Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
SHIKEN JIGOKU
試験地獄
"examination hell"
“Examination hell” is one of the chief perils of youth in Japan. The tests which determine placement in high school and college are especially important, because they can ultimately determine the path of a student’s career in adulthood.
Critics of the Japanese school system charge that the tests rely too heavily on standardized material and rote memorization. At the same time, Japanese students fail to reach their full potential in developing critical thinking skills and creativity.
Paradoxically, Japanese college students have a reputation for being slackers. Drop-out rates are low, but many students frequently skip classes. After sweating bullets to pass the entrance examination for a particular university, many Japanese young people don’t seem to value the educational experience of college itself.
There is, however, another way to look at the relative nonchalance of college students. After they graduate, most will put their shoulders to the grindstone at a Japanese corporation. Therefore, university life is a “breather” of sorts between the regimentation of “examination hell” and regimented life of the company employee. Professors are somewhat complicit in the arrangement, as they typically turn a blind eye toward students who skip classes.