The short answer: "new EIKEN" means two different things
| Item | Change A: question-format renewal | Change B: introduction of Grade Pre-2 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| When | From the first session of the 2024 academic year | From the 2025 academic year |
| What changed | Some Reading questions were reduced and Writing was increased | A new grade was added between Grade Pre-2 and Grade 2 |
| Grades affected | Grades 3, Pre-2, 2, Pre-1 and 1 | Grade Pre-2 Plus (a new grade) |
| Effect on existing grades | The format of those five grades changed | The scope, format, difficulty and names of existing grades did not change |
From the first session of the 2024 academic year, the question format was renewed for the five grades from Grade 3 upwards. From the 2025 academic year, a new grade called Grade Pre-2 Plus was added between Grade Pre-2 and Grade 2.
The introduction of Grade Pre-2 Plus did not itself change the scope, format, difficulty or name of any existing grade.
Some parts of materials from the 2023 academic year or earlier are still useful, but to reproduce the current test, including timing, you need questions that follow the format from the 2024 academic year onwards.
What changed in the 2024 renewal?
| Grade | Number of Reading questions | Writing | Reading and Writing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | No change | From 1 task to 2. An email task was added | Extended from 50 to 65 minutes |
| Grade Pre-2 | From 37 to 29 questions | From 1 task to 2. An email task was added | Extended from 75 to 80 minutes |
| Grade 2 | From 38 to 31 questions | From 1 task to 2. An English summary was added | Unchanged at 85 minutes |
| Grade Pre-1 | From 41 to 31 questions | Now two tasks: an English summary and an essay | Unchanged at 90 minutes |
| Grade 1 | From 41 to 35 questions | From 1 task to 2. An English summary was added | Unchanged at 100 minutes |
The Eiken Foundation of Japan's 2024 question-format renewal page covers Grades 3, Pre-2, 2, Pre-1 and 1. The broad direction is fewer Reading questions and more Writing. The Foundation describes the aim as better reflecting the ability to use several skills together, as well as thinking, judgement and expression.
Grades 4 and 5 were not part of this 2024 renewal. The Foundation states that the renewal did not change the passing-score thresholds or the CEFR score ranges of the existing grades.
Grade 3
The Reading structure is unchanged. Writing went from one task to two, with an email task added. The Reading and Writing test time was extended from 50 to 65 minutes.
Grade Pre-2
Reading went from 37 to 29 questions. Writing went from one task to two, with an email task added. The Reading and Writing test time was extended from 75 to 80 minutes.
Grade 2
Reading went from 38 to 31 questions. Writing went from one task to two, with an English summary added. The 85 minutes for Reading and Writing was not changed.
Grade Pre-1
Reading went from 41 to 31 questions. Writing is now two tasks: an English summary and an essay. The 90 minutes for Reading and Writing was not changed. In the second-stage test, an introductory passage was added to the questions that ask for the candidate's own opinion.
Grade 1
Reading went from 41 to 35 questions. Writing went from one task to two, with an English summary added. The 100 minutes for Reading and Writing was not changed.
Grade Pre-2 Plus in 2025 is a separate change
- Grade Pre-2
- Grade Pre-2 PlusIntroduced in the 2025 academic year
- Grade 2
According to the Grade Pre-2 Plus special site, Grade Pre-2 Plus was introduced between Grade Pre-2 and Grade 2 in the 2025 academic year. The Foundation says that the period of study from Grade Pre-2 to Grade 2 tends to be longer than between other grades, and positions the new grade as a learning goal to fill that gap. The recommended level is upper high school. It deals with familiar social topics that are more abstract than those at Grade Pre-2, but is designed with a lower cognitive load than Grade 2.
The important point is that adding Grade Pre-2 Plus and the 2024 format change are separate matters. The introduction of Grade Pre-2 Plus did not move Grade 2 or Grade Pre-2 to yet another format.
What is the current EIKEN structure? A grade-by-grade check
| Grade | Reading and Writing | Listening | Reading | Writing | Second stage (interview) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 65 min | About 25 min | 30 questions in total | Email of 15-25 words and essay of 25-35 words (one task each) | About 5 min |
| Grade Pre-2 | 80 min | About 25 min | 29 questions in total | Email of 40-50 words and essay of 50-60 words (one task each) | About 6 min |
| Grade Pre-2 Plus | 85 min | About 25 min | 31 questions in total | English summary of 45-55 words and essay of 80-100 words (one task each) | About 7 min |
| Grade 2 | 85 min | About 25 min | 31 questions in total | English summary of 45-55 words and essay of 80-100 words (one task each) | About 7 min |
| Grade Pre-1 | 90 min | About 30 min | 31 questions in total | English summary of 60-70 words and essay of 120-150 words (one task each) | About 8 min |
| Grade 1 | 100 min | About 35 min | 35 questions in total | English summary of 90-110 words and essay of 200-240 words (one task each) | About 10 min |
The first stage is Reading and Writing plus Listening, and the second stage is an English interview. You can check the question format and sample questions on each grade's official page.
