Tokyo Metropolitan Public High School Entrance Examination - Social Studies

It tests the full junior high social studies curriculum: geography of Japan and the world, Japanese history from early times to the present, and civics including the Constitution, politics, economy, and international relations. Questions usually pair a data source, map, or document with a short reasoning task rather than asking for a definition alone.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education sets and publishes the current time limit and paper structure each year. Because these details are revised, check the official announcement for the year you are applying rather than relying on older preparation books or forum posts.

Both. Many items ask you to choose from options, but a consistent share requires short written answers where you explain a reason, compare regions or eras, or describe a trend in a graph. Practise writing concise sentences, since partial credit depends on clearly stating the reasoning, not just the conclusion.

The knowledge base is ordinary junior high content, but the reading load and the demand for interpretation are higher than a typical term test. Students who memorise facts but never practise reading graphs and documents often lose points on questions they technically understand.

Retake and reapplication rules depend on your status and the selection route, and they change. The Board of Education publishes the current rules on its official site; confirm there before planning a second attempt, and ask your junior high school's guidance teacher for advice on your specific situation.

Start with history, because a timeline gives context for economic and political topics in civics. Build geography alongside it using maps and regional statistics. Finish with civics, which is easier to absorb once you know the historical background. Then spend the final weeks on mixed past-paper practice under time pressure.

Three patterns recur: answering a graph question from memory instead of reading the axis and units, writing a conclusion without the reason the question asked for, and running out of time on the final long-answer section. Practise allocating time per section and always state the cause or comparison explicitly.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education publishes past examination questions and answer guidance on its official website, and your junior high school usually holds copies. Work through recent years first, since the style of data-based questions evolves, and review every mistake against the official answer guidance.