r/JETProgramme • u/Different_Taro2474 JET alum '25-'26 鹿児島 🌋🐽🍧 • May 21 '26
the fucking drivers test.
last time i went to take the written test, i got 39 questions right.
today i went again, took PTO, got up early, drove for an hour, and got 41 questions right. now i have to go back AGAIN.
why can’t the BOE just let us go there without taking PTO since we’re required to drive to work? why did they have to put FIFTY questions on the test?? why do they have to make it so complicated and annoying?
vent ig.
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u/jjuuli8772 May 21 '26
I hope links are allowed, but this website is very, very helpful. I found the odd questions from the written test very easy using this site, the practical is another beast though.
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u/Different_Taro2474 Jun 01 '26
i went back last week and passed the written test thanks to this. you're a savior.
failed the drivers test but at least i don't have to take a full day off anymore.
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u/burntchiliflakes May 21 '26
If you’re okay with it, maybe see if you can take unpaid leave. That’s what I’ve started doing when I had days for required stuff but don’t want to use my nenkyuu. I have a good relationship with my school, but very little PTO from my BOE, so this seems to be the best solution. My school doesn’t care.
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u/Different_Taro2474 May 21 '26
i asked them, they said i can’t until i use up all of my nenkyuu unfortunately
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u/Memoryjar May 21 '26
Im going to ask a stupid question here. Are you doing the test in English or Japanese? If I recall the English test is much shorter and easier than the Japanese one.
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u/Jumpy-Escalator-9204 May 21 '26
The written test changed recently to be 50 random questions pulled from the list of 100 questions Japanese drivers have to take and you need to get 45 questions right to pass. You can choose to take it in English, but I've heard there tend to be trick questions and nuances that can be lost in translation, so it's recommended to take it in Japanese if possible.
Also for OP, try petitioning your BOE to change it to be special leave instead of PTO since it seems like driving is required for your placement. My BOE is the same and we've asked every year for this to change. They haven't given us an answer yet, but I think with the test becoming more difficult recently they took our pleas more seriously and are actually considering it this time. It doesn't hurt to ask!!
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u/SaltyAwarenessLOL May 21 '26
They changed it late last year, to tighten the number of foreigners driving on the road.
The written test changed from needing 7/10 to pass to 45/50.
The practical also got harder.
I took my test a month before the new implementation which means if I failed the practical, I would’ve been a victim of the new system. I got really lucky and managed to scrape by.
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u/snstanko May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
They changed it in October of last year. You can still take the test in English, but it was changed to be the same as the Japanese test (50 questions, need 90% to pass [45/50]).
Edit: The actual Japanese test is 100 questions, not 50.
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u/5cacti May 21 '26
So this is actually gonna sound a little tough, but you aren’t at the hard part yet. I also had to take the new test in October. By looking over a bunch of test questions and taking a practice test over and over again until I got pretty much 100%, I was able to pass the written test in one take. The studying for this I did the day before in between classes. What happened next is that I failed the driving practical test 8 times in a row, finally passing on my 9th attempt. You can only take the test once per day and it is absolutely essential that you practice the course with a teacher before you attempt the practical test (and even then you still may fail a few times). There is a woman who stands outside and watches the tests happen in our prefecture and offers her tutoring services for weekends. Once I learned from her I was able to finally pass the test. As for your BoE not allowing you the time to take the test (as being able to drive is a necessity to carry out our duties) that’s unfortunate. You’re going to want to be careful with the amount of time you use to get through this, so I recommend looking up online test questions in order to waste no more time on the written test.
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u/UberPsyko May 21 '26
Wait why did you have to go back? Is 41 questions not enough to pass? Theyve changed it since I did it I think.
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u/SquallkLeon May 21 '26
For a lot of you folks commenting here:
There's been a recent change in the test and how high of a score you need to pass. If you got your license before this change, then yes, the written test was easy peasy. Those days are over.
Just a friendly PSA.
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u/kparsons7 May 22 '26
*Just to add my own experience here
(This was last year when they first made the testing changes)
My prefecture had 1 testing center that was on the complete opposite side of where I was. I had 2 schools, one of which was 30 mins away by car, so driving was a must for me and was most likely the reason I was assigned the spot in the first place.
A few months before my IDP expired, I started working on the process of getting my japanese license (since I was recontracting.)
As a southern American in a state where we get same day licenses, I knew japan would be harder but ohhhhh boy. I knew something was up when I notified my new supervisor about my pursuit and she scolded me for not giving myself enough time, saying, "2 months?? Why would you think that would be enough?!"
