step. You don't have to use it every time, but it's worth opening when you're stuck.
Interview practice
AvailableClick to open · use it right here in this step
Open toolDeep dive
Detailed explanation
If the checklist above isn't enough, see the expanded version below.
Essay vs composition: distinguish first, then practice
The thing international students most often confuse is treating 小論文 (essay) and 作文 (composition) as the same. An essay is not a reflection piece: the point is not 'I feel / I experienced' but a logical, objective, arguable development on the prompt — grasp the gist of the source text, answer within the set length, give appropriate grounds, and write something 'accurate and plain as Japanese prose.' If the target school writes '日本語(作文),' read it as a test of 'overall Japanese use and topic expression,' closer to 'understand the material accurately and complete the expression in natural, correct Japanese' than to applying an editorial template.
Skeleton: state a position → develop one or two reasons → close back on the prompt. For foreign applicants the high-yield priority order is 'stay on topic > clear thesis > solid reasons > accurate Japanese > style.' What pays off most is not 'write ten more yourself' but 'have someone who writes Japanese fix ten for you' — 'getting it written' and 'writing so it can be scored' are different things. With no past paper from the school, do not chase a universal template; by question type (source-text reading / chart-reading / theme-prompt / subject-linked) train on the same type using official public materials, and turn the official scoring criteria into a self-check list.
Interview and oral exam: a direction library (not a script to copy)
An interview is not 'polite small talk' but the school re-verifying you from your paper materials in an official selection — it is the scoring floor, not a procedural formality. If it says 'oral exam,' preparing only a self-introduction is not enough: in engineering, pharmacy, and data-science fields, 'whether you can explain the fundamentals out loud' is itself the exam. The interview format is not uniform either — some run 'group discussion + interview' or a group interview with oral questioning, and practicing only a solo memorized script will fall apart in the room.
- Motivation: the school wants to confirm whether you 'want to enter a university' or 'want to study this subject at this university' — connect the school AP, curriculum, and research areas to your own background.
- Why this school / this faculty: find 2-3 'match points' you can explain clearly, not memorized marketing lines.
- Motivation to study in Japan and future plan: tell a 'past — present — future' continuity, not just 'I like Japan.'
- Consistency of submitted materials: turn your statement of purpose, activity report, and work descriptions into a spoken version — the school connects materials with live performance.
- Basic subject Q&A: explain core concepts, methods, and examples in Japanese, not just memorized terms.
- Language switching and formal-setting expression: practice 'understand, then answer,' politely ask for repetition when needed; some schools allow English / bilingual Q&A.
Where to get past papers: this is a 'channel-management' problem
The right question is not 'are there papers online' but 'through what route, and to what extent, does the target school release them' — the official reality is very fragmented. The six routes below decide whether you must build window visits and note-taking into your prep plan in advance.
- Direct public download on the school site: past papers, reference works, intent notes, samples — not every faculty or year is public, and sometimes only part is.
- Only part online, full version on campus: part is public online; the non-public part is viewable at the office / admissions desk — 'not on the page ≠ no past paper.'
- Distributed by the admissions office / school: several years of papers, received or requested per the school's instructions; many students misread this as 'no papers.'
- Window viewing only, no copying out: view on campus, take notes, usually no photographing or copying — especially unfriendly to cross-city / overseas applicants, so plan early.
- Open campus / consultation / admissions Q&A: may not give papers, but you can confirm whether there is a school exam, whether past papers can be viewed, and whether international students are recruited (find the right window).
- Commercial past-paper books / 赤本： past papers for some universities, faculties, and selection methods; not a full substitute for the international-student school exam, content differs by faculty within a school and may be omitted.
Modular back-planning: avoid vague 'holistic prep'
Different faculties split selection into entirely different mixes (essay + interview / subject exam + interview / oral exam / portfolio + practical + interview / first-stage document review then a second-stage discussion or interview), so a single 'holistic prep' is almost always vague. Break the target school's requirements into modules and practice each, with a minimum deliverable + who corrects it for each:
- Essay / composition: practice question-type recognition, thesis, reasons, length control, and Japanese accuracy — self-score against the official criteria first, then have a Japanese teacher / cram school correct it.
- Fundamentals / subject exam: build a knowledge list against the target school's published subjects + timed practice; for STEM / medical-health, do not drift from the school's subject requirements.
- Interview / oral exam: turn written materials into spoken form, practice follow-up development, subject Q&A, and group-discussion participation — record and replay + mock interviews; for oral-exam fields, have a teacher who knows the subject listen.
- Practical / portfolio: the biggest fear is 'finished the work but cannot talk about it' — prepare a work list, work descriptions, a carry list, and a presentation backup.
- Online segment: needed only for pre-arrival / online-exam schools; run one full tech rehearsal (network, camera, audio, screen share, online group-discussion / interview flow).
- Admission System Guide /tools/admission-systemThree uses of EJU scores / AAO eligibility screening / English score-sending timing / system framework
- Application schedule reference /tools/admission-scheduleSchool-by-school exact dates (application / exam / result) per official sources