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Japan Medical Management Practice Association (general incorporated association)

Iryo Keieishi Grade 3 (Healthcare Management Professional, Grade 3)

Iryo Keieishi Grade 3 is the entry point to the Healthcare Management Professional system run by the Japan Medical Management Practice Association. The official exam page sets out no eligibility restrictions; it simply lists the main audiences as healthcare workers, people employed by healthcare-related services and companies, and students. The paper is 50 five-option multiple-choice questions on a mark sheet in 80 minutes, and the passing standard is stated openly as roughly 60% of the total score. Nine subjects are examined: the history of healthcare management, Japanese health policy and regional healthcare systems, Japanese healthcare law, how hospitals are organised and how professional bodies and academic societies came about, the history of clinical specialties and advances in medical technology, healthcare-related services in Japan, patients and healthcare services, medical and clinical ethics, and recent trends and current affairs in healthcare. Passing on its own does not confer the title: candidates who then register with the association as full members may call themselves Iryo Keieishi, and a Grade 3 pass is also what makes you eligible for Grade 2.

Official page

Who takes it

  • Administrative staff and medical affairs staff at hospitals and clinics
  • Nurses, pharmacists, clinical laboratory technologists and other clinical professionals who want a grip on the terminology and rules the management side works with
  • Sales and planning staff at companies serving healthcare institutions — pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare-related services
  • Students of healthcare or management (students are listed officially among the main audiences)
  • Anyone aiming at Iryo Keieishi Grade 2, for which a Grade 3 pass is the precondition

What it lets you do

  • No eligibility restrictions are set out on the official page, so you can sit the exam without belonging to a healthcare institution
  • Once you have passed and completed individual full member registration, you may print "Iryo Keieishi Grade 3" (or "Iryo Keieishi" plus your Grade 3 registration number) on your business card; it is a protected title
  • It makes you eligible for Grade 2, which requires a Grade 3 pass and full member registration
  • The nine subjects run from the history of healthcare management through health policy, healthcare law, medical ethics and current affairs, so knowledge of the system picked up in fragments gets checked as one connected body
  • The February sitting is announced as an IBT (internet-based test), so there is a sitting each year that can be taken without travelling to a venue
  • Individual full members receive the journal Riron to Jissen (Theory and Practice), the monthly MMS News, a 20% discount on association-recommended books, and discounts on seminars

The exam

As published by Japan Medical Management Practice Association (general incorporated association). Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
50 questions
Time
80 minutes (the June and October venue-based sittings) / 70 minutes (the IBT sitting held in February at the end of each fiscal year)
Pass mark
Roughly 60% of the total score (official wording: "The passing standard for the Iryo Keieishi Grade 3 certification exam is roughly 60% of the total score")
Fee
JPY 9,100 (tax included). Handling and system fees are charged separately
Format
Five-option multiple choice, answered on a mark sheet, at a venue (the 49th sitting runs 10:00 to 11:20). The February sitting, however, is announced as an IBT (internet-based test)
Languages
Japanese
When it runs
Three times a year (June, October, February). In fiscal 2026 the 48th sitting was held on Sunday 14 June 2026, the 49th is on Sunday 18 October 2026, and the 50th is on Sunday 14 February 2027 as an IBT. Venue-based sittings are held in ten cities: Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Fukuoka and Okinawa
Validity and renewal
Certified Iryo Keieishi renew every three years, applying through the prescribed procedure (association page "From the exam to joining the association")

How hard it is

Official figures for the 48th sitting (held in 2026): 935 candidates, 427 passed, a pass rate of 45.7%. Recent sittings have run between roughly 40% and 50% — 40.1% (46th), 49.4% (47th), 45.7% (48th) (source: the association's "Grade 3 candidate numbers over time").

How long people study

...instead points candidates to its recommended Iryo Keieishi Textbook Series (the "introductory" volumes correspond to Grade 3).

Syllabus

  • 1. The history of healthcare management
  • 2. Japanese health policy and regional healthcare systems
  • 3. Japanese healthcare law
  • 4. How hospitals are organised / how professional bodies and academic societies came about
  • 5. The history of clinical specialties and advances in medical technology
  • 6. Healthcare-related services in Japan
  • 7. Patients and healthcare services
  • 8. Medical ethics and clinical ethics
  • 9. Recent trends and current affairs in healthcare

Our apps and books for this exam

  • Iryo Keieishi Level 3 Goukaku Taisaku Drill

    Japanese only

    Iryo Keieishi (Healthcare Management Professional) Level 3 exam drills

    This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.

    Download on the App Store

  • 医療経営士3級 攻略ブック

    Japanese only — the book is written in Japanese.

    Available at Amazon

Questions people ask

Can anyone sit the exam?
The official exam overview page sets out no eligibility restrictions. It lists only the "main audiences": healthcare workers, people employed by healthcare-related services or companies, and students. There is no prior qualification or membership requirement of the kind Grade 2 has.
Once I pass, can I call myself an Iryo Keieishi straight away?
No. After passing you register as an individual full member, paying the registration fee and annual dues (JPY 11,000 each), submit three documents — a registration application, a written pledge and a CV — and pass the certification screening. Once registered you receive a certificate and may print, for example, "Iryo Keieishi Grade 3 (registration number 00000000000000)" on your business card.
Can I take the exam at home?
It depends on the sitting. Sittings are normally held on mark sheets at ten venues (Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Kanazawa, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Fukuoka, Okinawa), but the association's exam schedule lists the February sittings as IBT, internet-based tests (the 47th on 15 February 2026 and the 50th on 14 February 2027). The specific requirements for the IBT testing environment have to be checked in the application guide for each sitting.
Does the credential expire?
Yes. The association states that certified Iryo Keieishi are on a three-year renewal cycle and that an application under the prescribed procedure is required.
Are there costs beyond the exam fee?
On top of the exam fee of JPY 9,100 (tax included), handling and system fees are charged separately. And to be certified and use the Iryo Keieishi title you need individual full membership, with a registration fee and annual dues of JPY 11,000 each.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

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