# JFT-Basic question types Every JFT-Basic question type, with the category number the Japan Foundation gives it, what it tests, worked items you can attempt, and the mistakes that cost marks. Formats come from the Japan Foundation's own test description. ## The four sections at a glance The JFT-Basic is one computer-based sitting of 60 minutes with around 50 questions, split across four sections of around 12 questions each: Script and Vocabulary, Conversation and Expression, Listening Comprehension, and Reading Comprehension. Inside those four sections the Japan Foundation names eleven categories, and those categories are what this page lists. Every figure here is from the Japan Foundation's own pages and its "About the JFT-Basic" deck, checked 27 September 2026. - **Total questions:** Around 50 - **Sections:** 4, around 12 questions each - **Categories:** 11, named by the Japan Foundation - **Time:** 60 minutes for the whole test - **Scale:** 10-250 - **A2, the SSW level:** 200 and above > The 60 minutes runs across all four sections. There is no separate clock per section, so minutes spent re-reading a vocabulary item are minutes taken from Reading Comprehension at the end. ## Every JFT-Basic question type in one table All eleven side by side, with the number the Japan Foundation gives each one. Its own deck is the only place these are published, and it prints them without a contents page. | Question type | Category | Section | What it tests | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Word Meaning](/jft-basic/question-types/word-meaning) | 1-1 | Script and Vocabulary | The meaning of a word | | [Word Usage](/jft-basic/question-types/word-usage) | 1-2 | Script and Vocabulary | The usage of a word | | [Kanji Reading](/jft-basic/question-types/kanji-reading) | 1-3 | Script and Vocabulary | The hiragana pronunciation of a word written in kanji | | [Kanji Meaning and Usage](/jft-basic/question-types/kanji-meaning-and-usage) | 1-4 | Script and Vocabulary | The meaning and usage of a word written in kanji | | [Grammar](/jft-basic/question-types/grammar) | 2-1 | Conversation and Expression | Grammar that matches the context | | [Expression](/jft-basic/question-types/expression) | 2-2 | Conversation and Expression | Expressions that match the context | | [Comprehending Content (conversation)](/jft-basic/question-types/listening-conversation) | 3-1 | Listening Comprehension | Understanding a conversation between two people | | [Comprehending Content (shops and public places)](/jft-basic/question-types/listening-shops-and-public-places) | 3-2 | Listening Comprehension | Understanding an exchange at a shop or public place | | [Comprehending Content (announcements and instructions)](/jft-basic/question-types/listening-announcements) | 3-3 | Listening Comprehension | Understanding announcements and instructions | | [Comprehending Content](/jft-basic/question-types/reading-comprehending-content) | 4-1 | Reading Comprehension | Reading a short and simple letter or message | | [Information Search](/jft-basic/question-types/information-search) | 4-2 | Reading Comprehension | Finding information in an everyday notice or document | *Compiled by Testmigo from the Japan Foundation's "About the JFT-Basic" deck, checked 27 September 2026. Category numbers are the Japan Foundation's own.* ## What the test lets you do, and what it does not The JFT-Basic gives you more room than IELTS or PTE in two places and less in one, and all three are worth knowing before test day rather than during it. - **The audio plays twice.** Listening Comprehension lets you play each recording up to two times. IELTS and PTE play theirs once. - **The question instructions can be in your own language.** English, Nepali, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Mongolian, Myanmar, Thai and Chinese are one group; Uzbek, Bengali, Lao and Malay are the other. The Japanese being tested stays in Japanese. - **You cannot go back to a finished section.** Inside a section you may review and change answers, but once you move on that section is closed. In Listening Comprehension you cannot even move between questions. ## How to practice a question type Eleven categories is a short list, and the test is short too. The practical order is by section rather than by category, because the section is where your score is decided and where the clock runs out. 1. Sit one full mock to see which of the four sections is holding your total below 200. Guessing at it usually points at Listening when the problem is Kanji Reading. 2. Drill the weak section's categories in sets of ten, untimed, until you can say why each wrong option was wrong. 3. Put the whole 60 minutes back. Pacing across four sections on one clock is its own skill, and it is the one a category drill cannot teach. 4. Retest and compare section by section. The [JFT-Basic score checker](/jft-basic/score-checker) turns a total into its level band and says how far 200 still is. ## Common questions ### How many question types are on the JFT-Basic? Eleven, which the Japan Foundation calls categories: four in Script and Vocabulary, two in Conversation and Expression, three in Listening Comprehension and two in Reading Comprehension. They are published in the "About the JFT-Basic" deck rather than on the website. ### How many questions are in each JFT-Basic section? Around 12 per section, for around 50 in the test. The Japan Foundation does not publish a count for each category, so treat any per-category number you see elsewhere as a guess. ### Can I go back and change an answer on the JFT-Basic? Within a section, yes, and you can flag a question to come back to. Once you move to the next section the previous one is closed. Listening Comprehension is stricter still: you cannot move between its questions at all. ### Do I need all four sections to pass? There is no per-section pass mark. The 10-250 score is a total, and A2 starts at 200, so a weak section can be carried by the other three. It is still the cheapest place to find points. **Sources** - [The Japan Foundation: about the JFT-Basic (checked 27 September 2026)](https://www.jpf.go.jp/jft-basic/e/about/index.html) - [The Japan Foundation: About the JFT-Basic, test structure and categories (PDF)](https://www.jpf.go.jp/jft-basic/e/about/pdf/describing_en.pdf) - [The Japan Foundation: JFT-Basic FAQ (checked 27 September 2026)](https://www.jpf.go.jp/jft-basic/e/faq/index.html) - [Word Meaning](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/word-meaning) - [Word Usage](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/word-usage) - [Kanji Reading](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/kanji-reading) - [Kanji Meaning and Usage](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/kanji-meaning-and-usage) - [Grammar](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/grammar) - [Expression](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/expression) - [Comprehending Content (conversation)](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/listening-conversation) - [Comprehending Content (shops and public places)](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/listening-shops-and-public-places) - [Comprehending Content (announcements and instructions)](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/listening-announcements) - [Comprehending Content](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/reading-comprehending-content) - [Information Search](https://testmigo.com/jft-basic/question-types/information-search)