Overview
This is about Eiken Grade 1.
- (2026-03-11) The Road to Eiken Grade 1 2026-03: Sitting in the Back Row and Passing the Exam
- (2026-03-22) Someone Who Doesn’t Use English Reaches Grade 1 from Pre-1 in One Year
While I was studying for Eiken Grade 1, I tried not to look at websites or YouTube about it. This study was my personal hobby, and I didn’t want to bring in too much outside information. Also, I wanted to avoid spending time choosing methods like, “Is this site’s method better? Or is the one introduced on that YouTube channel better?”
But now that I’ve finished studying for Eiken, I’ve finally started looking into Grade 1 content—web articles, YouTube, and so on. It’s fun. After all, it’s something I worked on for a whole year.
This time, I’ll write about some opinions I often came across.
Is That Really English Ability?
About the idea that “This isn’t English ability, it’s just test-taking skill”—honestly, I also thought that during my study.
- Is it really English ability to write an opinion you don’t even believe in about social issues within 25 minutes?
- Is it really English ability to speed-read long passages full of unnecessarily complicated structures?
- Is it really English ability to think of an opinion on a social issue in one minute and give a speech in two?
As an answer to “Is that really English ability?”, I think it’s fine to say: “Both English ability and test-taking skill are being measured.” I thought this while struggling with essay writing, reading, and speaking practice. But in the end, I still felt, “If this were in Japanese, it would be easier.” So it really is a test of English ability. Also, Eiken questions are straightforward. There are no trick questions, so the “test skill” part is probably small.
On the other hand, I’ve never felt dissatisfied with the vocabulary or summary sections. I only feel dissatisfaction toward the sections I’m bad at. It’s easy to turn frustration with your own performance into complaints about the test itself.
Well, arguments like “Eiken Grade 1 is meaningless”… they don’t consider the feelings of people who are enjoying working toward it, and honestly, they’re not pleasant to hear. It’s best to just ignore them.
And this isn’t exactly an answer to “Is that really English ability?”, but looking back: the social issue topics I learned through studying for Eiken became valuable knowledge. At first, I thought, “I’ll never use this in my job,” but expanding your perspective on society is a good thing. Eiken reading passages cover history, science, and politics, and they’re genuinely interesting to read. The American Civil War, evolution theory, the Bumiputra policy—there are many passages that left a strong impression on me. Sure, there are problems like the recent summary question issue or low-quality test venues, and the Eiken Association has its flaws, but basically, I’m kind of a fan of Eiken questions.
What Influencers Mean by “You Can Pass in 2 Months”
Let’s evaluate this claim based on my actual experience. To be precise, it usually means “passing the first stage with two months of study,” right?
It took me 10 months to pass the first stage. For about half of that time, I wasn’t even planning to take the exam within a year—I was just casually reading the A section of a vocabulary book and lightly listening to NHK English radio. I studied seriously for about 6 months. So if it’s “passing in 6–7 months from a Pre-1 level,” I can confirm that from my experience.
Now, about 2 months… That would mean whether I could pass with only the study I did in December 2025 and January 2026, when I was most serious.
- I might be able to memorize the A section of the “Deru-jun Pass Tan” → maybe around 60% on the vocabulary section
- Listening is unclear, but with optimism maybe around 50%
- Writing… I might learn how to generate ideas, but I’d still be in the middle of refining templates. Also, I lack basic writing ability, so I probably wouldn’t finish within the time limit → let’s say 50%
- I wouldn’t finish 9 past exams, and there wouldn’t be time for review
- My strength, reading, depends on reviewing and carefully analyzing past exams. If I haven’t finished them, I can’t even start properly. That means I wouldn’t cover necessary grammar or build speed, so I wouldn’t finish in time → maybe 50%
So the predicted scores after 2 months of study would be (with my actual scores in parentheses):
- Reading Part 1 Vocabulary: 60% (95% after 10 months)
- Reading Part 2 Long Passages: 50% (100% after 10 months)
- Reading Part 3 Long Passages: 50% (95% after 10 months)
- Writing Summary: 25% (50% after 10 months)
- Writing Essay: 50% (90% after 10 months)
- Listening: 50% (70% after 10 months)
So I think it’s impossible in 2 months. However, there are exceptions. If you use English in daily life or work, or if your level is already above Pre-1, then it might be possible. Personally, I’ve never seen an English-learning influencer who doesn’t use English in daily life or work!
About “It Takes 7 Years on Average to Pass”
Being able to spend your private time comfortably on study is something only people like me have—no family, lucky to be surrounded by friends who support this kind of effort, and with a stable job. People who pass in one year are simply those who can spend a lot of time studying English for that one year. Most adults are busy. It’s better to go at your own pace without worrying about it.
The End
Yeah, it ended up being a bit of a negative topic, and maybe it sounds like a position talk that only someone who has already passed can make… but still, it’s fun. It feels like talking about an online game you spent a lot of time on, after you’ve retired from it.
