Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions. May and June saw the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announce several details of its 2020 university admission reforms.
Most attention has focused on changes to the National Center Test for University Admissions. Last year 560,672 high school students registered for the exam. In 2020 it will be renamed the Daigaku Nyugaku Kyotsu Test (no official English title is yet available, so let's translate it as the University Entrance Common Test) and test-takers will need to write 80-to-120-character answers for the Japanese and mathematics sections. A private company will perform marking duties.
By assessing what they call the powers of thinking, judgment and expression, MEXT hopes their reformed exam will encourage changes to high school teaching methods.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.