What is the pass mark?

It is not published in advance. The examination guide states that the pass marks are set for the total score of each of the selection-format and multiple-choice sections and for each subject within them, and are published on the results announcement day, and that enquiries about the pass standard will not be answered for any reason.

I have heard this is an examination you pass with 70%. Is that true?

That was the starting point, but it is no longer fixed. According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare material, a pass mark of 70% of the marks available (28 of 40 for the selection format, 49 of 70 for the multiple choice) was set in FY2000, and since then it has been adjusted each year in the light of average scores and the distribution of marks. At the 57th examination it was 22 for the selection format and 42 for the multiple choice.

If my total score is above the standard, do I pass?

No. You also have to reach the pass mark for each subject, and falling below on any one of them is a fail. At the 57th examination the mark for employment insurance in the multiple-choice section was lowered to 3 or more, and the marks for industrial accident compensation insurance, general knowledge of labor and general knowledge of social insurance in the selection-format section were lowered to 2 or more.

Can anyone sit the examination?

No. You have to meet one of the requirements based on education, practical experience or a pass in a national examination recognised by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and proof of eligibility is required when you apply. The details are set out in the eligibility table in the examination guide.

Do I become a Sharoushi as soon as I pass?

No. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's announcement of results states that a person who has passed and who has either worked for two years or more in the administration of labor and social insurance legislation or completed training designated by the Minister becomes a Sharoushi by being entered on the Sharoushi register kept by the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations.

Examination Center of the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations (a national examination under Article 10 of the Act on Public Consultants on Social and Labour Insurance; results are announced jointly with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Sharoushi Examination (national qualifying examination for Labor and Social Security Attorneys)

The Sharoushi examination is a national examination held under Article 10 of the Act on Public Consultants on Social and Labour Insurance. Examination administration is handled by the Examination Center of the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations, and the results are announced jointly with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. It is held once a year, on a Sunday in late August. The morning paper is the selection-format section (80 minutes, 8 subjects, 8 questions, 40 points) and the afternoon paper the multiple-choice section (210 minutes, 7 subjects, 70 questions, 70 points). The syllabus runs from the Labor Standards Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act through industrial accident compensation insurance, employment insurance and labor insurance premium collection, general knowledge of labor and of social insurance, and on to health insurance, employees' pension insurance and the national pension. The pass marks are not fixed in advance: they are set each year for the total score of each section and for each subject within them, and are published on the day the results are announced. Sitting the examination requires eligibility based on education, practical experience or another qualification.

Official page

Who takes it

People in HR, labor relations or payroll who need to check the underlying provisions of the law before making a decision
People considering a job or a move to a Sharoushi practice or corporation
People running general affairs single-handedly at a small or medium company, who are left to judge working-hour management and social insurance procedures
People who want a national qualification in labor and social insurance with a view to setting up on their own in future
People at consulting firms that handle labor relations advice, where a qualification is expected to support the advice given

What it lets you do

It is a national examination under Article 10 of the Act on Public Consultants on Social and Labour Insurance. After passing, a person becomes a Sharoushi by either working for two years or more in the administration of labor and social insurance legislation or completing training designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and then being entered on the Sharoushi register.
Labor law and social insurance law are covered as a single examination scope, from the Labor Standards Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act to the Health Insurance Act, the Employees' Pension Insurance Act and the National Pension Act.
The multiple-choice section also draws on the Act on Collection of Premiums on Labor Insurance within the industrial accident compensation insurance and employment insurance subjects, so the scope overlaps with everyday payroll and social insurance work.
Both the selection-format and the multiple-choice sections have per-subject pass marks, so the examination is designed so that being strong in one area alone will not carry a candidate through.
The admission ticket can be used as proof of eligibility for the following sittings (the 59th to the 61st Sharoushi examinations), which lightens the paperwork for a re-sit.

The exam

As published by Examination Center of the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations (a national examination under Article 10 of the Act on Public Consultants on Social and Labour Insurance; results are announced jointly with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions: Selection-format section: 8 questions (8 subjects, 40 points). Multiple-choice section: 70 questions (7 subjects, 70 points).
Time: Selection-format section 80 minutes (10:30–11:50), multiple-choice section 210 minutes (13:20–16:50)
Pass mark: Not published by the exam body (no fixed pass mark is given in advance). The pass marks are set for the total score of the selection-format section, the total score of the multiple-choice section, and for each subject within them, and are published on the results announcement day. A candidate who falls short on any one of them fails. For reference, at the 57th examination (FY2025) the totals were 22 or more for the selection-format section and 42 or more for the multiple-choice section, and the per-subject minimums were also adjusted downward.
Fee: JPY 15,000 (tax exempt). Payment handling charges are additional and borne by the applicant (JPY 418 for online applications, JPY 203 for postal applications, among others).
Format: Written examination (a selection-format section and a multiple-choice section)
Languages: Japanese
When it runs: Once a year, on a Sunday in late August. The 58th examination (FY2026) is on Sunday 23 August 2026, with results announced on Thursday 1 October 2026. Applications are accepted from 13 April to 31 May 2026.
Validity and renewal: A pass has no expiry. However, to become a Sharoushi a person must either have two years or more of experience in the administration of labor and social insurance legislation or have completed training designated by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and then be entered on the Sharoushi register kept by the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations.

