Juken in Japan, from hoikuen to university保育園から大学までの受験
Juken (受験) means sitting an entrance selection. A child in Japan can meet 5 of them on the way, each with its own calendar, costs and rules. Start with the one in front of your family.
Every step, in order
Hoikuen applications (hokatsu)保活・保育園
Who: 0-year-old class to 5-year-old class
Licensed daycare in Japan sits inside a national funding system, and each city or ward still runs its own application.
From our guide: Hoikuen vs kindergarten in Japan: how they fit together, and free fees for ages 3–5 Elementary school entry and o-juken小学校入学・小学校受験（お受験）
Who: 5-year-old class to grade 2
小学校受験 (shōgakkō juken), which families call お受験 (o-juken), is an entrance round for a private elementary school taken in the autumn before the child turns six.
From our guide: What a private elementary entrance round asks of a five-year-old and the parents: two Tokyo schools' April 2027 guides Chūgaku juken (junior-high entrance)中学受験
Who: grade 3 to grade 6
In Tokyo most children move from their public elementary school to the local public junior high (公立中学校) with no exam. 中学受験 (chūgaku juken) means sitting an entrance exam in grade 6 to go somewhere else.
From our guide: Chūgaku juken (中学受験) in Tokyo: the main routes into junior high Kōkō juken (high-school entrance)高校受験
Who: junior high year 1 to junior high year 3
Tokyo's Board of Education has published the rules for entering a metropolitan high school (都立高校, toritsu kōkō) in April 2027. In the main February round (学力検査に基づく選抜 第一次募集, the selection based on a written exam, first recruitment), a student's total is built from three parts: the written exam, report-card points sent by the junior high school (調査書点, chōsasho-ten, which families call 内申, naishin), and an English speaking test.
From our guide: Tokyo public high schools, April 2027 entry: how report-card points and the exam add up University entry (daigaku juken)大学受験
Who: After high school
April 2027 university entry (令和9年度) is not one national exam that admits you.
From our guide: University entry for April 2027: the three selections, the common test, and the national fee standard
What to do next
- Find your child's path: the free juken check
Free, no sign-in. The route that fits, what it costs and the deadlines on the way.
- See the season pass
Verified dates and fees for every school, a reminder before each deadline, unlimited questions.