Summary in 3 lines
- The Level 2 exam has a 40-question written test and a 25-question practical test, both 4-choice. You need 75% or more on both
- In August 2026, the pass rates were 40% for civil engineering, 44% for building, and 39% for lifeline/utilities (JAC)
- The scope is the Foreman Text and your division's texts. Take the exam after you score over 75% on mock exams
To pass the Tokutei Ginou Level 2 (Specified Skilled Worker (ii), construction) evaluation exam, read JAC's Foreman Text and your division's texts, and build the ability to score over 75% on both the written and practical tests with 4-choice questions in the same format. This article is based on information as of October 2026. It is written for both workers who will take the exam and companies that want their employees to pass, and covers the exam format, pass rates, scope, topics people often get wrong, and the steps to the exam.
What kind of exam is the Tokutei Ginou Level 2 construction exam?
The Tokutei Ginou Level 2 (construction) evaluation exam has two parts, a written test and a practical test, and both are 4-choice questions answered on a computer (CBT). To pass, you need 75% or more on both the written test and the practical test.
| Written test | Practical test | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 40 | 25 |
| Time | 60 minutes | 40 minutes |
| Format | 4-choice (CBT) | 4-choice (CBT) |
| Passing standard | 75% (30 of 40 correct) | 75% (19 of 25 correct) |
| Scope | Foreman Text and Written Texts 1–4 | Practical Texts 5–7 |
Source: JAC (Japan Association for Construction Human Resources) exam information
The exam has 3 divisions: civil engineering, building, and lifeline/utilities. Each test taker chooses the one division that matches the construction work they do. How to choose is explained in How to choose between the 3 divisions (civil engineering, building, lifeline).
Since December 2025, the exam has been held at Prometric test centers. The key points for taking it are below.
| Item | Details (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Who can take it | Foreign nationals aged 17 or older on the exam date (18 or older for Indonesian nationals). When taking it in Japan, you must hold some residence status |
| Work experience | Not a condition for taking the exam (it is required when you apply for Level 2 residence status) |
| Application | Create a Prometric ID and book online, from 59 days to 3 business days before the exam date |
| Exam fee | 1,000 yen in Japan |
| Results | Shown on your Prometric My Page within 5 business days from the day after the exam |
| Retakes | If you fail, you can retake from 30 days after the previous exam date. You cannot retake a division you have passed |
Sources: JAC exam information, Prometric: Construction Specified Skilled Worker (ii) Evaluation Exam, Prometric: exam fees, MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism): exam implementation guidelines for the construction Level 2 evaluation exam (PDF, Japanese)
The booking steps are in How to book the exam with Prometric, and the flow on exam day is in Exam day flow and what to bring (Japanese).
What is the pass rate now?
In August 2026, the pass rates for the Level 2 exam held in Japan were 40.12% for civil engineering, 43.55% for building, and 39.07% for lifeline/utilities. From 55–63% in January 2026, the pass rate fell in all 3 divisions through August. The number of test takers also fell: in building, it went from 1,860 in January 2026 to 1,008 in August.
| Exam month | Civil engineering | Building | Lifeline/utilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 55.34% (337 of 609) | 67.55% (718 of 1,063) | 56.91% (70 of 123) |
| January 2026 | 55.47% (568 of 1,024) | 62.90% (1,170 of 1,860) | 61.45% (153 of 249) |
| May 2026 | 46.45% (451 of 971) | 57.03% (1,034 of 1,813) | 44.98% (112 of 249) |
| June 2026 | 43.84% (338 of 771) | 50.78% (746 of 1,469) | 47.31% (88 of 186) |
| July 2026 | 39.87% (309 of 775) | 47.68% (690 of 1,447) | 46.15% (84 of 182) |
| August 2026 | 40.12% (266 of 663) | 43.55% (439 of 1,008) | 39.07% (59 of 151) |
Source: JAC exam result PDFs (October 2025, January 2026, May, June, July, August). Pass rates calculated by UKARU from the number of test takers and the number who passed
The October 2025 exam was held at 3 venues: Hokkaido, Tokyo, and Osaka. The 2026 exams were held in Japan at Prometric venues across the country.
The pass rate and the passing standard are different things. The passing standard is "75% or more on both the written and practical tests" and is the same every time. The pass rate is the share of people who passed among those who took the exam that month, and it changes from month to month. In August 2026, more than half of the test takers failed. The pass rate trend and how to read each division are updated monthly in Tokutei Ginou Level 2 construction pass rates (data for the 3 divisions).
What is the exam scope, and what should I read?
The exam scope is the texts that JAC publishes. The written test covers the Foreman Text and Written Texts 1–4, and the practical test covers Practical Texts 5–7.
