Japan Begins Alternative Unified University Entrance Exam

Japan on Saturday began an alternative test of its new unified university entrance examination, mainly for students affected by prolonged school closures amid the coronavirus epidemic.

The two-day alternative exam also serves as an additional test for applicants who could not take the regular exam, which ran for two days from Jan. 16.

About 2,500 people are set to take the alternative test, held at a total of 64 venues across the country. This year, the new unified exam replaced the National Center Test for University Admissions.

Those allowed to take the alternative test are high school seniors and their equivalents whom their principals confirmed to have suffered from delays in learning because of coronavirus school closures.

According to the National Center for University Entrance Examinations, the number of students who applied to take the exam on the alternative schedule stood at 718, or 0.13 pct of the total applicants on the regular and alternative schedules.

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