Almost every large Japanese employer screens graduate applicants with a standardised test, and many use one for mid-career hiring too. The tests have two halves. The ability section covers verbal and numerical reasoning, sometimes with English or logic modules. The personality section asks hundreds of quick questions about behaviour and preferences and produces a profile of traits such as sociability, drive and stress tolerance.
SPI, from Recruit Management Solutions, has been in use for around 50 years and dominates the market. Its current version, SPI3, is taken in test centres, online at home, on paper or at the employer's office. The company reported about 16,500 user companies and 2.77 million test-takers in the year to March 2026. Competing products include tests from SHL's Japanese arm. Students prepare intensively, with best-selling workbooks for each test.
In graduate hiring the test is mainly a filter, used with the entry sheet to cut thousands of applications to a manageable number before interviews. In mid-career hiring the personality report is more often used as background for interviewers.
What it means for a foreign employer
- Candidates expect it, and it can help. A short, well-known test gives Japanese applicants a familiar step and gives you comparable data, especially for graduate intake.
- Do not let it decide senior hires. Norms are built mostly on Japanese graduates. For experienced bilingual leaders, a cut-off score screens out people for reasons unrelated to the job.
- Check the language. Most tests are designed for Japanese-language takers. Use a version suited to the candidate, or a global instrument, for non-native speakers.
- Watch what the personality items ask. A test is still part of selection, and the ministry's fair recruitment guidance on questions about beliefs and family applies to it.
Sources
- Recruit Management Solutions, SPI3 official site (results for the year to March 2026).