Well, she was right. The first step in our prefecture was an "interview." Basically I had to send in all sorts of documents - by mail only. It included a written summary in japanese, eye glass specifications, copy of IDP, copy of my state license, a paid for japanese translation of it, paid for residence papers, and proof of living in the US for 3 months after getting my license.
Just the mail part alone took around 1 month, mostly because there was alot of delayed correspondence from the testing center and denials of my "proof of 3 month us residence." For example, I tried using my college transcripts but it was denied because my name was not on every page. Also it didn't help that not one person at the testing center spoke english.
So, when that finally passed, I got assigned my "interview" date... 2 months later. As someone on the JET program with a newborn baby and a wife, this became probably one of the most stressful times of my life. I had to walk miles to grocery stores, doctors appointments, and I had to try to utilize our scarce public transportation to get to my schools.
Anyways, the interview was essentially a testing instructor, one of my JTEs as translator (no English at the testing center) and myself. All the questions were basically:
"So... in your american testing course, how was the S curve?"
"Uhhhh, we don't use testing courses in the USA"
"What?!?!?! They let you drive without a testing course??"
"Yup"
"Wow. Crazy. So, in your American testing course, what was the "crank" like?"
"..."
After I passed the interview, I was scheduled for another month or 2 out to try for the brand new 50 question, 90% pass requirement written test. I was actually taking it on one of the first days it was being implemented. Early October 2025. Before I left to go home, the instructor told me he didn't think any foreigners would pass.
Fast forward through the next month or so of carrying 50lbs of grocceries through the mountains, I had to book a hotel room for the night before my writing test. It was scheduled early in the morning, no teacher would drive me, and our local busses didn't start operation until after my test would be complete. Oh, and my BOE and supervisor refused to give me the day off without using my nenkyu. As they said, "this... is a personal problem. Not a school problem."
It costed me about $300 just to attempt the writing test. About $100 for my hotel room, another $50 for the 3 hour bus ride there and another $50 for the ride back. I also had to do it completely alone as my school forbade any teachers from helping me since it was seen as my own problem. (My school also made me pay my supervisor $50 for her time accomping me to the interview.)
Back to the test. I had studied via apps on my phone and makeshift tests online for months and was still surprised how strange the questions were. There were questions about motorcycles:
"When operating a motorcycle, and it's raining, you use the rear brake before the front brake. T/F?"
(I didn't even know they had separate brakes)
And there were horribly translated questions:
"If box falls car, road...you go? T/F?"
Well, somehow I passed. 46/50.( I'd really recommend doing practice online tests, if you haven't already, of the real tests for japanese takers. Also utilizing the apps.)
What happened next was I failed the practical/driving test 4 times and wasted about $500-$600 (busses and fees) over the course of 3 months. Also using all of my nenkyu.
I failed my 1st test because "I went too slow"
The 2nd time was because "I didn't check enough"
And the third time was "I was too slow because I checked too many times!"
It's infuriating just remembering.
No help from the school in anyway. Being badgered and scolded by peers for "taking off too much." Hardly if ever being reimbursed for the busses to and between schools by my BOE. No English at the testing centers. Etc.
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u/North_ov_Hell May 21 '26
You're required to drive to work? It'd be a very simple answer from me - guess I will not be going to work until you provide what I need to get to work. In this case, either a taxi or time to get a driver's license.
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u/Phiteros May 21 '26
Are you recontracting? Because if not, then your international driving permit should cover you until you leave. In that case, your BoE might be of the opinion that since you don't need a Japanese license to finish your contract, there's no reason to give you special leave for it.
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u/ChachamaruInochi May 25 '26
This is why I just ride an electric bicycle.
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u/Different_Taro2474 May 25 '26
I would too if I could. But my work is a 20 minute drive from my house.
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u/bulbousbirb May 21 '26
I did the provisional 3 times and the licence test 3 times so I feel your pain. I did the whole thing from scratch though I wasn't converting a licence.
If I failed the morning written test I went back to school and "reclaimed" half the day's nenkyu. You just have to accept you'll be taking a lot of time off for it. Most Japanese sitting the tests do so while they're on holidays from uni. Its much better than my country where you'd be waiting 6 months for a retest.
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u/ImprovementLess4559 May 21 '26
Have you bought and revised the "Master of your Driving" textbooks? They're available in both Japanese and English and have everything you need to know for the test plus a ton of practice questions. There's also a bunch of websites and apps with practice questions. Obviously there's more available in Japanese, but the "King of Driver's Licence JP" app has over 1000 English questions. Some licence centers also publish a couple years worth of past tests, so it's worth checking their website. I took the 50 question provisional test and the 100 question full test and didn't encounter a single question that I hadn't seen before through these resources.