TEAP explained: Japan's university-entrance English test, its two fee options, and why old papers do not exist
TEAP is the Test of English for Academic Purposes, run by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and built for Japanese university entrance. All of its questions are set in situations you meet at university, such as lectures, textbooks and emails about coursework.
Check your university first. Requirements differ, including which skills it wants and how the score reaches it. Everything below is from Eiken's own TEAP pages, read on 6 November 2026.
The four parts
Each skill is scored out of 100. Reading and Listening are taken together, as one sitting.
- Reading70 minutes, 60 multiple-choice questionsVocabulary, charts, notices and emails, short and long texts
- ListeningAbout 50 minutes, 50 multiple-choice questionsConversations and mini-lectures, some with charts
- Writing70 minutes, 2 tasksA summary of about 70 words, and an essay of about 200 words from several sources
- SpeakingAbout 10 minutes, 4 questionsOne-to-one with an examiner, recorded for marking
Scores
Each skill gives a score from 20 to 100, and the total runs from 80 to 400. The report also shows a CEFR level based on your score, study advice, and a separate CSE score.
The score your university sees is the TEAP score, in the top right of the report. Eiken says the CSE score is a guide for study and teaching.
The level: Eiken describes the difficulty as roughly Eiken Grade Pre-2 to Pre-1, and suited to Japanese high school students.
The two options and what they cost
All fees include tax. Read the requirement of each university you are applying to before you pick one.
- Four skills¥15,000Reading and Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Two skills¥6,000Reading and Listening only
Dates and places
There were three sittings in 2026: 19 July, 13 September and 22 November. Applications for 22 November closed in October, so check Eiken's schedule for the next year's dates.
It runs in 21 prefectures, not all at every sitting. Osaka had no September sitting in 2026, for example, while Tokyo and Fukuoka had all three. Look up your prefecture before you plan around a date.
TEAP CBT has ended. Eiken stopped holding the computer-based version after the 2024 school year and stopped reissuing its reports on 31 March 2026.
How long a score lasts, and how it reaches a university
A score is valid for the Japanese school year you earn it and the next one. That is two school years, not 24 months, so a score from July and one from the following March run out on the same day.
Results: Reading and Listening appear online about two weeks after the test, Writing and Speaking about three weeks after, and the paper report is posted after about five weeks.
Nothing goes to a university automatically. Eiken says scores reach a university if you submit them, or if you give the university your test number and it asks Eiken for them.
Our reading: since either route can apply, the method is a question for the admissions office, and it is worth asking well before the deadline. A reissued report costs ¥1,200 and usually takes one week to ten days after payment.
Preparing without past papers
Eiken does not publish past papers. Test booklets are collected after each sitting, and it points candidates to the sample questions on its site.
Our reading: a book or course that sells real past TEAP papers deserves a hard look. The Writing tasks are the part to practise with a person, since a summary and a multi-source essay are marked by trained raters, and so is the recorded Speaking interview.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Booking the ¥6,000 option to save money without checking.
Reading each university's requirement first.
The two-skill option covers Reading and Listening only, and universities set their own requirements.
Assuming your score reaches the university by itself.
Asking the admissions office which route it uses.
Eiken does not send scores automatically.
Counting 24 months from the test date.
Counting the school year of the test plus the next one.
Validity is set by school year, not by the date you sat the test.
Questions
What is a good TEAP score?
There is no pass mark. Each university sets the score or band it wants, so look at the admissions guide for your department.
How much does TEAP cost?
¥15,000 for all four skills and ¥6,000 for Reading and Listening only, tax included, as listed for 2026.
How long is a TEAP score valid?
For the school year in which you earned it and the following school year.
Are there TEAP past papers?
No. Eiken collects the booklets after the test and publishes sample questions on its site instead.
Can I still take TEAP CBT?
No. Eiken ended the computer-based version after the 2024 school year.
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