Skip to main content
RUOK

Association to Generalize Utilization of Generative AI (GUGA)

Generative AI Passport

The Generative AI Passport is an online exam run by the Association to Generalize Utilization of Generative AI (GUGA) that tests basic literacy in generative AI. The syllabus covers how AI and machine learning work, how generative AI came about and where it stands today, compliance topics including Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information, intellectual property rights and the AI Guidelines for Business, and worked examples of prompt writing. The exam is 60 minutes and 60 questions, in four-option multiple choice with some questions taking more than one answer. It runs five times a year, in February, April, June, August and October, and candidates sit it from home or anywhere else they choose at any time during the exam window. There are no eligibility requirements. Those who pass receive a certificate and an Open Badges-compliant digital badge, and the qualification does not expire. GUGA does not disclose the passing score.

Official page

Who takes it

  • Employees who have started using generative AI at work and want to be able to judge for themselves where the lines are on information leakage and copyright
  • People responsible for writing internal rules or guidelines on generative AI use (general affairs, IT, legal, HR)
  • Students, who pay a reduced fee of JPY 5,500, looking for something concrete to point to on AI literacy in job applications
  • Managers who want to raise generative AI literacy across a team (group bookings are discounted)
  • People who know AI terminology in pieces but have never put it into a structure

What it lets you do

  • Passing brings an open badge as well as a certificate. It is a digital credential compliant with Open Badges, the international technical standard of the 1EdTech Consortium, and can be shown as a record of learning.
  • The syllabus runs in one line from AI fundamentals through how generative AI works, current developments, laws and guidelines, to worked prompt examples, so knowledge picked up in fragments gets rearranged into a structure.
  • Chapter 4 covers the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, intellectual property rights, the AI Guidelines for Business (version 1.1) and Japan's new AI law, giving you guideline- and statute-level grounding for what not to do with generative AI at work.
  • The qualification does not expire and renewal is not mandatory. When the syllabus is revised, an optional Generative AI Passport renewal test is offered (JPY 6,600 tax included; roughly two hours of video plus a 10-question check test).
  • It is delivered online as IBT, so you can sit it from home at whatever time suits you during the exam window.

The exam

As published by Association to Generalize Utilization of Generative AI (GUGA). Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
60 questions
Time
60 minutes
Pass mark
Not published by the exam body. GUGA states in its FAQ that it does not disclose the passing score or the details of how answers are scored.
Fee
JPY 11,000 (tax included). JPY 5,500 (tax included) for students. Group bookings receive a 20% discount for GUGA members, and a 10% discount for non-members applying for 10 or more people.
Format
Delivered online (IBT, Internet Based Testing). Four-option multiple choice, with some questions taking more than one answer. Sat on a PC, smartphone, tablet or similar device. Dual displays and translation tools are not allowed, and the exam may not be sat in a public space such as a cafe or park.
Languages
Japanese (the exam guide, syllabus and official textbook are all in Japanese. GUGA advises that using a translation tool stops the exam screen from working correctly)
When it runs
Five times a year (February, April, June, August, October). Each session's exam window runs from 00:00 on the 1st to 23:59 on the last day of that month, and candidates sit the exam at a time of their choosing within it. Applications open on the 1st of the month two months before the exam month and close at the end of the preceding month (for the February session, October 1 to January 31). Results are notified on the member page within one month of the end of the exam window.
Validity and renewal
No expiry. GUGA states explicitly that once obtained the qualification does not expire, whether or not the holder takes the renewal test.

How hard it is

The pass rate for the June 2026 session was 79.90% (21,752 candidates, 17,380 passing), and for the April 2026 session 79.35% (9,436 candidates, 7,487 passing). Recent pass rates have been running around 80%. Note, though, that GUGA does not disclose the passing score, so it is not possible to work backwards from the pass rate to what proportion of correct answers is needed.

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. GUGA does not publish a standard study time. The official learning materials are the syllabus (PDF) and the fourth edition of the official textbook (JPY 1,782 for the e-book, JPY 1,980 in print, both tax included). Study-time figures quoted in commercial study guides and courses are those publishers' own estimates, not figures from the exam body.

Syllabus

  • Chapter 1: AI (artificial intelligence)
  • Chapter 2: Generative AI
  • Chapter 3: Current trends in generative AI
  • Chapter 4: Information literacy, guiding principles and the Social Principles of AI
  • Chapter 5: Prompt writing and worked examples for text-generation AI

Our apps and books for this exam

  • Seisei AI Passport Goukaku Taisaku Drill

    Japanese only

    Generative AI Passport (GUGA, Japan) exam drills

    This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.

    Download on the App Store

Questions people ask

What is the pass mark?
It is not published. GUGA states in its FAQ that it does not disclose the passing score or the details of how answers are scored. Figures of the form "you need X percent" that appear in commercial study guides and summary articles do not come from the exam body, so do not take them at face value.
Does the qualification expire? Do I have to take the renewal test?
The qualification does not expire. GUGA revises the syllabus at least once a year, normally in February, and holds a Generative AI Passport renewal test for existing holders at that point (JPY 6,600 tax included, JPY 3,300 tax included for students; roughly two hours of video plus a 10-question check test with a 15-minute limit). Taking it is optional, and the qualification does not lapse if you skip it. Those who take and pass it are issued a new open badge.
It is an online exam sat at home. Are there conditions on the environment?
Yes. You supply your own internet-connected PC, smartphone or similar device, and a stable connection of at least 5 Mbps is recommended. Multiple monitors including dual displays are not allowed; nothing may be on the desk apart from items such as hygiene products, and writing implements are prohibited. Sitting the exam in a public space such as a cafe or park is also not allowed. Translation tools such as Google Translate stop the exam screen from working correctly and must be turned off before you start.
When and how do I get my result, and what do I receive if I pass?
You are notified on the member page within one month of the end of the exam window; the FAQ also says results are scheduled to be published in the middle of the month following the exam month. Successful candidates receive a certificate and an Open Badges-compliant digital badge that uses blockchain.
Which textbook should I study from? Is the official quiz app useful preparation?
The exam scope is the syllabus GUGA publishes (the fourth edition, applied from the February 2026 session), and an official textbook covering it is on sale (JPY 1,782 for the e-book, JPY 1,980 in print, both tax included). GUGA also offers a "Generative AI Passport AI quiz app" through its official LINE account, but GUGA itself notes that its questions are true/false rather than the four-option format of the real exam, and that because questions are served at random there is no guarantee the syllabus is covered. GUGA recommends using it alongside the official textbook and question books.

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.

Related certifications

Back to all exam prep apps →

Our security policy, terms of use and privacy policy are published in Japanese.

Information security policyTerms & privacy