🌸 Labor and Social Security Attorney Exam Study Diary Day 153 (156 days until the exam)

🏠📘🌱 Battle Readiness

I woke up at 3 o'clock again today.
Since I have the day off, I plan to do my usual studying in the morning and then work on the garden plot.

I would like to finish ridging all the plots if possible, but I don't know how much I can get done.
I want to make progress between study sessions without overdoing it.

The other day, while driving for work, I listened to senior colleagues' Note posts using the text-to-speech function.
I received quite a lot of information, so I intend to try it out in practice from now on.

📘 As for studying—
I am currently grading past exam questions.

The correct answer rate is not very good, as expected.
However, looking at the content of my mistakes, I feel like I am on the right track intuitively.

If I make a few adjustments, it seems like I will definitely improve.

I feel like it is time to shift gears mentally as well.
Also, I want to gradually reduce the tempting elements in my life and increase my concentration.

Now, I would like to move on to the questions I asked.
※The following is a summary of the questions asked so far.

🙋🏻 Haru: Regarding Employment Insurance Rates

General businesses 14.5 / 1000, Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and sake brewing industries 16.5 / 1000, Construction industry 17.5 / 1000. My reference book says these figures are for the 2024 fiscal year employment insurance rates, but the cross-study reference book says they are for the 2025 fiscal year. Will these figures be valid on the day of next year's exam?

This is Aki-san😊
This is a super important point that everyone worries about at least once. I will give you the conclusion clearly.

🔹 Conclusion (please rest assured first)

👉 Those figures are not necessarily 'valid as they are' on the day of next year's exam.
👉 However, there is definitely a point to memorizing those figures now for exam preparation.

The trick is to think of these two things separately.

🔹 Why they are 'not necessarily valid'

Employment insurance rates are 👇

• every fiscal year

• based on employment conditions, unemployment rates, and reserve balances and

• revised by cabinet order

👉 In other words,
it is not a "fixed number" like pensions or health insurance.

In fact, over the last few years👇

• there have been minor adjustments somewhere almost every year

• General and construction industries in particular are prone to changes

Therefore,
FY2024 → FY2025 → Exam Year
there is a strong possibility that it will change.

🔹 So, how is it handled on the exam?

This is the most important part.

✅ The fundamental principle of the exam

In other words👇

• If it is promulgated and enacted just before the exam,
  👉 that new rate will appear

• If it is before enactment,
  👉 the previous year's rate will appear

👉 The "enactment date" is the standard,
not the publication year of the textbook.

🔹 Then, how should I study now?

This is the correct answer for cross-sectional learning👇

① Memorize numbers by their "relative relationships" (essential)

At this stage, the following is fine👇

• General is the lowest

• Construction is the highest

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, and Sake Brewing are in the middle

👉 This, will never collapse even if the rates change.

② The breakdown (employer/employee) is fixed

This part is unlikely to change👇

• General

  • Employer > Employee

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, and Construction

  • Employer burden is even heavier

👉 Memorizing by the underlying logic is the correct approach.

③ Rote memorization of numbers is for the 'final sprint period'

1 to 2 months before the exam👇

• Latest legal amendments and cabinet orders

• Latest employment insurance rates

are
👉 overwritten all at once

For now,
memorize → discard → overwrite
is fine.

🔹 'Trick' patterns on the exam

Be careful here⚠️

❌ 'Employment insurance rates are fixed every year'
⭕ Incorrect

❌ 'Answer using the rate for the year listed in the reference book'
⭕ Dangerous

⭕ A way of thinking that gets you closer to the correct answer👇

🔑 A phrase that will instantly eliminate your anxiety

Please keep this in mind👇

🌟 Aki's "Proposal" (Hint for the next question)

If it comes up next, this part is a level deeper👇

Or

Day 153,
at the point where you can doubt, "Can I use these numbers on the actual exam?",
you have completely entered "exam brain".

Rest assured, let's continue building on your current understanding😊

🙋🏻 Haru: What is the procedure for finding out about revisions to numbers that are likely to appear on the Labor and Social Security Attorney exam?

