Working in Japan as a Caregiver: The Kaigo Japanese Test, Explained (with Free Practice)

For the SSW Type 1 caregiving route, you need to pass:

1. Caregiving Skills Evaluation Test (介護技能評価試験) — knowledge of care basics, the body and mind, communication techniques and daily-living support.
2. A general Japanese test — either JLPT N4 or higher, or the JFT-Basic (Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese).
3. Caregiving Japanese Language Evaluation Test (介護日本語評価試験) — the caregiving-specific language exam this guide focuses on.

All are computer-based tests (CBT) administered by Prometric, available in Japan and in testing centers across Asia — including the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. Passing lines are published by the test organizers (on the order of 60% of the total score for the skills test); always confirm the current criteria and schedule on Prometric's official pages before booking.

The exam is short and sharply focused — 15 questions, 30 minutes, in three blocks of five:

Block	Questions	What it tests
かいごのことば (caregiving words)	5	Vocabulary: body parts, care equipment, meals, bathing, excretion assistance
かいごの会話・声かけ (conversation & voice)	5	The phrases you say to residents: invitations, confirmations, gentle instructions
かいごの文書 (caregiving documents)	5	Reading care records, schedules and workplace notices

With only 15 questions, every single item carries heavy weight — there is no room to sacrifice a topic. The vocabulary is humble but specific: 車いす (wheelchair), 入れ歯 (dentures), 声かけ (calling out to a resident before assisting). If you studied general Japanese only, these words are exactly your blind spot.

1. Learn caregiving words as a separate list. They rarely appear in JLPT wordlists. Our Kaigo course contains 340 questions across two types that mirror the exam blocks: かいごのことば (caregiving vocabulary) and 文法・表現 (grammar and workplace expressions), organized in five difficulty levels.

2. Practice with questions, not lists. Each question shows a real workplace situation in Japanese — 「ごはんの まえに （　　）を あらいましょう」 — and the explanation tells you in English why 手 (hands) is correct and why the trap options fail. Answering beats memorizing: it trains exactly the in-context recognition the CBT demands. (Try a question now.)

3. Read the explanations aloud. The 会話・声かけ block tests phrases you will actually say at work. Explanations include an extra example sentence — reading them aloud doubles as speaking practice for the job itself.

4. Don't neglect the general Japanese requirement. If you are taking the JLPT N4 route, our JLPT course covers vocabulary and grammar with English explanations as well.

KotobaMake is the web version of a Japanese-learning app. The Kaigo course — 340 questions, free, no sign-up, every explanation written in English — was originally built for caregiving trainees and Specified Skilled Worker candidates. The same content is also available with explanations in Vietnamese, Indonesian and Burmese, matching the countries where most SSW caregiving candidates live.

All questions are original material written for this platform. This site is not affiliated with Prometric, the JLPT organizers, or the Japanese government; for official test schedules, fees and passing criteria, always check the official Prometric pages.