The is a Japanese language proficiency test designed to objectively measure a person's practical communicative skills in communicating and responding to information in a Japanese-language business environment. Unlike its counterpart Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) which focuses more on general Japanese, BJT is not designed for measuring Japanese language knowledge nor business knowledge but instead, BJT is designed to measure a person's practical communicative ability to utilize and respond to given information, ability to express thoughts and opinions, and at the same time promote ideas or projects to people of different backgrounds and expertise.
The BJT is not only engineered to measure a person's verbal communicative skills, but also the ability to understand and use Japanese with the aid of text, diagrams, photographs and any other available information in emails or faxes, etc. and at the same time to appropriately perform tasks and workloads suited to a Japanese-language business environment.
The Business Japanese Proficiency Test covers the full range of events or situations that may arise on a Japanese-language business environment.
History
The test was first offered in 1996 and was revised in 2003. It was originally administered by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). In April 2009, however, oversight was transferred to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Public Interest Foundation: the same organization that administers the Kanji kentei.
On August 18, 2010, it was announced that the test would "be discontinued at the end of the current fiscal year". However, on November 25, 2010, it was announced that the test would be "relaunched".
Examination and scoring The Business Japanese Proficiency Test is split into three parts, Listening Comprehension, Listening and Reading Comprehension and Reading Comprehension. Exam OverviewDurationQuestionsListening Comprehension SectionApprox. 45 minutesSituational Understanding 5 questionsConversational Listening Comprehension 10 questionsGeneral Listening Comprehension 10 questionsListening and Reading Comprehension SectionApprox. 30 minutesSituational Understanding 5 questionsInformation Listening and Reading 10 questionsGeneral Listening and Reading 10 questionsReading Comprehension SectionApprox. 30 minutesVocabulary / Grammar 10 questionsExpression Reading and Comprehension 10 questionsGeneral Reading Comprehension 10 questions Exam overview as stated on the official BJT website.
The test is scored out of a possible 800. The score is then ranked on a scale of 6 levels: J5, J4, J3, J2, J1, J1+, with J1+ being the highest and J5 the lowest. Evaluation Level GuidelinePointsJ1+Has the ability to adequately communicate in a Japanese-language business environment in any situation600 - 800J1Has the ability to suitably communicate in a Japanese-language business environment in a wide range of situations530 - 600J2Has the ability to suitably communicate in a Japanese-language business environment in a limited range of situations420 - 530J3Is able to achieve a limited degree of communication in a Japanese-language business environment in a limited range of situations320 - 420J4Is able to achieve a nominal degree of communication in a Japanese-language business environment in a limited range of situations200 - 320J5Has no ability to communicate in a Japanese-language business environment0 - 200 *Level guideline as described on the BJT website
Testing locations Starting April 2017, the BJT is now being delivered as a computer based test via the Pearson Vue delivery system, a radical change from the industry standard paper based testing.
As of 2018, the BJT is now available in more than 16 countries via the Pearson Vue testing network. +Test Center LocationsJapanSapporo, Sendai, Koriyama, Tokyo, Chiba, Yokohama, Niigata, Hamamatsu, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsuyama, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Oita, NahaBrazilSão PauloChinaBeijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dalian, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shenyang, Nanjing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Xi'an, WuhanFranceParisGermanyDüsseldorfHong KongHong KongIndiaNew Delhi, ChennaiIndonesiaJakartaItalyPadova (temporarily closed as of 2021)MalaysiaKuala LumpurMexicoMexico CityMyanmarYangonSingaporeSingaporeSouth KoreaSeoul, BusanTaiwanTaipei, Taichung, KaohsiungThailandBangkokUnited KingdomLondonUnited States of AmericaLos Angeles, New York, ChicagoVietnamHanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang *Test center locations available on the Pearson Vue website
Notes
External links https://web.archive.org/web/20110709170430/http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/ The JETRO on the BJT (now points to the following link). https://web.archive.org/web/20081212115504/http://www.kentei.co.jp/bjt/ (Japanese) http://www.kanken.or.jp/bjt/english/index.html (English)