The official name of the Foreman Text is "建設分野特定技能2号評価試験用テキスト" (the text for the construction Specified Skilled Worker (ii) evaluation exam), and it is common to all 3 divisions. The Foreman Text has the following 5 chapters.
| Chapter | Chapter title | Example terms |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Duties of the foreman | Role of the foreman, construction organization (施工体制), foremen's council |
| Chapter 2 | The foreman's role in site management | Conditions for good work, QCD, schedule management |
| Chapter 3 | The foreman's role in safety and health activities | Safety and health activities |
| Chapter 4 | How a foreman reads drawings | Drawings |
| Chapter 5 | Understanding the construction industry as a foreman | Construction Business Act |
Written Text 1 and Practical Texts 5–7 are separate for each division. Written Texts 2–4 are common to all 3 divisions. On the JAC exam page, you can also read reference materials translated into Vietnamese, Indonesian, English, and other languages. How to work through the texts is explained chapter by chapter in How to read the JAC texts (Japanese).
The actual exam questions are not published. JAC's exam result documents also state that JAC cannot answer inquiries about the content of exam questions. What JAC publishes are the texts and sample questions. For this reason, you prepare with the texts, the sample questions, and original practice questions written to match them.
How are the exam questions asked?
JAC's Level 2 sample questions include 4-choice questions asked in ways like the ones below. Even with the same knowledge, a different way of asking can make you hesitate, so get used to each format.
| Question format | What you answer |
|---|---|
| "Which one describes …?" | Choose the term or position that matches the description |
| "Which one is not appropriate?" | Choose the one option out of 4 that does not fit |
| "What is it called?" | Choose the term that matches the description |
| Choose the correct one / the incorrect one | Judge whether each statement is correct |
| Choose the word for the blank | Choose the word that fits the blank in the sentence |
Source: JAC Level 2 written sample questions (PDF) and JAC Level 2 civil engineering practical sample questions (PDF), classified by UKARU
In the "Which one is not appropriate?" format, 3 correct options appear together, so you need to check each option one by one. Examples of question formats and data on topics people get wrong are in How exam questions are asked and the topics people get wrong (Japanese).
What is different between the 3 divisions (civil engineering, building, lifeline)?
The difference between the 3 divisions is the content of each division's written and practical texts. The Foreman Text and the format of 40 written questions, 25 practical questions, and a 75% passing standard are the same for all 3 divisions.
In UKARU's learning data, the correct-answer rate differs greatly between the written and practical tests, even within the same division. The table below shows the correct-answer rate the first time each question was answered on UKARU (this is not the pass rate of the actual exam).
| Division | Written: first-try correct rate | Practical: first-try correct rate | Division explanations and questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common (Foreman Text) | 73.2% | — | Schedule management (Japanese), Construction organization (Japanese) |
| Civil engineering | 69.3% | 86.4% | Civil engineering exam prep |
| Building | 74.3% | 75.5% | Building exam prep |
| Lifeline/utilities | 77.9% | 61.8% | Lifeline/utilities exam prep |
Source: UKARU learning data (as of September 28, 2026)
In civil engineering, the first-try correct rate on the practical test is higher than on the written test, and the written correct rate does not reach 75%. For people in civil engineering, the shortcut is to spend more time reading the written texts and the Foreman Text first. Lifeline/utilities is the opposite: it is the division with the lowest first-try correct rate on the practical test. People in lifeline/utilities should start early on the practical questions that use photos and drawings from the practical texts.
The scope and preparation for each division are covered in detail in Civil engineering division exam content (Japanese), Building division exam content (Japanese), and Lifeline/utilities division exam content (Japanese). How to prepare for the practical test is in How to prepare for the practical exam.
Which written-test topics do people often get wrong?
In UKARU's learning data, the written-test topics with the lowest first-try correct rates include topics for the people who run the site, such as construction organization, schedule management, and human error. All of them are topics in the Foreman Text.
| Rank | Topic | Division | First-try correct rate | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction organization (施工体制) | Civil engineering, written | 57.5% | Construction organization and the Construction Business Act (Japanese) |
| 2 | Schedule management (工程管理) | Common, written | 71.7% | Schedule management and how to read schedule charts (Japanese) |
| 3 | Human error (ヒューマンエラー) | Common, written | 72.7% | Foreman Text |
| 4 | Report, contact, consult (報連相 / hōrensō) | Common, written | 76.0% | Foreman Text |
| 5 | Construction Business Act (建設業法) | Common, written | 76.0% | Construction organization and the Construction Business Act (Japanese) |
Source: UKARU learning data (as of September 28, 2026)
All 5 topics are around the 75% passing line or below it. Even people who have worked on sites for a long time will not score points on the relationships between the prime contractor, specialty contractors, and the foreman, or on how to read schedule charts, unless they relearn them in the words the exam uses. How the data was collected and the detailed results for each topic are in How exam questions are asked and the topics people get wrong (Japanese).
