Tottori Prefectural Public High School Entrance Examination - Science exam-day guide
Tottori Prefectural Public High School Entrance Examination - Science · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission ticket (受検票)
Your school or the prefecture issues this; you generally cannot enter the exam room without it. Keep it in a rigid clear folder so it does not crease, and write nothing on it unless instructed. Confirm the exact handling rules with your school or the provider.
Writing instruments (pencil and/or mechanical pencil, eraser, spare lead)
Bring two sharpened pencils or a mechanical pencil with spare lead, a clean eraser, and a pencil sharpener if allowed. Science answers include calculation and graph-drawing items, so a sharp point and a clean eraser matter more than in essay subjects. Confirm whether mechanical pencils and sharpeners are permitted with your school.
Watch without communication or calculation functions
A simple analog or digital watch lets you allocate time across the four science sections. Smartwatches and anything with a calculator or communication function are almost certainly banned; confirm the accepted type with the provider.
Lunch and a drink
The science paper is usually one subject among several on the same day, so the day is long. Bring a compact lunch that does not need heating and a bottle with a secure cap. Confirm whether drinks must be in a transparent container.
Indoor shoes or the footwear your school specifies
Many venues use school buildings and ask candidates to change footwear. Follow your school's instruction on type and bag. Confirm with your school.
Outerwear you can remove in layers
Venue heating varies and you cannot leave the room to adjust. Layers let you stay comfortable without distracting neighbours. Confirm whether coats may be worn at the desk.
Review sheet of your own weak points
One or two A4 pages only: formulas you confuse (e.g. concentration, resistance, pressure), diagram conventions (force arrows, circuit symbols), and a list of careless-error patterns. Read it in the final 24 hours, not new material.
Transport plan written down
Write the departure time, line or bus, and walking route on paper the night before. Check the weather forecast for Tottori - winter snow and wind can slow buses. Confirm the arrival time the provider requires.
Confirm the venue and room-opening rules with your school
Arrival time, whether you may enter the building early, and where to wait are set by the provider. Ask your homeroom teacher rather than guessing.
Confirm the rules on phones and smart devices
Assume phones must be switched off and stored away, not merely silenced. The exact rule (collection at the entrance, storage in bags, power-off requirement) must be confirmed with the provider.
Confirm what happens if you are late or unwell
There is usually a cut-off after which entry is refused, and procedures for illness or a disruption differ. Ask your school in advance so you know who to contact and when.
Sleep and breakfast routine set two nights before
Shift your sleep time earlier starting 72 hours out so the morning of the exam is not the first early start. A normal breakfast is better than a new one.
Plan the day
Stop starting new topics. Re-read your science notebook and mark the 10–15 items you still get wrong, focusing on units, significant figures, and diagram conventions. Do one timed past-paper-style set under exam conditions, then spend more time analysing errors than doing new questions.
Confirm the venue, arrival time, and permitted items with your school. Check the route and travel time at the same hour as the exam morning, and prepare the exact fare or IC card. Check the weather forecast and plan a backup route.
Do a second timed set, but shorter. Practise the order in which you will attack the paper: usually the short factual items first, then calculation, then the long graph and experimental-design items. Decide your time budget per section and write it on your review sheet.
Pack the bag completely and place it by the door. Read only your one-page review sheet. Check the admission ticket, watch, and writing tools. Set two alarms. Do not attempt a full past paper - fatigue costs more than the last few marks.
Eat a normal dinner, avoid caffeine late in the evening, and go to bed at your usual time rather than unusually early. Lay out clothes. Re-read the transport plan once.
Eat breakfast, leave with margin so a delay does not become panic, and arrive at the time the provider specifies. At the venue, read only the review sheet; do not discuss answers with other candidates, which raises anxiety and can spread errors.
Check that your watch is set correctly and that you have two writing tools and an eraser on the desk. Take three slow breaths. Remind yourself of your section time budget.
Write your candidate number as instructed, scan the whole paper, and note which items are quick and which are long. Start with items you can do confidently to build rhythm.
For calculation items, write the formula, substitute with units, and state the unit in the answer. For graph items, label both axes with quantity and unit, plot points clearly, and draw a smooth or straight line as the data require. If an item stalls you, mark it and move on.
Check that every item has an answer, that units are attached to numerical answers, and that you have not misread 'choose two' or 'write the reason' instructions. Erase stray marks on the answer sheet.
Do not re-check answers with friends between subjects; it cannot change the result and it damages focus for the next paper. Switch immediately to the next subject's one-page sheet.
Rules to check
Bring the admission ticket and follow the identity verification procedure the provider sets. If you are unsure what identification is accepted, confirm with your school or the provider before the exam day; do not assume a student ID card is sufficient.
Phones and smart devices must be switched off and stored as instructed, not kept on silent in a pocket. Follow the provider's exact rule, which you should confirm in advance.
Follow all instructions from the invigilator about starting, stopping, and passing papers. Writing after the stop signal or before the start signal is a conduct violation regardless of intent.
Do not talk, gesture, or exchange anything with other candidates during the paper. If you need to ask something, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator.
Leave the room only during designated breaks. If you feel unwell during the paper, raise your hand immediately rather than waiting; procedures for leaving and returning must be confirmed with the provider.
Scoring and section weighting are set by the prefecture and are not something to infer from practice papers. Confirm the structure and any subject-specific notes with your school, and treat published past papers as practice material, not a guarantee of format.
Bring only permitted items to the desk. Bags, notes, and review sheets go where the invigilator directs; a review sheet read at the desk during the paper would be treated as improper material.
Any irregularity - a lost ticket, a transport delay, illness - should be reported to your school contact immediately. Do not decide on your own to skip the paper; the provider's procedure for such cases must be confirmed in advance.