The purpose of the MEXT math exam is to test international students who apply for the Japanese monbukagakusho undergraduate scholarship program if they have the necessary academic ability in mathematics required for studying at universities in Japan.
There are two tests: Math A and Math B. Students who apply for social sciences such as literature, Japanese language, history, sociology, business, etc., will take Math A test. Students applying for natural sciences (for example, engineering, architecture, agriculture, medicine, etc.) will take the Math B test.
Of course, all undergraduate students will have to take this MEXT math test, no matter the field of study. The Japanese embassy decides which test you take (A or B), depending on your application file. Moreover, because you can choose 3 fields of study, you have to make sure they are closely related.
The difficulty level of the MEXT math test
The MEXT Math exam is extremely hard, and a few months of practice is just not enough to prepare. I talked to students who couldn’t even solve one problem at their exam, let alone get a good score. Some of these exercises are very complicated, and sometimes, even the requirement is difficult to understand. How can students solve the problems, if they don’t know what the problem is about? Moreover, the MEXT math exam has increased in difficulty from year to year.
Another difficulty is the time. There are usually about 7 problems in total that you must solve within one hour. So not only the exercises themselves are challenging, but there is a tight time limit as well.
What to expect
There is no official syllabus for the MEXT math test, but the exam is fairly similar to the EJU Exam. That’s probably because it comprises all that students learn math during high school. The math syllabus differs from country to country, and some students don’t cover all the math areas, but we have posted what we could find on our mobile app. Also, sometimes they only focus on understanding the theory, but they don’t know how to apply it when solving a problem. Therefore, some students are better prepared than others because of the education system in their countries.
How to prepare for the MEXT math test
You need at least a year or two to prepare for this exam.
First, you should look over previous tests, so you have an idea of what types of exercises appeared. You will notice that in time, the problems have changed dramatically. In the past few years, they included statistics and logic problems.
Besides this, you should take all the high school math books that you can find and start working your way through the exercises.
Other than that, math is all about practice and solving as many exercises as you can. So, don’t postpone it, start working on it now! If necessary, hire a private tutor.
MEXT Math tools you can work with
You can also find on our mobile app some math courses dedicated entirely to the MEXT math test. The most complex of them is the MEXT Math for undergraduate applicants. You will have more than 9 years of math tests for both A and B courses that includes solutions and step by step explanations. As well, it contains practical and expounded pieces of theory that will enable you to understand the problems better.
In conclusion
Our hope is to provide you with math theory, tests and solutions that you can easily understand, where you find simple, straightforward and visual explanations to complex problems. Tools that will inspire you to study with pleasure and be vital support in your preparation for the MEXT math test and your success as a future student in Japan.