Jitsuyō Eigo Ginō Kentei (EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency)

Japan's most widely administered English-language proficiency testing program, with more than 80 million examinees since 1963. The EIKEN tests, which assess all four skills and include a face-to-face speaking component, are backed by the Japanese education ministry and recognized at thousands of institutions in Japan and internationally. More than 2 million people take the tests each year at 18,000 locations in Japan and 46 other countries.

Refer to the EIKEN menu above for more details about Japan's national English test.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Click here to visit the IELTS Japan website or to register to take the IELTS test. Click here for information about becoming an IELTS examiner.  

Business Language Testing Service (BULATS)

Visit the BULATS website for more information.

Jidō Eiken

A suite of tests offered in three levels (BRONZE, SILVER, and GOLD) and made up of listening tasks designed to encourage young children to learn English. Jidō Eiken was first administered in 1994 and continues to grow in popularity, with nearly 100,000 examinees annually. An online version of the tests was released in 2009. For more information, visit the Jidō Eiken website in English or Japanese.

Eigo Nōryoku Hantei Tesuto (Placement Test)

A suite of tests offered in four levels (A, B, C, and D) and used by companies and institutions to place or evaluate English learners. The tests use a combination of past EIKEN test items to evaluate learners' reading and listening skills, providing clients a fast, accurate, and affordable method for measuring student abilities or progress. The tests take approximately one hour to administer, and results are provided electronically in three days or less.  To learn more, visit the Placement Test homepage (requires Japanese). 

The Eiken Foundation of Japan main website features a wide range of content for English-language learners, including publications such as the EIKEN Times, podcasts, celebrity interviews, and interactive exercises to help examinees prepare for the EIKEN tests.

Please note that all features require the ability to display Japanese characters.