How hard it is

At the 57th examination (FY2025) there were 53,618 applicants, 43,421 candidates and 2,376 passes, a pass rate of 5.5% (6.9% the year before). The pass marks are also adjusted each year: at the 57th they were a total of 22 or more out of 40 for the selection-format section and 42 or more out of 70 for the multiple-choice section.

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. Neither the Examination Center nor the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states an expected study time. Preparatory schools commonly cite a rough figure of about 800 to 1,000 hours, but that is not a published figure.

Syllabus

Labor Standards Act and Industrial Safety and Health ActSelection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points)
Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (including the Act on Collection of Premiums on Labor Insurance)Selection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points; questions 8 to 10, three in all, come from the premium collection act)
Employment Insurance Act (including the Act on Collection of Premiums on Labor Insurance)Selection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points; questions 8 to 10, three in all, come from the premium collection act)
General knowledge of labor, including labor managementSelection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points)
General knowledge of social insuranceSelection format 1 question (5 points)
Health Insurance ActSelection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points)
Employees' Pension Insurance ActSelection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points)
National Pension ActSelection format 1 question (5 points) / multiple choice 10 questions (10 points)

Our apps and books for this exam

Sharoushi Joubun de Goukaku
Japanese only
Sharoushi (Labor and Social Security Attorney) exam study through statute text
This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.
Sharoushi Shikaku Shiken Taisaku Enshu App
Japanese only
Practice app for the Sharoushi (Labor and Social Security Attorney) exam
This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.

Questions people ask

What is the pass mark?: It is not published in advance. The examination guide states that the pass marks are set for the total score of each of the selection-format and multiple-choice sections and for each subject within them, and are published on the results announcement day, and that enquiries about the pass standard will not be answered for any reason.
I have heard this is an examination you pass with 70%. Is that true?: That was the starting point, but it is no longer fixed. According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare material, a pass mark of 70% of the marks available (28 of 40 for the selection format, 49 of 70 for the multiple choice) was set in FY2000, and since then it has been adjusted each year in the light of average scores and the distribution of marks. At the 57th examination it was 22 for the selection format and 42 for the multiple choice.
If my total score is above the standard, do I pass?: No. You also have to reach the pass mark for each subject, and falling below on any one of them is a fail. At the 57th examination the mark for employment insurance in the multiple-choice section was lowered to 3 or more, and the marks for industrial accident compensation insurance, general knowledge of labor and general knowledge of social insurance in the selection-format section were lowered to 2 or more.
Can anyone sit the examination?: No. You have to meet one of the requirements based on education, practical experience or a pass in a national examination recognised by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and proof of eligibility is required when you apply. The details are set out in the eligibility table in the examination guide.
Do I become a Sharoushi as soon as I pass?: No. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's announcement of results states that a person who has passed and who has either worked for two years or more in the administration of labor and social insurance legislation or completed training designated by the Minister becomes a Sharoushi by being entered on the Sharoushi register kept by the Japan Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorney's Associations.

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.

社会保険労務士試験オフィシャルサイト｜社会保険労務士試験の概要sharosi-siken.or.jp · in Japanese
第58回（令和8年度）社会保険労務士試験受験案内sharosi-siken.or.jp · in Japanese
厚生労働省｜第57回社会保険労務士試験の合格者発表mhlw.go.jp · in Japanese
第57回社会保険労務士試験の合格者発表sharosi-siken.or.jp · in Japanese
厚生労働省｜［参考1］社会保険労務士試験の合格基準の考え方について（PDF）mhlw.go.jp · in Japanese
厚生労働省｜［参考2］第57回（令和7年度）社会保険労務士試験の合格基準について（PDF）mhlw.go.jp · in Japanese

Related certifications

Chusho Kigyo Shindanshi Examination (Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant; First Examination and Second Examination)Japan Federation of Certified Management Consultants' Associations (JF-CMCA), the testing body designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (the legal basis is Article 12 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Support Act; the implementation rules are published by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency)

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