Passed the Eiken Pre-1st Grade Primary Exam 2 Weeks After Returning from a World Trip | Scores and Reflections

Hello everyone. This is Ichi.

I previously wrote an article about taking on the Eiken Pre-1st Grade exam just two weeks after returning from a trip around the world.

What happens when a TOEIC 900 holder takes on the Eiken Pre-1st Grade with only two weeks of focused preparation?

It was a challenge that seemed a bit reckless, but to start with the results, I successfully passed the primary exam!

This time, after disclosing all my primary exam scores, I would like to candidly reflect on:

• My impressions immediately after the exam versus the actual results

• How much of the initial two-week study plan I was able to execute

• The reasons why I, with a TOEIC score of 915, was able to pass in a short period

• Future challenges identified from my scores

I will reflect on these points candidly.

I hope this will be helpful for those planning to take the Eiken Pre-1st Grade, especially working professionals who have a decent TOEIC score but are taking the Eiken for the first time.

Primary Exam Results: Passed with a score 56 points above the passing threshold

First, the results of the primary exam were as follows.

Since the passing threshold for the primary exam was 1,792 points, I passed with a score 56 points above that.

It was by no means a comfortable pass, but considering I only had two weeks from returning home to the exam and could not secure enough preparation time as I will describe later, I am simply relieved for now.

On the other hand, looking at the skills, while Reading and Listening were B2, Writing was B1. Writing, which was my biggest source of anxiety before the exam, clearly emerged as a weakness.

My impression immediately after the exam was 'It all depends on the writing'

My feeling right after the exam was, 'Unless the writing is truly terrible, I should have passed overall.'

In Reading, there were several vocabulary questions I didn't know. On the other hand, I felt relatively confident about the long passages, and I had the sense that I had scored reasonably well overall.

In the listening section, I found Part 2 particularly difficult. It wasn't so much that I couldn't hear the words, but rather that I struggled to organize the information while listening to the longer English passages and then determine the correct answer choices.

My biggest concern was the writing section.

The English summary took longer than expected, so I had to write the subsequent essay all at once without creating a draft. By the time I finished, there was almost no time left, and I couldn't review it sufficiently.

Therefore, my honest impression immediately after the exam was, 'I seem to have reached the passing range in reading and listening, but if I lost a lot of points in writing, it might be tough.'

Looking at my actual scores, this feeling seems to have been quite accurate.

Reading: Struggled with vocabulary, but got 12 out of 13 questions correct on the long passages.

The breakdown of the reading section was as follows.

• Short passage vocabulary/phrase fill-in-the-blank: 12/18 questions

• Long passage vocabulary/phrase fill-in-the-blank: 6/6 questions

• Long passage content matching: 6/7 questions

In total, I got 24/31 questions correct.

I felt immediately after the exam that there were some vocabulary questions I didn't know, and I actually missed 6 questions.

Although I worked on a vocabulary book for Eiken Pre-1st Grade, I naturally couldn't master everything in two weeks. Still, by at least reviewing Eiken-specific vocabulary before the exam, I was able to secure 12/18 questions.

On the other hand, I got 12 out of 13 questions correct on the long passage questions.

I think the reading skills I acquired during my university entrance exam days were more useful here than my TOEIC preparation.

The long passages in Eiken Pre-1st Grade have a different atmosphere and theme compared to TOEIC. You need to read English passages on social and academic themes and follow the logic of the entire text, but I was quite exposed to this format during my university entrance exam days.

Of course, there was a long gap, but I felt that the reading method I acquired back then surprisingly remained.

Listening: Part 2, which I felt was difficult, indeed resulted in a lower score.

The breakdown of the listening section is as follows.

• Part 1 Conversation content matching selection: 9/12 questions

• Part 2 Content Matching Selection: 7/12 questions

• Part 3 Real-Life Format: 5/5 questions

In total, I answered 21/29 questions correctly.

Immediately after taking the exam, I felt that Part 2 was the most difficult.

I had to organize the content while listening to relatively long English passages, and even during the exam, I felt that I might have missed quite a few. Since the result was 7/12, my impression and the actual score were almost identical.

On the other hand, I was able to answer all 5 questions in Part 3 correctly.

Because I took the exam shortly after finishing my trip around the world and studying in Cebu, I had little resistance to listening to English, and I think it was a big factor that I was able to maintain a state where my ears were accustomed to English.

Even though I couldn't spend time on special listening preparation for Eiken Pre-1st Grade, I feel that the effect of continuing to listen to English during my travels helped me secure about 70%.

Writing: Lack of preparation was directly reflected in the score

Writing, which I was most anxious about, had the following results:

English Summary: 8/16 points

• Content: 1/4 points

• Structure: 3/4 points

• Vocabulary: 2/4 points

• Grammar: 2/4 points

English Composition: 11/16 points

• Content: 2/4 points

• Structure: 3/4 points

• Vocabulary: 3/4 points

• Grammar: 3/4 points

The total score was 19/32.

In my previous article, I planned to "solve at least two summary and essay writing tasks every day" to focus on my weak point, writing.

However, to be honest, I was not able to fully execute this plan.

After returning home, my job search was busier than expected, and all I could actually do was grasp the format of the summaries and essays and solve about two years' worth of past exam questions.

Although I avoided taking the exam without any preparation, I did not practice enough to make writing a source of points.

Looking at the scoring results, that lack of preparation is reflected quite clearly.

