Listening Comprehension
Listening comprehension (リスニング) is the first section of the exam and is played once only. It tests whether you can understand spoken English in school and daily-life situations: announcements, conversations, and short monologues. You answer by choosing options, often with Japanese question text.
What the section asks
- The audio is played once; there is no replay, so train with one-play practice.
- Typical tasks: choose the picture or action that matches, choose the best response to a question, and identify what a speaker will do next.
- You may write on the question paper. Note numbers, names, places, and times as you listen.
Listening strategy
Before each item starts, read the question and the options. Underline the information you need: when, where, who, how much, or why. During the dialogue, listen for repair phrases such as 「Actually,」 「I changed it to,」 and 「Not Tuesday, Wednesday.」 These usually carry the final answer.
Worked example
Question: What time will the meeting start? Options: 3:00 / 3:30 / 4:00 / 4:30. Audio: 「The meeting was going to start at three thirty, but the teacher changed it to four.」 Reasoning: 「was going to」 marks the old plan; 「but ... changed it to four」 gives the final time. Answer: 4:00. The option 3:30 is the pre-change distractor.
Traps that cost marks
- -teen and -ty endings: thirteen/thirty, fifteen/fifty, and similar pairs.
- Dates, phone numbers, and prices read in groups.
- Negatives and soft refusals: 「I don't think I can come」 means no.
- A detail mentioned early and corrected later; trust the last clear statement.
- Feeling questions: listen for tone words such as worried, excited, or sorry.