Japanese Language Education in Vietnam - Standardised Testing

Standardised Testing

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test was first offered in Hanoi; an additional test site was added in Ho Chi Minh City in 2000, which in its first year received almost triple the number of examinees as the Hanoi site. The number of examinees in 2006 was almost triple the 2003 total, and nineteen times the 1998 total. Until 2005, the pattern of examinees differed between the two cities, with the Level 2 examination, aimed at students who have completed 600 contact hours of instruction, being most popular in Hanoi, while the easier the Level 3 examinations, aimed at students who have completed 300 contact hours of instruction, received the largest number of examinees in Ho Chi Minh City. This changed in 2006, the Level 3 examination was the most widely attempted in both cities. Most graduates of university-level Japanese courses take the Level 2 examination, which is demanded by factories selling products to Japanese buyers; however, employers in the hospitality and tourism industry feel Level 3 examinees possess sufficient ability to deal with their job requirements. JETRO's Business Japanese Proficiency Test was not offered in Vietnam as of 2006.