Did anyone here take the ITEE/RISS exams of the Information Technology Promotion Agency in Japan as a foreigner (regarding Engineer Visa)?

2 comments

1. I did not take ITEE exam but the [FE (Level 2) exam of ITPEC](https://www.itpec.org/about/itpec-common-exam.html) which is loosely based on the Japanese Level 2 FE ITEE exam ([wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Technology_Professional_Examination_Council)).

   AFAIK the ITPEC exam is simply the (Japanese) ITEE exam translated to English and other languages. But only AP (Level 3), FE (Level 2) and IP (Level 1) are available. The English-translated exam is being conducted by [PhilNITS](https://www.philnits.org/) in the Philippines, and they accept foreigner examinees.

   No age limit, no degree or diploma required, and no work experience necessary (except for AP exam which requires at least 2 years experience).

   If you passed the ITPEC FE or AP exam you could use it in your visa application so that you no longer need to have a degree or 10 years of experience (see “Preferential Immigration Treatment based on MRA” section [here](https://www.ipa.go.jp/english/humandev/mutualrecognition.html). MOJ Public Notice: [Japanese, #3](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/laws/nyukan_hourei_h09.html), archived translation of old version in English [here](http://web.archive.org/web/20201111235117/http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/hourei/public_notice.html#sec_07)). I haven’t tried it yet (I haven’t received my certificate yet but they already notified me that I passed) but some people in YouTube did, or mentioned it. You might have to explain this in your resume and cover letter when applying though because some companies don’t know about this. It also gives some points for Permanent Residency application.

   > Were you able to apply to the exams without going through previous courses suggested by the IPA?

   Do you mean taking the higher level exams before lower level ones? You could take the higher level exams without going through the lower ones, so you could take FE or AP immediately, but I’m not sure about the other ones not available as an ITPEC exam.

   The IP exam seems useless to me so I didn’t bother (you can’t use it for visa), while the AP exam is only available during the Fall (October) exams so I took FE.

   > Did you, and if so – how did you prepare?

   The previous exams for FE and IP are available for download in ITPEC’s website. I tried answering the morning exams for the past 2 years for a week, studying the topics for the items that I answered wrong.

   I only tried some of the afternoon questions. I focused more on the morning exam which is more theoretical and because it is where I’m weak at. I was too busy, so if I had the time I would have practiced answering the other older exams. I didn’t check the syllabus.

   PhilNITS also have books and other materials for exam preparation, check their website for details. They also have 2 hour long seminars more than a month before the exams hosted by the IPA to help people prepare, and they give free exam vouchers to people who could answer the sample questions correctly the fastest. (Hosted using Zoom during the pandemic.)

   Unfortunately the previous exams for AP are not available in their website. Just a reminder, don’t take the IP exam because you can’t use it in Engineer visa application.

   > How difficult were these exams?

   For me, the FE exam was easy, but that’s probably because I have a few years of working experience already, and while I didn’t graduate I learned most of the theoretical parts of the exam during my few years in college.

   Some questions in the morning exam are taken from older exams (sometimes they don’t even bother randomizing the order of the choices LOL) while the topics covered are mostly the same. Focus on keywords, and make sure you know the meaning of abbreviations.

   I would recommend to aim for being able to answer the exams with around half the amount of time alloted because you have to shade the answer sheet which takes some time, and also so that you could review your answers. You could use the back of the question sheets as scratch for calculations.

   The April 2022 exam made the afternoon exam a bit easier; only 2 question groups are required, then you have to select 2 out of 4 question groups, then in the last part you could take either the C or Java question group.

   Scan the question group firsts then select the ones that are easier in the optional groups. Java is usually easier than the C questions and less time consuming

   If you fail either the morning or afternoon exam of FE exam, you could retake the exam you failed after 6 months but you have to pay around half the usual price. If you fail that exam again, you could pay and retake again. But if you failed again after that you have to take both exam next time, and pay the whole amount. Not sure how it works for AP.

   Therefore you may focus studying on either the morning or afternoon exam then retake the other one if you failed that exam, or focus on the exam you are weak at. What I did is I focused on studying for the morning exam which is where I’m weak at.

   If you check their website though you’ll notice that the passing rate is quite low. But I think it’s because the examinees are mostly students, who doesn’t have working experience yet.

   > How would you describe the overall difficulty of applying, preparing, and taking the exam – as a foreign IT person in/outside Japan?

   Well it was easy because I live in the Philippines. I simply went to their office in Manila to apply (the person in their office there usually leave early before lunch so I had to go there a few times) but online application is also possible. The application deadline is around a month before the exam date.

   The exam location in Manila is near an LRT-1 station so it was easy to go there. I went there a few days before so that I won’t get lost on the exam day, and arrived an hour before the exam starts.

   As for preparing, I already mentioned some tips above.

   They notified me of my scores 2 weeks later. I’m still waiting for my certificate though. I’m planning to take the AP exam in October too. Their email is registrar@philnits.org and telephone number is +63-2-7294-3235 based on the email they sent to me.

   > Was it really worth it?

   I think so? The FE exam wasn’t that hard, you could retake if you only failed one exam, and you only have to study for a few months instead of studying 4 years for a degree. And the exam itself is cheap compared to other certification exams, or the cost of studying for a degree.

   But for foreigners you have to go to the Philippines which might be costly. Also I don’t know if you could ask PhilNITS to send your certificate to your own country afterwards.

2. Hmm. Think I’ll take some of these tests myself.
   Should be able to pass the first couple levels with minimal study.
   Bit too old for a major career change, though 🙁