2025 National Certification 'Restaurant Service Skills' Written Examination Conducted
On Thursday, August 7, 2025, the national certification 'Restaurant Service Skills' written examination was held at nine main venues across the country (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Niigata, Kanto, Kansai, Chubu, Chugoku/Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa) and at two venues across four schools certified for in-school testing (Chiba College of Culinary Arts, Ohara Travel, Hotel & Bridal College Shizuoka, Ohara Travel, Hotel & Bridal College Hamamatsu, and Ohara Civil Service, Hotel & Bridal College Numazu).
As the only national qualification for the food and beverage service profession, this examination holds a written test every August, followed by a practical test for those who pass the written portion starting at the end of October.
Examinees who pass both the written and practical tests are awarded a national qualification as a state-recognized skilled professional.
This year, 2025, the eligibility requirements were significantly relaxed, which contributed to a much higher number of applicants for Grade 1 and Grade 2 compared to the previous year.
[Relaxation of Practical Experience Requirements]
Grade 1: 11 years or more → 7 years or more
Grade 2: 3 years or more → 2 years or more
Grade 3: 1 year or more → No change
[Comparison of Number of Examinees with Previous Year]
Due to this relaxation of eligibility requirements, individuals in their mid-20s who are active as core members in the field can now obtain the Grade 1 qualification at the time they need it most, and those who have gained general experience and are aiming for a step up can obtain the Grade 2 qualification, allowing everyone to acquire the certification at the best timing for their career advancement.
The increase in examinees was also driven by companies encouraging their staff to take the exam, with the goals of boosting staff motivation and achieving breakthroughs, as well as improving service and differentiation as a business.
The results of the 2025 written examination will be announced on Wednesday, September 3.
From that same day, the practical examination questions for this year will be released, and applications for the practical examination will begin.
(You can check the results announcement and the release of practical examination questions via the 'Skills Certification Announcement' link at the bottom of the page.)
This year, we expect over 2,600 applications for the practical examination, and the cumulative total is expected to exceed 40,000, including the new restaurant service skilled professionals who will be certified this year.
We look forward to seeing the qualified individuals play an increasingly active role across the country in the future.
↓ (For reference) You can check the previous year's pass rates here. ↓
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the companies and schools that provided the written examination venues and cooperated in the operation.
<Hokkaido Region Examination Venue>
Sapporo Park Hotel
<Tohoku Region Examination Venue>
International Multi-Business College
<Niigata Region Examination Venue>
Hotel Italia-ken
<Kanto Region Examination Venue>
Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama
<Chubu Region Examination Venue>
Nagoya Bunri Junior College
<Kansai Region Examination Venue>
Osaka YMCA International Culture Center
<Chugoku/Shikoku Region Examination Venue>
Hiroshima YMCA International Culture Center
<Kyushu Region Examination Venue>
Nishitetsu International College
<Okinawa Region Examination Venue>
Okinawa Polytechnic College
<Kanto Region In-School Testing School>
Chiba College of Culinary Arts
<Chubu Region In-School Testing School>
Ohara Travel, Hotel & Bridal College Shizuoka
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