Check yourself with original practice questions
Check what you have read so far with 3 original practice questions that UKARU wrote based on the Foreman Text and JAC's exam information. These are not actual exam questions.
Practice question 1 (common, exam format)
On the Tokutei Ginou Level 2 (construction) written test, which is the correct number of correct answers needed to pass?
- 24 or more out of 40
- 26 or more out of 40
- 28 or more out of 40
- 30 or more out of 40
Answer: 4 Explanation: The written test has 40 questions, and the passing standard is 75% or more. 75% of 40 questions is 30 questions. Option 1 (24 questions) is 60%, option 2 (26 questions) is 65%, and option 3 (28 questions) is 70%, and none of them reach 75%. The practical test has 25 questions, so 75% is 19 questions (18.75 rounded up). Basis: JAC exam information (number of questions and passing standard for the written and practical tests).
Practice question 2 (common, schedule management)
Which statement about the relationship between the construction period, cost, and quality matches the approach in the Foreman Text?
- The construction period, cost, and quality are each decided separately and do not affect each other
- Forcing the construction period to be shorter can lower quality
- The higher the quality, the shorter the construction period becomes
- The lower the cost, the higher the quality becomes
Answer: 2 Explanation: The Foreman Text calls construction period, cost, and quality "QCD" from the English initials (Quality, Cost, Delivery), and explains that when one gets better, another can get worse. Rush work to make up for delays is a cause of lower quality. Option 1 does not match the explanation that the 3 affect each other. Options 3 and 4 describe the opposite relationship, where making one better also makes the other better, and do not match the text. Basis: Foreman Text Chapter 2, "The foreman's role in site management" (explanation of QCD).
Practice question 3 (common, conditions for good work)
What is the state called when workers cannot start the next task and their hands are idle?
- Temodori (手戻り)
- Techigai (手違い)
- Temachi (手待ち)
- Dandori (段取り)
Answer: 3 Explanation: The state where workers cannot start the next task and stop moving is temachi (waiting time). Option 1, temodori, means going back and redoing work. Option 2, techigai, means making a mistake in the procedure or arrangements. Option 4, dandori, means preparation before starting work. The Foreman Text explains that a schedule where different tasks overlap in the same place is also a cause of temachi. Basis: Foreman Text 2.1.2, "Conditions for good work."
As a worker, what should I study, and in what order, starting today?
What a worker needs to do is read the texts in the exam scope, solve questions in the same format, and repeat weak topics until scoring over 75% on mock exams. Work in the following order.
- Decide your division. Check which division matches your current work in How to choose your division.
- Read the Foreman Text once from start to finish. It is common to all 3 divisions, so everyone reads it first. Underline schedule management in Chapter 2 and the Construction Business Act in Chapter 5.
- Read your division's written and practical texts. Where the Japanese is difficult, check the meaning in JAC's translated materials.
- Solve your division's questions, and go back to the texts only for topics you got wrong. You can solve them on the civil engineering exam prep page, the building exam prep page, or the lifeline/utilities exam prep page.
- Take mock exams with the same number of questions and time as the real exam. Solve 40 written questions in 60 minutes and 25 practical questions in 40 minutes, and book the exam once you score over 75% on both.
A 4-week plan is in 4-week study plan (Japanese), and what to do in the week before the exam is in Final 1-week checklist (Japanese).
As a company, what should we do to help employees pass?
What a company can do is make time for study and decide when to take the exam based on mock exam scores. When employees study on their own, the company has no way to know how far they have progressed.
| When | What the company does | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| When deciding to take the exam | Decide the division with the employee. Check the days worked as a team leader or foreman in the CCUS (Construction Career Up System) | Whether the required days will be reached by the time of the residence status application |
| During the study period | Make study time within working hours. Give the employee the Foreman Text and the division's texts | How many questions the employee solves each day, and which topics are weak |
| Before booking | Have the employee take mock exams with the same number of questions and time as the real exam | Whether the employee scores over 75% on both the written and practical tests |
| After a fail | Retake after 30 days or more. In the meantime, re-solve weak topics | Whether the number of topics answered wrongly is going down |
With UKARU, once a company creates a company account and issues each employee a login code, employees can start studying on their smartphones. The codes also work for employees who do not have an email address. On the company screen, you can see each employee's number of questions solved, correct-answer rate, weak topics, and the last day they studied. You can create a company account from "Start as a company" at the top of this page (14 days free, no card required).
A real example of a company that made study time for employees within working hours is in The "2 weeks during working hours" a company made for its employee who passed (Japanese). How to support employees whose practical scores do not improve is in Corporate pass support when workers can't pass the practical exam.
Besides the exam, what else do I need to become Level 2?