In particular, for the English summary, while I scored 3 points for structure, I only scored 1 point for content. Although I was able to organize the structure of the text to some extent, it is possible that I did not sufficiently capture the information necessary for the summary.

For the essay, I scored 3 points each for structure, vocabulary, and grammar, but only 2 points for content. I was able to write basic English sentences even without a draft, but I did not have time to refine the depth of the arguments or the persuasiveness regarding the questions.

From these results, I keenly felt that for writing, it is important not just to be able to write English sentences, but also to:

• accurately grasp the content required by the questions

• organize the content to be written in a short time

• decide on the time allocation for the summary and the essay

• ensure time for a final review

that these things are important.

The initial two-week strategy and what I was actually able to do

In my previous article, since I only had two weeks until the exam, I narrowed down my study materials to the following three.

Based on that, I decided to prioritize "vocabulary" and "writing" without pursuing individual measures for reading and listening, for which I was already scoring around 70%.

My actual progress was as follows:

• Vocabulary: I was able to make some progress, focusing on vocabulary specific to Eiken

• Writing: Grasping the format and solving about two years' worth of past questions

• Past Exams: Confirming the Actual Format and Time Allocation

I was not able to fully execute my initial plan.

Even so, I believe the direction of allocating my limited time to vocabulary and writing was correct. I secured the minimum required score in the vocabulary section, and by understanding the format for the writing section, I was able to avoid leaving it blank or falling significantly short of the word count.

On the other hand, it would not be appropriate to interpret this passing result as meaning that "anyone can pass the Eiken Pre-1st Grade exam if they study hard for two weeks."

In reality, it was largely supported by the foundational skills I had accumulated through TOEIC and university entrance exam preparation, and I feel that the two weeks of preparation were merely the minimum adjustment needed to align those foundational skills with the Eiken format.

Three reasons why I think I was able to pass in a short period

I believe there are three main reasons why I was able to pass the first stage exam despite not being able to secure sufficient preparation time.

1. My reading skills from my university entrance exam days remained

Being able to answer 12 out of 13 reading comprehension questions correctly was a major factor in my passing.

I think the speed of English processing I cultivated through TOEIC was also helpful, but in terms of compatibility with Eiken Pre-1st Grade reading passages, I feel that the experience of reading logical English texts during my university entrance exam preparation was more useful.

2. I had at least skimmed through Eiken-specific vocabulary

I didn't have time to memorize the vocabulary perfectly, but by going through a vocabulary book for Eiken Pre-1st Grade in advance, I was able to increase the number of words I recognized during the actual exam.

My score in the vocabulary section was only 12/18, but if I had taken the exam without any preparation, I might have lost even more points.

I felt that even for short-term preparation, it is worth going through an Eiken-specific vocabulary book at least once.

3. My ears were accustomed to English after traveling abroad

During my trip around the world and my study abroad in Cebu, I listened to and actually used English almost every day.

I wasn't necessarily used to the Eiken listening format itself, but I had no psychological resistance to listening to long English passages, and I think I was able to follow the content without panicking even when there were parts I couldn't catch. The timing of taking the exam right after returning to Japan also worked in my favor for this pass.

I have also written about my study content during my Cebu study abroad and my experience of not being able to speak well despite a high TOEIC score in the following article.

Even with a TOEIC 900, Eiken Pre-1st Grade preparation was necessary

What I felt again after taking the exam this time is that the skills required for TOEIC and Eiken Pre-1st Grade are quite different.

Even with a TOEIC score of 915, I struggled with the vocabulary specific to Eiken Pre-1st Grade, and I could not have handled the summary and essay writing sections without separate preparation.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that the English processing skills and listening foundation I cultivated through TOEIC allowed me to aim for a passing score even with short-term preparation.

I would like to compare these points in more detail in the future under the theme of "Differences between Eiken Pre-1st Grade and TOEIC."

Unable to take the second stage exam, planning to retry in September

I had planned to take the second stage exam after passing the first stage, but due to family circumstances, I was unable to head to the test venue on the day and could not take the exam.

Therefore, what I can report in this article is limited to passing the first stage exam.

My challenge for Eiken Pre-1st Grade is not over yet. I am currently considering taking the Eiken S-CBT exam in September.

Looking at my scores this time, while my reading and listening were at the B2 level, my writing was at the B1 level. Moving forward, in addition to speaking practice for the second stage exam, I want to develop the ability to quickly and logically construct my thoughts in English.

Conclusion: Even if things didn't go as planned, the challenge was worth it

It was a short battle of just two weeks after returning to Japan, but I was able to successfully pass the Eiken Pre-1st Grade first stage exam.

I was not able to carry out all the study plans I initially made, and significant challenges remain, especially in writing.

Even so, it was a great harvest to be able to confirm through concrete scores how far my current English ability goes and what I am lacking.

Regarding reading and listening, the English skills I have built up so far were effective to a certain extent. On the other hand, output skills such as writing and speaking need to be developed more intensively in the future.

Rather than just aiming to pass certification exams, I will aim for a state where I can quickly and logically convey my opinions in English in actual conversation and business situations.

I hope this result will be of some reference to those who are considering taking the Eiken Pre-1st Grade exam or those who are looking for their next goal after achieving a high TOEIC score.

Before taking this Eiken exam, I continued to study for TOEIC after becoming a working professional and raised my score from the 700s to 915. The study methods and materials I used at that time are summarized in detail in the following article.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.