Though the TOEIC exam is withdrawn, Japanese students still have to struggle for their higher education. (Image via: The Japan Times)

Japan Removes TOEIC from University Entrance Test

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Social & Life
Educations
Jul 03, 2019
2311
TOKYO - It’s official! Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC), the Japanese operator for the TOEIC test, stated on Tuesday (2/7) that they will not put TOEIC as one of the requirements of standardized university entrance exam system by April 2020.

The reason for this action is because the TOEIC system was deemed too complicated by the Japanese. However, the other 7 tests proposed to be part of the entrance exam will still be held as a requirement for Japanese students to enter higher education.

Reacting to the withdrawal, Masahiko Shibayama, Japanese Minister of Education, stated that all educational institution would be notified immediately so that all students preparing for the test will not get dismayed nor distracted.

TOEIC system works in the following way. There are 4 mandatory tests to examine Japanese students’ English proficiency: “Listening”, “Reading”, “Writing”, and “Speaking”. There are divided into groups of 2 and divided into 2 separate days. In addition, these 4 tests require students to apply for each test sitting respectively.

IIBC once was asked to hold the TOEIC in 2 consecutive days. However, IIBC deemed that such a request was impossible.

The announcement received mixed responses from various instances. While this might be good news for some Japanese students and universities, some are baffled by the action since they already prepared themselves for it. About 2 percent of students who were about to undergo a private English test in 2020 would have to take the TOEIC test.

Cram schools also were surprised by the sudden announcement of the TOEIC withdrawal from the standardized tests. However, at least, they were relieved that IIBC had made the announcement in advance, not in fall or nearer to the exam dates.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/national/toeic-drops-out-of-japan's-new-university-entrance-exam

Social , Education , University , Japan , TOEIC , IIBC