Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - Science
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The Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination in Science (滋賀県公立高等学校入学者選抜 理科) is the science component of the academic achievement test that Shiga Prefecture uses when selecting students for its public high schools. It is taken by students finishing compulsory education in Shiga who intend to enter a prefectural or municipal high school, and it is also used, alongside internal assessment and interview or essay components, in some selection frameworks. The paper is built on the Japanese junior high school Course of Study, so it assumes complete coverage of first- to third-year science rather than any specialised or advanced content. Its four fields - physics, chemistry, biology and earth science - are weighted roughly equally, and each is examined through a mix of terminology recall, short written explanation, calculation, and interpretation of experimental data, tables and graphs. Questions are set in Japanese and answers must be written in Japanese. Preparation that works is systematic: work through each field unit by unit, redo textbook experiments and record what was measured and why, practise explaining causes and conditions in full sentences rather than keywords, and rehearse calculations with units attached. The Shiga Prefectural Board of Education publishes the current application schedule, examination timetable and scoring framework, so check its official site for the figures that apply to your year.
What you'll study
About Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - Science preparation
What does the science paper actually look like on the day?
Expect a written paper combining multiple-choice items, short written answers in Japanese, numerical calculations with units, and questions built around tables, graphs or described experiments. The precise structure and mark allocation are set each year and published by the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education, so read the current year's guidelines rather than relying on past layouts.
How difficult is it compared with school tests?
The content stays inside junior high textbooks, but the difficulty comes from combining knowledge with data reading and from explaining reasoning rather than naming terms. School tests often reward recall; this paper rewards students who can justify a conclusion from an experiment or graph. Expect a few discriminating items in each field.
Can I retake the examination if I am not successful?
Public high school selection in Shiga is run by the prefecture, and arrangements for additional recruitment or later selection vary by year and by school. Do not assume a general retake right exists. Confirm the current rules and any second-round opportunities on the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education website before you plan around them.
How should I divide study time across the four fields?
The four fields carry broadly similar weight, so a balanced cycle beats deep specialisation. Start with your weakest field while you still have time to fix it, but keep all four rotating weekly so nothing goes stale. Within each field, prioritise units that appear frequently in experiment-and-graph form, such as electricity, chemical reactions, inheritance and weather.
What are the most common ways candidates lose marks?
Answering the question that was not asked - ignoring conditions such as 'constant temperature' or 'no friction'. Writing a keyword where an explanation is required. Dropping units or rounding badly in calculations. Failing to read the axis labels and units of a graph. And leaving blank space on written explanations instead of stating what was measured, what changed and what follows.
Do I need to memorise formulas and chemical equations?
Yes, but memorisation alone rarely earns full marks. You need to know Ohm's law, the motion relationships, density and pressure, the main reaction equations and ion behaviour well enough to use them under time pressure and to explain why a result follows. Build a one-page formula sheet per field and test yourself by applying it to unfamiliar data.
How important are experiments and observation questions?
Very. Questions frequently describe an apparatus and a procedure and ask what was controlled, what the results show, or how to improve the method. When you revise a textbook experiment, note the purpose, the variable held constant, the measurement taken and the likely source of error - that structure answers most of these items.
Where can I find the official schedule and scoring information?
The Shiga Prefectural Board of Education publishes the current application period, examination dates, timetable, subject guidelines and scoring framework on its official site. Figures change year to year, so use that source for anything numeric rather than forums or older printed guides. Your school's guidance counsellor will also have the current year's documents.