Petra's grade pages also cover the question format and preparation resources for EIKEN Grade 3, Grade Pre-2, Grade Pre-2 Plus, Grade 2, Grade Pre-1 and Grade 1.
How should you think about time allocation?
| Grade | Total | Reading | Email / English summary | Essay | Checking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 65 min | 35 min | Email: 10 min | 15 min | 5 min |
| Grade Pre-2 | 80 min | 45 min | Email: 10 min | 20 min | 5 min |
| Grade Pre-2 Plus | 85 min | 45 min | English summary: 15 min | 20 min | 5 min |
| Grade 2 | 85 min | 45 min | English summary: 15 min | 20 min | 5 min |
| Grade Pre-1 | 90 min | 50 min | English summary: 15 min | 20 min | 5 min |
| Grade 1 | 100 min | 55 min | English summary: 15 min | 25 min | 5 min |
The Eiken Foundation does not specify an official time allocation for answering. The table above is Petra Tutors' suggested starting point for practice, to help you get used to the current structure. Listening has its own separate time, so only the Reading and Writing time is allocated here.
This is not a fixed right answer. After working through past papers, adjust it to the way you score: a student who reads quickly can shift time to Writing, and a student who takes a long time over the summary can write the summary first.
This time allocation is Petra Tutors' own practice guide. It is not an official allocation set by the Eiken Foundation.
CSE scores cannot be read from the percentage of correct answers alone
| Grade | First stage | Second stage |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 1103 | 353 |
| Grade Pre-2 | 1322 | 406 |
| Grade Pre-2 Plus | 1402 | 427 |
| Grade 2 | 1520 | 460 |
| Grade Pre-1 | 1792 | 512 |
| Grade 1 | 2028 | 602 |
Under EIKEN CSE scoring for pass/fail decisions, each grade's passing-score threshold is fixed. Score is also distributed equally across skills even when the number of questions differs by skill. For that reason, it is safer to look at Reading, Listening and Writing separately than to assume that getting a certain percentage of all questions right means you will pass.
How much does it cost to sit the test in the 2026 academic year?
| Grade | Main venue | Associate venue | S-CBT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | ¥6,800 | ¥4,900 | ¥7,700 |
| Grade Pre-2 | ¥8,400 | ¥6,000 | ¥9,000 |
| Grade Pre-2 Plus | ¥8,600 | ¥6,300 | ¥9,200 |
| Grade 2 | ¥9,000 | ¥6,800 | ¥9,600 |
| Grade Pre-1 | ¥10,400 | Main venue only | ¥10,500 |
| Grade 1 | ¥12,400 | Main venue only | Not a standard S-CBT grade |
The 2026 fees for the conventional EIKEN test differ between main venues and associate venues. Associate venues have conditions of use, and Grades Pre-1 and 1 are available at main venues only. The Foundation has lowered the 2026 fees by a flat ¥100 compared with 2025.
The 2026 fees for S-CBT are set by grade, from Grade Pre-1 to Grade 3. Dates, venues and the flow of the test also differ by test method, so choose based on how easy it is to take the test as well as on cost.
Exam fees are revised each academic year. Before you apply, check the Eiken Foundation's latest guidance.
Can you still use old EIKEN materials?
You do not have to throw everything away. Some materials still work for building a foundation in vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening. However, if you try to reproduce the current test using questions from the 2023 academic year or earlier alone, the number and type of Writing tasks, the number of Reading questions and, for some grades, the test time will not match.
For final practice tests, it is safer to use questions from the first session of the 2024 academic year onwards from the Eiken Foundation's past papers and exam content. The Foundation also states that past papers from the first session of 2024 onwards follow the renewed format. Grade Pre-2 Plus is a newly created grade, so do not substitute old Grade Pre-2 or Grade 2 questions alone; check the current Grade Pre-2 Plus questions.
Four things to check at home first
In summary
The first point in understanding the new EIKEN format is to separate the 2024 question-format renewal from the introduction of Grade Pre-2 Plus in 2025. For Grade 3 and above in particular, the fact that Writing became two tasks is a big change, and old materials alone make it hard to reproduce the time pressure of the current test. Start by doing one of the latest official past papers and check the question format, time allocation and skill-by-skill weak points against the current exam. Your priorities for preparation will become clearer.
Sources
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | 2024 Academic Year EIKEN Question-Format Renewal (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade Pre-2 Plus special site (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Past papers and exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade 3 exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade Pre-2 exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade Pre-2 Plus exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade 2 exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade Pre-1 exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | Grade 1 exam content (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | About EIKEN CSE scores (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | 2026 academic year exam fees (Japanese)
- Eiken Foundation of Japan | EIKEN S-CBT 2026 academic year exam fees (Japanese)
