When Did Successful Medical School Applicants Start Studying Seriously? Revealed by a Takeda Juku Ishinkan Survey!
The medical school prep school 'Takeda Juku Ishinkan' conducted a survey of successful medical school applicants regarding the timing of when they intensified their exam studies, interview preparation, and prep school attendance. The survey revealed that the most common time to start serious study was 'after becoming a ronin' (36.4%), and a significant portion (31.8%) 'did not specifically prepare for interviews', indicating a disparity in preparation awareness.
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The medical school preparatory school 'Takeda Juku Ishinkan' (https://takeda-medical.jp/) conducted a questionnaire survey of successful medical school applicants regarding the timing of when they began to seriously focus on their entrance exam studies, interview preparation, and prep school attendance.
This survey clarified when successful applicants intensified their exam studies, as well as the timing of their interview preparation and use of prep schools. The results provide insights into the challenges faced by examinees and effective learning strategies.
When reprinting or citing this content, please clearly state the source and be sure to include the official page URL (https://takeda-medical.jp/).
■ Time of Starting Serious Exam Study
According to the graph above, the most common time to start serious exam study was 'After starting ronin (post-high school study)' (36.4%), followed by 'Third year of high school' (27.3%).
This data shows that while a certain number of students begin serious preparation from an early stage during their active high school years for medical school exams, the most common case is to shift to serious exam study after starting ronin.
Particularly because medical school entrance exams require a high level of academic ability, there is a strong tendency to build a foundation during high school and then conduct intensive preparation during the ronin period.
On the other hand, about 30% of the students started serious study from their first or second year of high school, a result that shows the importance of early preparation.
■ Time of Starting Interview Preparation
Next, regarding the time of starting interview preparation, according to the graph above, the most common answer was 'Did not specifically prepare for interviews' (31.8%). This was followed by 'Summer of third year of high school' (13.6%), 'Fall of third year of high school' (13.6%), and 'Immediately before the exam in the third year of high school' (13.6%) at the same rate.
This data reveals that a certain number of medical school examinees prioritize written exam preparation and do not allocate sufficient time for interview preparation.
Meanwhile, there is also a group that starts interview preparation in stages after the summer of their third year of high school, showing a tendency to prepare as the actual exam approaches.
As medical school entrance exams place importance not only on academic ability but also on character evaluation, the significance of planning interview preparation in parallel with written exam prep was also suggested by these results.
■ Time of Starting to Attend a Medical School Prep School
According to the graph above, the percentage of respondents who answered 'Did not attend a medical school prep school' was the highest at 45.5%. This was followed by 'After starting ronin' (22.7%), 'Second year of high school' (13.6%), and 'Third year of high school' (9.1%).
This data shows that half of the successful medical school applicants study at a 'medical school prep school' to achieve success.
On the other hand, for the group that did not attend a medical school prep school, it is assumed that there are two main patterns: those who attended a regular prep school not specialized in medicine, and those who studied mainly on their own or through their high school.
■ Trends in Medical School Entrance Exams Seen from the Survey Results
The results above have revealed that there are significant differences among examinees in terms of 'the timing of starting serious preparation', 'awareness of interview preparation', and 'use of prep schools' for medical school entrance exams.
In particular, the fact that the highest percentage of students shift to serious exam preparation after starting ronin, while a certain number do not adequately prepare for interviews, is a noteworthy result.
It was once again suggested that early strategic planning and comprehensive preparation are important, as medical school entrance exams emphasize not only academic ability but also character evaluation.
■ Survey Overview
【Survey Organizer】Medical School Prep School Takeda Juku Ishinkan
【Survey Target】22 successful male and female medical school applicants
【Survey Method】Questionnaire survey
【Number of Valid Responses】22
【Survey Period】December 2025 - February 2026
■ Company Overview
Company Name: A.ver Co., Ltd. (https://aver.co.jp/)
Service Name: Takeda Juku Ishinkan (https://takeda-medical.jp/)
Established: December 2004
Location: Amano Building Main Building 4F, 2-8-3 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033
This survey clarified when successful applicants intensified their exam studies, as well as the timing of their interview preparation and use of prep schools. The results provide insights into the challenges faced by examinees and effective learning strategies.
When reprinting or citing this content, please clearly state the source and be sure to include the official page URL (https://takeda-medical.jp/).
■ Time of Starting Serious Exam Study
According to the graph above, the most common time to start serious exam study was 'After starting ronin (post-high school study)' (36.4%), followed by 'Third year of high school' (27.3%).
This data shows that while a certain number of students begin serious preparation from an early stage during their active high school years for medical school exams, the most common case is to shift to serious exam study after starting ronin.
Particularly because medical school entrance exams require a high level of academic ability, there is a strong tendency to build a foundation during high school and then conduct intensive preparation during the ronin period.
On the other hand, about 30% of the students started serious study from their first or second year of high school, a result that shows the importance of early preparation.
■ Time of Starting Interview Preparation
Next, regarding the time of starting interview preparation, according to the graph above, the most common answer was 'Did not specifically prepare for interviews' (31.8%). This was followed by 'Summer of third year of high school' (13.6%), 'Fall of third year of high school' (13.6%), and 'Immediately before the exam in the third year of high school' (13.6%) at the same rate.
This data reveals that a certain number of medical school examinees prioritize written exam preparation and do not allocate sufficient time for interview preparation.
Meanwhile, there is also a group that starts interview preparation in stages after the summer of their third year of high school, showing a tendency to prepare as the actual exam approaches.
As medical school entrance exams place importance not only on academic ability but also on character evaluation, the significance of planning interview preparation in parallel with written exam prep was also suggested by these results.
■ Time of Starting to Attend a Medical School Prep School
According to the graph above, the percentage of respondents who answered 'Did not attend a medical school prep school' was the highest at 45.5%. This was followed by 'After starting ronin' (22.7%), 'Second year of high school' (13.6%), and 'Third year of high school' (9.1%).
This data shows that half of the successful medical school applicants study at a 'medical school prep school' to achieve success.
On the other hand, for the group that did not attend a medical school prep school, it is assumed that there are two main patterns: those who attended a regular prep school not specialized in medicine, and those who studied mainly on their own or through their high school.
■ Trends in Medical School Entrance Exams Seen from the Survey Results
The results above have revealed that there are significant differences among examinees in terms of 'the timing of starting serious preparation', 'awareness of interview preparation', and 'use of prep schools' for medical school entrance exams.
In particular, the fact that the highest percentage of students shift to serious exam preparation after starting ronin, while a certain number do not adequately prepare for interviews, is a noteworthy result.
It was once again suggested that early strategic planning and comprehensive preparation are important, as medical school entrance exams emphasize not only academic ability but also character evaluation.
■ Survey Overview
【Survey Organizer】Medical School Prep School Takeda Juku Ishinkan
【Survey Target】22 successful male and female medical school applicants
【Survey Method】Questionnaire survey
【Number of Valid Responses】22
【Survey Period】December 2025 - February 2026
■ Company Overview
Company Name: A.ver Co., Ltd. (https://aver.co.jp/)
Service Name: Takeda Juku Ishinkan (https://takeda-medical.jp/)
Established: December 2004
Location: Amano Building Main Building 4F, 2-8-3 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033