Nagasaki High School Entrance Exam - Mathematics exam-day guide
Nagasaki High School Entrance Exam - Mathematics · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission ticket (受験票)
Your school or the prefectural board issues this; without it you may not be admitted. Check the photo, examinee number, venue, and starting times the day you receive it. If it is lost or the details are wrong, contact your school or the exam administrator immediately - the replacement procedure is set by the provider, so confirm with the provider.
Writing tools (pencils, eraser, sharpener)
Bring several sharpened HB pencils, a clean eraser, and a pencil sharpener. Confirm with the provider whether mechanical pencils are permitted at your venue; some boards restrict them, so do not assume.
Watch without smart functions
A simple analogue or digital watch lets you pace the 50-minute math paper. Smartwatches and watches with communication or calculation functions are treated as cheating devices at most venues - leave them at home.
Compass and ruler (if permitted)
Geometry constructions appear in the paper. Whether compasses and rulers may be brought and used is set by the provider, so confirm with the provider and check the instructions printed on the admission ticket.
Indoor shoes / footwear per venue instructions
Many Japanese schools require you to change into indoor shoes or bring slippers. The requirement is venue-specific - confirm with the provider or your school's guidance.
Lunch and a drink
The day usually includes a lunch break between the morning and afternoon papers. Bring something compact and quiet to eat, and water or tea in a bottle without a loose label.
Cash for transport and any fees
Carry enough for the fare to the venue and back. Do not rely on a phone-based payment system if phones are collected or restricted.
Route plan and backup route
Walk or ride the route once before the exam day and note the actual travel time plus one extra train/bus. Identify a second route in case of delays.
No communication devices in the exam room
Phones, smartwatches, and earpieces must be switched off and stored as instructed, usually in your bag at the venue. Handling a device during the test is treated as misconduct.
Review the school's guidance sheet (needs_review)
Your own school typically distributes a guidance sheet on what to bring and how to behave. Read it and follow it over any generic advice; where it is silent, confirm with the provider.
Sleep and a normal breakfast
Do not study past midnight in the last week. A normal breakfast and a full night's sleep on the two nights before the exam do more for accuracy than one more practice set.
Health check the week before
If you are ill on the day, do not decide alone: call your school and follow the provider's procedure for absence or a supplementary test. Confirm the contact route in advance.
Plan the day
Stop starting new topics. Rework your error notebook: for each mistake, redo the problem from scratch and write one line on why it went wrong (misread, missing condition, arithmetic slip, wrong formula). Do one timed 50-minute paper in the morning at the same hour as the real test, then spend twice as long reviewing it as you spent taking it. Confirm the venue, the meeting time, and the route with your school. Prepare the bag and leave it packed.
Do a light review only: formulas you keep forgetting, the shapes of the standard construction problems, and the function/geometry patterns you have practised. Do not take a full mock. Check the weather and the train status, set two alarms, lay out clothes and the admission ticket, and go to bed at your normal time. If you cannot sleep, rest quietly - lying still is still rest.
Eat breakfast, arrive at the venue with time to spare (aim to be there well before the meeting time, since the exact reporting time is set by the provider - confirm with the provider). Use the waiting time for a calm look at your one-page formula sheet, not for new problems. Once in the room, put everything except permitted tools away, check the clock position, and read the front-page instructions before the start signal.
First 2–3 minutes: scan all questions and mark them A (can do), B (probably), C (hard). Do the A questions first and bank those marks. Then B. Leave C for last and write whatever partial steps you can - construction marks and correct setup often earn partial credit. Watch the clock at the halfway point; if a question has stalled for more than about 3–4 minutes, leave it and return. Reserve the final 5 minutes for checking answers against the question (units, signs, whether the question asked for a value or a range).
Do not compare answers with friends between papers - it only damages focus for the next subject. Eat, rest, and prepare for the next paper. Once the whole exam is over, note anything about timing or technique you want to change, and follow your school's instructions on how and when results are announced.
Rules to check
Bring the admission ticket and follow the identity and seating checks exactly as the venue instructs. The specific ID requirements are set by the provider - confirm with the provider rather than guessing.
Enter and leave the room only as permitted. Confirm with the provider whether you may leave during the paper and how to ask permission; do not leave your seat without it.
No communication devices, notes, or unauthorised tools in the exam room. Switch off and stow phones and smartwatches as instructed; using or even handling them during the test is treated as misconduct and can void your paper.
No talking or exchanging anything with other candidates from the start signal to the collection of papers. If you need something, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator.
Follow the invigilator's timing signals. Writing after the stop signal, or before the start signal, is a rule violation even if the answer is correct.
Breaks and lunch: follow the venue's instructions on where you may eat and whether you may leave the building. The permitted areas are venue-specific - confirm with the provider.
Scoring and partial credit: the math paper is marked on method as well as final answers, so show your working. The exact mark allocation and pass criteria are not public in detail - confirm with the provider and do not rely on rumour.
If you feel unwell or an emergency occurs, tell the invigilator immediately. Absence, lateness, and supplementary testing procedures are set by the provider - confirm with the provider in advance so you know whom to call.