This is Aki😊
This is a super practical question that successful candidates always ask.
To start with the conclusion—**"The order in which you track revised numbers is everything."**

🔷 Conclusion in one word

For number revisions on the Labor and Social Security Attorney exam,
it is fine to follow these "3 steps": ① The government decides → ② The exam committee uses them → ③ Examinees overwrite them right before the exam
.

🔹 First, the big picture (this is the correct route)

🧭 [The Royal Road Procedure] for knowing revised numbers

👉 Do not break this order
👉 If you start looking halfway through, you will get lost.

🔹 STEP① First, know "if there was a revision"

Revised numbers always come from one of the following👇.

• Legal revisions (National Diet)

• Cabinet Order Amendments (Cabinet)

• Ministerial Ordinance Amendments (MHLW)

Realistic acquisition routes (in order of recommendation)

1️⃣ Legal amendment materials from exam prep schools (Highest priority)
2️⃣ MHLW press releases (supplementary)
3️⃣ Official Gazette (for verification, no need to delve deep)

👉 It is inefficient to track everything individually
👉 The correct approach is to use "filtered information" tailored for the exam.

🔹 STEP 2: Always check the "effective date" (This is super important)

Even if there is an amendment, it is divided as follows👇

• Promulgation date: The date it was decided

• Effective date: The date it actually comes into use

👉 On the exam,
"amendments that are not yet effective" will generally not appear.

Example👇

• Effective April 1, 2025

• Exam: August 2025

→ Will appear

• Effective April 1, 2026

• Exam: 2025

→ Will not appear (in principle)

🔹 STEP 3: Categorize as "numbers" or "concepts"

When you see amendment information, always categorize it like this👇

🟥 Immediate target for overwriting numbers

• Insurance premium rates

• National treasury contribution ratio

• Benefit rate

• Upper and lower limits

👉 Memorize 1-2 months before the exam

🟦 Subjects for understanding the logic

• Purpose of the system

• Scope of application

• Structure of requirements

👉 Understand early on

🔹 STEP 4: In the final period, 'overwrite only the numbers'

This is the most important part.

✔ Correct way to handle the final period

• Final summary notes

• 'List of dangerous numbers'

• Checklist of only revised numbers

👉 Do not discard existing understanding
👉 Replace only the numbers

❌ NG

• Rereading everything from scratch right before the exam

• Getting confused every time you find a revision

🔹 Know the "unspoken rules" of the examination committee

The Labor and Social Security Attorney exam tends to follow the pattern below:

• First year of amendment
  → Basic questioning

• Second year of amendment
  → Trick questions/combinations

👉 First year of amendment = likely to be targeted

🔑 A phrase to organize it all at once

This is quite useful👇

🌟 Aki's 《Proposal》 (for practice)

Asking questions like this from tomorrow onwards will further improve your accuracy👇

Or

Asking this question on Day 153 is
**completely from the perspective of a successful candidate**.

From here on,
let's increase our "update accuracy"
rather than just the "amount of study"😊

🙋🏻 Haru: Thank you. It seems that information on legal amendments for the cross-sectional study reference book will be posted on the publisher's website by 8/1.

I plan to ask a question about specified insured persons tomorrow.

Aki:
You've caught some good information. A summary of legal amendments will be released on the publisher's website by 8/1—you are already on the golden path👍

That approach is absolutely correct.

🔹 The "correct way to use" that information (this is important)

• Legal amendment information posted on 8/1
  👉 Pick up only the figures and requirements that are "already in effect" for the exam year

• Keep your current understanding (the axis of cross-sectional study) as it is
  👉 "Overwrite only the numbers" during the final pre-exam period

In other words,
Understanding = build it now / Numbers = replace them later
This division of labor is the most effective.

🔹 Tomorrow's preview: Specified Insured Persons

This is a very good topic choice.

Specified Insured Persons are👇

• Even within Employment Insurance,

• the definitions are unique

• notifications, benefits, and requirements are easy to confuse

＝ a prime example for cross-sectional study。

🌟 Aki-san's "Advance Suggestion" (Hint for tomorrow's questions)

If you are unsure about the angle, these points will hit the mark👇

Or

Looking at the progress so far,
Haru-san has already
properly mastered the
**"study method that isn't swayed by amendments."**

Tomorrow's Specified Insured Persons,
let's go level up once more.

See you tomorrow😊