EIKEN Grade 3
EIKEN Grade 3 preparation
Grade 3 is where EIKEN Writing starts: an e-mail reply and a short opinion composition. Check the current format here, then find your priority area and move into the Writing workspace.
Current exam format
Checked as of 18 September 2026
- First stage (written)
- approx. 65 min
- Listening
- approx. 25 min
- Writing: E-mail
- 15-25 words guidance
- Writing: Opinion composition
- 25-35 words guidance
- Stage 2 (interview)
- approx. 5 min
For anything not covered here, check EIKEN's own official information. This does not predict a pass, fail or CSE score.
What to do next
- Decide what to do nextSee today's practice and study plan based on your target grade and weak area.
- PracticePractise WritingWrite straight away with a Petra-original practice question.
- PracticePractise the interviewSpeak your answers with Petra-original questions.
- PracticePractise vocabularyRecall words from context, then retry the ones you missed.
- PracticePractise ReadingPractise evidence-based reading and timing.
- PracticeReview ListeningA review tool to use alongside your own official audio.
- PracticeTry the Grade 3 practice setsWork through more questions with Quick Practice (5 or 10 questions) or a 30-question Exam-Style Set.
About official materials
About official materials
The current EIKEN Grade 3 exam format and past papers are published directly by the Eiken Foundation of Japan, the body that administers EIKEN, on its own official website. Petra does not reproduce EIKEN questions, audio, sample answers or logos, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Eiken Foundation.
Related reading
- Vocabulary memorisation alone does not always improve EIKEN scoresAt higher grades, the bottleneck is often not vocabulary. Here is how to tell what is actually costing points.
- EIKEN past paper score is low. What should be fixed first?A low score alone does not diagnose anything. Here is how to break the loss down by cause.
Check → practise and plan → review
Find your current priority, work on it through practice and a study plan, and check again roughly a week later. This is a loop, not a promise of progress.