Tokyo Metropolitan Public High School Entrance Examination - English exam-day guide
Tokyo Metropolitan Public High School Entrance Examination - English · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission ticket (受験票)
The ticket is normally mailed to the applicant or delivered through the junior high school. Check the printed name, examinee number, venue, and reporting time. If it is lost or a printed detail is wrong, contact the school you are applying to or your junior high school immediately; do not wait until the morning of the exam. Whether a reissued ticket can be accepted at the venue is something to confirm with the provider.
Writing tools (pencil, spare pencil, eraser)
Most Tokyo Metropolitan high school answer sheets are machine-scored mark sheets, so bring several sharpened pencils (HB or the grade your junior high school recommends) and a clean eraser. Confirm on the admission ticket or the school's guidance whether any section requires pen; if unsure, confirm with the provider rather than assuming.
Watch without communication or memory functions
Exam rooms may not have a visible clock in every seat. A simple analog or digital watch is safer than relying on a phone, which must be switched off and stored. Smartwatches and watches with calculation, camera, or communication functions are normally treated as prohibited items.
Indoor shoes or the footwear your school specifies
Some venues ask candidates to change into indoor shoes or to bring slippers. Follow the instruction issued by your junior high school or the venue; if no instruction was given, confirm with the provider.
Lunch and drink
There is a lunch break between the morning and afternoon sessions. Bring a compact lunch that does not need heating and a drink with a lid. Avoid noisy packaging and strong-smelling food in the exam room.
Outerwear you can remove easily
Room temperature varies between venues and between morning and afternoon. Layering lets you adjust without leaving your seat. Whether you may keep a coat on during the test is usually announced by the proctor; follow the announcement.
Transportation plan and fare card
Write down the route, the line, the exit, and the walking time to the venue, and add a buffer for delays. Check planned rail disruptions the day before. Aim to arrive at the reporting time, not the exam start time.
Phone switched off and put away
A phone ringing or vibrating during the test can be treated as a conduct issue even if you were not using it. Switch it off before entering the building, not just to silent, and keep it in your bag.
Review of the scoring and admission schedule
Confirm how results are announced (for example, posted at the school or released online) and the dates for the admission procedure. Write these down so you do not have to search for them during the exam period.
Health and sleep plan
Shift your sleep schedule so that you are awake and alert for the morning session. Prepare a simple breakfast you can eat even if you are nervous. If you are unwell on the day, contact your junior high school or the venue; the handling of absences and supplementary exams is something to confirm with the provider.
No notes or reference materials in the exam room
Leave summary sheets and vocabulary lists at home or in your bag. Bringing written material into the exam room is normally prohibited even if you do not look at it.
Identification and school documents
Some venues check identity through the admission ticket and the junior high school. Whether a student ID card or a photograph is required differs by year and venue, so confirm with the provider in advance.
Plan the day
Stop adding new material. Review your error log for English: reread the mistakes you made in past practice on word order, tense, and pronoun reference, and redo only those items. Confirm the venue route and reporting time on the admission ticket, and check the weather and rail information for the day. Prepare the checklist items and place them by the door.
Do one timed run of the English section under exam conditions, using the same time allocation you plan to use on the day. After scoring, write down the two or three error types that cost you the most points and the specific habit that will prevent them, for example reading the whole passage before answering or checking subject-verb agreement in free writing.
Light review only: skim your error log and the formats of the sections, then stop. Pack the bag, charge nothing that needs charging, and switch your sleep schedule to the exam-day pattern. Check the venue once more on a map and decide the exact train you will take. Set two alarms. Avoid staying up late to memorize vocabulary; the return on that is small compared with being alert.
Eat breakfast, leave with enough buffer to arrive before the reporting time, and go to the restroom before entering the exam room. Switch your phone off before entering the building. Once seated, check that your examinee number on the desk matches your ticket, arrange your pencils and eraser, and read the instructions on the cover of the answer sheet before the start signal.
Read the whole paper briefly to see the section order and point values, then allocate time so that the free-writing section is not rushed. Answer the items you are sure of first. For reading passages, locate the line or paragraph that supports each answer instead of relying on overall impression. Leave a few minutes at the end to check that every mark is in the intended box and that no answer was left blank.
Do not compare answers with other candidates; it raises anxiety and cannot change anything. Eat lightly, drink water, and do a short calm review of the next subject's format only. Keep your admission ticket and writing tools in the same place so nothing is misplaced.
Write down what you remember about the English section while it is fresh, mainly to inform your preparation for later exams or for the next stage. Confirm the result announcement date and the admission procedure schedule, and keep the admission ticket until the process is complete.
Rules to check
Follow the proctor's instructions exactly. The start and end of each section are signaled; continue writing after the stop signal, or start before the start signal, can be treated as a conduct violation. Put your pencil down when told.
Bring only permitted items to your desk. Bags, phones, watches with communication functions, notes, and reference materials stay in the designated place. If you are unsure whether an item is allowed, ask the proctor before the test rather than after.
Identity is normally checked through the admission ticket and the junior high school, but the exact requirement varies by year and venue. Confirm with the provider what identification to bring and what to do if the ticket is lost.
Breaks and restroom use are at the proctor's discretion. Leave and return quietly, do not talk in the corridor, and do not use the break to discuss the content of the test with other candidates.
Scoring of the English section is normally based on the mark sheet, with partial credit rules set by the metropolitan authority. Do not assume that a blank answer is safer than a guess; unless the instructions say otherwise, an answer left blank earns nothing.
Report any problem immediately: a missing page, a misprinted sheet, a broken pencil, or feeling unwell. Raising your hand and waiting quietly is the correct response; do not stand up or call out.
The result announcement method and the admission procedure dates are published by the school and the metropolitan authority. Record them before the exam day, and confirm any detail you are unsure about with the provider rather than relying on secondhand information.