JLPT December 2026 Exam Day: Date, Timetable, What to Bring and Results

The second JLPT of 2026 is on Sunday 6 December. jlpt.jp lists it on its test sections page and in its FAQ: "In 2026, the tests will be conducted on Sunday, July 5 and Sunday, December 6." This guide covers all five levels: the official timetable, the short list of things you may bring, the rules that can cost a result before a single answer is marked, a plan for the last week, and when results come out. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the Japan Foundation or Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES), which run the JLPT (JEES in Japan, the Japan Foundation overseas with local host institutions). Every date, time and rule here is quoted or summarised from jlpt.jp, JEES, the Japan Foundation's 2026 Test Guide and the host institutions named, read on 27 October 2026.

jlpt.jp test sections page; JEES December 2026 guidelines; Japan Foundation 2026 Test Guide. Read 27 Oct 2026.

jlpt.jp sets the answer time for each test section. N1 and N2 have two test sections (Language Knowledge and Reading together, then Listening); N3, N4 and N5 have three, because vocabulary is tested on its own first. jlpt.jp explains why: at those levels, putting vocabulary, grammar and reading in one section "may inadvertently provide hints for answers".

jlpt.jp adds that "The time allotted for the Listening section may differ slightly according to the length of the recorded materials." The answer sheet is marked by machine, and the FAQ says "There are four choices for most questions, although some "Listening" questions have only three choices." There is no speaking or writing test.

JEES, which runs the test in Japan, published its December 2026 guidelines on 14 July 2026. N1 and N2 are in the morning: "Test room opens from 8:30 to 9:10. Test starts at 9:10." N3, N4 and N5 are in the afternoon: "Test room opens from 14:30 to 15:10. Test starts at 15:10."

The test hours are longer than the answer times because, in JEES's words, "Test hours include instruction time etc, in addition to the actual answer time." You do not leave at the last bell either: "After the test, examinees must wait for proctors to finish counting the question booklets and the answer sheets for about 20 min." And the clock is the room's: "Test time, shall be according to the watch of the test proctor of each classroom." In Japan, JEES mails vouchers by 20 November 2026 and shows them on MyJLPT from 17 November.

Outside Japan, the Japan Foundation runs the JLPT with local host institutions, and each host sets its own reporting and start times. Some cities hold only the July test, so check that your city is listed for December on jlpt.jp. What the hosts below had published when we read their pages on 27 October 2026:

AATJ also requires, in its 2026 rules, a current government-issued photo ID printed in English that matches your registration name, and says copies are not accepted. Examinees under 18 may instead show a current student ID with their name and photograph, and if the name on your ID differs from your registration name you must also bring a court-certified document of the legal name change. If your voucher or admit card has not arrived by mid-November, contact your host then rather than in the last week: in Japan, JEES says to print the voucher from the MyJLPT "Check and Modify JLPT Application" screen if it does not arrive.

The Japan Foundation's 2026 Test Guide, the guide issued to examinees worldwide, is short on this: "You may only bring the Test Voucher, writing utensils" (medium-soft No.2, HB, B or 2B black-lead pencils and a plastic eraser) and photo identification such as a passport or driving licence, or other official identification your host specifies. It adds: "You will not be allowed to take the test if you forget to bring your photo identification to the test site."

In the United States, AATJ's rules list the only things allowed on your desk: "test booklet, answer sheet, pencils, erasers, test voucher, and photo ID." There is no scratch paper; you may use the margins of the test booklet.

Devices are the other common way to lose a result. The Test Guide lists as misconduct a phone or other device that is not off until the end of the test, with two examples: "A mobile phone or watch alarm (including smartwatches) sounds or vibrates during the test" and "When the power is turned ON during a break time". It also warns that, for young examinees, "even actions such as looking at electronic devices used by visitors (such as parents) during the break time will be regarded as misconduct". You may not take the question booklet or answer sheet out of the room, photograph them, or share questions or listening audio afterwards, "(including after the test)".

This plan is our advice, not an official schedule. The idea at every level: one full rehearsal at your level's real section times and your real start time, then review only your own mistakes, so 6 December holds no surprises.

On 5 December at every level: check the voucher or admit card, the ID you will bring, the pencils and eraser, the route and the reporting time. Then sleep normally.

The Japan Foundation's 2026 Test Guide says online results "will be available on the JLPT website at https://www.jlpt.jp/e/ by around the end of January 2027"; you need the registration number and passcode from your application. In Japan, JEES says results appear on MyJLPT "from late January 2027", with the official results and certificates mailed in late February 2027. Outside Japan, the Test Guide says every examinee is issued a "Certificate of Result and Scores" through their host institution "by the middle of March, 2027". No exact results day for this sitting was published when we read jlpt.jp on 27 October 2026; for December 2025, the results page announced them "from 10:00 AM on Friday, January 30, 2026".

To pass, jlpt.jp requires the total to reach the level's overall pass mark and every scoring section to reach its sectional pass mark; our N2 pass mark guide has the N1 and N2 figures and a checker. jlpt.jp holds the test twice a year, in July and December, but it had not published any 2027 date when we read it on 27 October 2026.