Nagasaki Public High School Entrance Examination - Science exam-day guide
Nagasaki Public High School Entrance Examination - Science · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission slip (受験票)
Print or obtain the slip issued through your school or the prefectural application process and keep it in the same folder as your writing tools. The slip carries your examinee number and venue assignment; without it you may be denied entry. If you have not received it, contact your middle school teacher immediately - do not assume a replacement can be issued on the day.
Writing tools: sharpened pencils (2B or HB) and a plastic eraser
Bring at least three sharpened pencils plus a spare eraser. Nagasaki science papers include calculation questions (force, concentration, electrical resistance, ratios) and graph-drawing or table-completion tasks, so a clean eraser matters as much as the pencil. Mechanical pencils are commonly accepted, but confirm with your school whether your venue restricts them.
Watch without smart functions
Many venues do not guarantee a visible clock. A simple analogue or digital wristwatch is the safest option. Smartwatches, watches with alarms or communication functions, and any device that can beep must be left in your bag or at home.
Indoor shoes or shoe bag if your school instructs it
Some venues in Nagasaki ask candidates to change footwear or to bring a bag for outdoor shoes. This varies by venue and year - confirm with the provider (your middle school or the prefectural board of education notice) rather than assuming.
Lunch and a drink
The science paper is usually one of several subjects tested on the same day, so the day is long. Bring a lunch you can eat without preparation and a non-noisy drink container. Avoid strong-smelling food in the exam room.
Transportation plan and fare, checked in advance
Nagasaki venues can be reached by bus or tram, and traffic near school gates is heavy on exam mornings. Do a trial run in the final week, note the exact stop and walking time, and carry small change or a charged IC card. Aim to arrive 30 or more minutes before the reporting time.
Review of the official scope and format from your school
Confirm with the provider which year's curriculum scope applies to you and whether the science paper is integrated (one combined paper) or split into field-based sections, and the time limit. Do not rely on remembered formats from older siblings or online posts.
One-page summary of your own weak points
Prepare a single sheet in your own handwriting covering the items you most often miss: Ohm's law and circuit rules, concentration calculations, levers and work, chemical equation balancing, classification of igneous rock and fossils, weather front symbols, and cell and organ function. Read only this sheet in the last hours rather than opening new material.
Calculator policy confirmed
Calculator use in the science paper is not something to guess. Confirm with the provider whether calculators are permitted; if not, practise the arithmetic by hand so long division and decimal handling do not cost you time.
Phone switched off and stored away
Switch the phone off completely before entering the building and keep it in your bag, not in a pocket. Even a silent vibration during the paper can be treated as a conduct issue.
Health items: tissues, mask, and any permitted medication
Bring a small pack of tissues and a mask if you have been wearing one. If you need medicine during the day, tell your teacher beforehand so the venue can be informed. Do not bring loose medicine into the exam room without confirming the venue's policy.
Sleep and meal routine fixed for the last three nights
Shift bedtime earlier gradually rather than all at once. A stable sleep schedule does more for calculation accuracy than one more hour of late-night drilling.
Plan the day
Stop starting new topics. Work through your error notebook in the four science fields - physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science - and pick the ten error types that recur most. For each, write the correct reasoning in one or two lines. Spend the largest share of time on the fields where your practice scores are lowest, since the integrated paper rewards broad coverage over depth in one field.
Do one timed rehearsal of the full science paper using a past or school-provided set, with the same time limit as the real paper. Practise the order of attack: answer the short factual items first, then the calculation and graph questions, and leave the long experimental-design or explanation items last. Record how many minutes each section actually took.
Rehearse the written-response items. Science papers commonly ask you to state a reason, describe an observation, or explain a control condition. Practise writing a complete sentence that names the variable, the direction of change, and the reason, because partial answers lose marks even when the idea is right.
Check the venue logistics: route, travel time, reporting time, and whether the school requires indoor shoes or a shoe bag. Confirm these with the provider if any detail is unclear. Prepare the bag and place the admission slip in it the same evening.
Do a light pass only: formulas, symbols, and definitions. Read the summary sheet once, then close the books. Eat a normal meal at a normal hour and avoid caffeine late in the day. Set two alarms and confirm the departure time with whoever prepares breakfast.
Lay out everything the night before: admission slip, pencils, eraser, watch, lunch, drink, tissues, and any venue-specific items. Put the bag by the door. Check that the watch has no alarm set and that the phone will be switched off in the morning.
Eat breakfast even if you feel nervous; low blood sugar hurts calculation accuracy more than it hurts memory. Leave earlier than your trial run suggested, aiming to reach the area around the venue well before the reporting time so that a delayed bus does not become a crisis.
At the venue, do not join conversations about which topics came up or what others studied. Sit down, breathe slowly, and read your summary sheet for a few minutes only. Once instructed, put all materials away exactly as directed.
Read the instructions and check the number of pages and questions before writing. Scan the whole paper and mark the questions you can answer immediately. Fill in your examinee number and name correctly on the answer sheet before starting, and check it again at the end.
Work in passes. First pass: answer all short factual and definition items. Second pass: calculations and graph reading, writing units on every numerical answer and showing the formula you used. Third pass: explanation and experimental-design items, written in complete sentences with the condition, the result, and the reason.
Stop expanding answers and switch to checking. Verify units, significant figures as taught by your school, whether the question asked for a word, a number, or a sentence, and whether every blank is filled. Transfer any answers still written in the margin onto the answer sheet.
Do not compare answers with classmates during the break; it raises anxiety and cannot change the result. Eat something, drink water, and spend the break quietly preparing for the next subject. Keep the admission slip and tools in the same place for the rest of the day.
Rules to check
Bring and display the admission slip. Venue staff check it at the entrance and again in the room. If you lose it, tell a staff member immediately rather than waiting; the procedure for a replacement is set by the provider, so confirm with the provider or your middle school in advance what to do.
Follow the venue's instructions on personal belongings exactly. Bags and phones normally go where staff direct, and desks may hold only the permitted tools and the answer sheet. If you are unsure whether an item may stay on the desk, ask before the paper starts, not during it.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the paper, including borrowing an eraser or asking the time. Raise your hand and wait for a proctor if you need something. Talking, passing items, or looking at another candidate's sheet can be treated as misconduct regardless of intent.
Breaks between subjects are for resting and preparing, not for discussing the content of a paper already sat. Some venues restrict movement during breaks; follow the proctor's directions about leaving the room, using the toilet, and returning before the bell.
Scoring and answer-sheet handling are set by the provider. Write answers in the designated spaces and follow the instructed marking method for multiple-choice items. Answers written outside the designated areas, or marks that make the intended answer ambiguous, may not be scored - confirm with the provider if the instruction sheet is unclear.
Report any problem that affects your performance - a broken desk, a noisy environment, illness, or a misprinted page - to a proctor immediately during the paper. Requests made after the paper has been collected are generally difficult to consider, and the provider's handling policy should be confirmed with the provider.
If you are late or absent, the provider's rules on admission to the room and on supplementary testing apply. Do not assume you will be allowed to sit a paper after the start time; contact the venue or your school as soon as a delay becomes likely.
Keep the day's schedule and any special arrangements, such as medication or accessibility support, agreed with the provider beforehand. Unannounced requests on the day may not be accommodated.