To get Tokutei Ginou Level 2 (construction) residence status, in addition to passing the evaluation exam (or Grade 1 of the national Trade Skills Test, 技能検定1級), you need work experience as a team leader (hancho) on construction sites. Work experience is not a condition for taking the exam; it is a condition for applying for residence status.
The length of work experience required is set by occupation, not by division. According to MLIT documents, occupations that have CCUS skill evaluation standards require the number of working days equivalent to Level 3 (days as a foreman and team leader).
| Required period | Working days | Example occupations (from MLIT documents) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 years or more | 108 days | Carpentry (建築大工), tatami, etc. |
| 1 year or more | 215 days | Many occupations |
| 2 years or more | 430 days | Some scaffolding (とび) work, etc. |
| 3 years or more | 645 days | Interior finishing, painting, electrical work, etc. Occupations without skill evaluation standards also require this number of days |
Source: MLIT, "About work experience as a team leader" (PDF, Japanese). Check the number of days for your occupation in the table in this document
A Japanese language requirement is also being added. According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Level 2 requires Japanese ability equivalent to B1 or higher. For applications to bring a worker from overseas (application for a Certificate of Eligibility), confirmation of B1-equivalent or higher is required for applications made on or after April 1, 2027. When this confirmation will start for applications by Level 1 workers already in Japan who change to Level 2 (application for change of status of residence) is described as "under consideration" as of October 2026 and has not been decided yet (Immigration Services Agency, "About when confirmation of Japanese ability at 'B1-equivalent or higher' will start" (Japanese)). Details are in Level 2 Japanese requirement (B1 / N3) (Japanese).
Please consult a gyoseishoshi (certified administrative procedures legal specialist) about application procedures such as changing your residence status.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I get the actual questions from the Tokutei Ginou Level 2 construction exam?
No, you cannot. The actual questions from the Tokutei Ginou Level 2 (construction) exam are not published, and there is no official release of earlier exam questions. If you see study materials sold as "the real exam questions," be careful about whether their content is correct.
What JAC publishes are the texts in the exam scope and sample questions. For Level 2, two sets of written sample questions and one set of practical sample questions for each division are published.
- Written: Level 2 written sample questions 1, Level 2 written sample questions 2
- Practical: Civil engineering, Building, Lifeline/utilities
The core of preparation is to learn how questions are asked from the sample questions and to repeatedly solve practice questions in the same format. The practice questions in this article are also not actual exam questions; they are original practice questions written to match the JAC texts.
Q. Can I take the Level 2 exam without Level 1 residence status?
Yes, you can. Foreign nationals aged 17 or older on the exam date can take the exam (18 or older for Indonesian nationals). However, when taking it in Japan, you must hold some residence status. Work experience as a team leader is required not when you take the exam but when you apply for Level 2 residence status.
Q. If I fail, can I retake the exam?
Yes, you can. According to Prometric, you can take the exam again from the exam held 30 days after the previous exam date. If you use multiple IDs to get around this waiting period, your exam results after that will be canceled and you will not be able to take the exam for 1 year. During the 30 days, re-solve the topics you got wrong. How to prepare for a retake is in How to retake the exam (Japanese).
Q. Can I take the exam if I am not good at Japanese?
The exam is given in Japanese. JAC publishes reference materials that translate the Foreman Text and other texts, so you can check the meaning in your native language. On UKARU, you can read questions and explanations in Vietnamese and Indonesian. Level 2 residence status also requires Japanese ability equivalent to B1 or higher, so study Japanese alongside your exam preparation.
Q. How long do I need to study?
JAC does not give a guideline for how long to study. Rather than deciding on a period, it is more reliable to decide when to take the exam based on whether you have scored over 75% on both the written and practical tests in mock exams. Set your daily study time, and check your mock exam score once a week.
Q. Is there a way for a company to see how employees are progressing in their studies?
With UKARU, when a company creates a company account and gives employees login codes, the company screen shows each employee's number of questions solved, correct-answer rate, weak topics, and the last day they studied. On the company screen, you can see employees who have not studied for several days and topics where the correct-answer rate does not reach 75%.
Related articles
- Tokutei Ginou Level 2 construction pass rates (data and trends for the 3 divisions)
- Construction organization and the Construction Business Act, with practice questions (Japanese)
- How to read the JAC texts (Japanese)
- How to prepare for the practical exam
- How exam questions are asked and the topics employees get wrong (UKARU learning data, Japanese)
- Schedule management: how to read schedule charts, with practice questions (Japanese)
The exam format, pass rates, and rules in this article are based on information published by JAC and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan as of October 3, 2026. Exam dates, rules, and the latest results may change. Always check the latest information from the official sources (JAC exam information, Immigration Services Agency: Specified Skilled Worker system).