National Center Test for University Admissions

In addition, rules for tardiness and absences were extremely strict and always resulted in the forfeit of the right to take the exams, as there were no "makeup" sessions or re-takes offered except in certain cases such as train delays.

The test was administered by National Center for University Entrance Examinations, an Independent Administrative Institution (IAI).

The function of the Center Test depended on the institution, but most could be categorized into the following three types: Because candidates did not know their Center Test scores before applying to universities, most wrote their answers on the question sheets (which can be taken home) and checked their answers using rubrics published by cram schools.

Candidates can use this information to see how they fared as compared with other test-takers and make their final application decisions.

(In Japan, candidates may be unable to apply to all their desired universities, as in countries such as the United States, mainly because the secondary exams are scheduled on or near the same day.)

The tests follow the curriculum guidelines published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

An IC player was handed out to all candidates of the exam, and a whole 30 minutes of testing time was devoted to the explanation of usage of this device.

The inability to stop and restart the audio tracks seems probably due to a wish to ensure that all candidates complete all the listening within the test period.

Of even more concern is that the memory stick on the sample player was exposed and could be removed by candidates, leaving open the possibility that candidates may inadvertently remove the memory stick during the test and render the player inoperable.