Entrance Exams and Results Announcement Scenes from Half a Century Ago

2019/03/26

Image: Students selling preliminary answer keys

The photo in the center (at the top) shows the scene at Hiyoshi on the day of the exam. Groups of Keio students, such as the Newspaper Society, are selling model answers. They collaborated with prep schools to have them ready for sale by the time the exam ended. I believe this continued until the late 1970s. Additionally, preliminary reports of the exam results were sold by them on campus. These reports were also posted at clothing stores along Keio Naka-dori and other areas, where people could find out the results early. There must have been far more incoming students back then who had their school uniforms custom-made. It was likely a point of pride for a new student to order their uniform at the very shop where their examinee number was posted. Perhaps the shop owners understood that sentiment as well. On the morning of the results announcement, the number lists seemed to be handled rather loosely; looking back, it was a "good old days" era that is hard to believe now. Speaking of the good old days, around 1967 (Showa 42), the exam result postings were handwritten. The total number of successful examinee numbers for all faculties was enormous, yet the numbers were written in a very legible and consistent style. Handwritten postings ended in 1971. I was in charge of entrance exam operations from the late 70s through the 80s, and there were still senior staff members who spoke proudly of this craftsmanship. For about ten years after that, we used typewritten lists that were greatly enlarged at a local photo shop.

Recalling the day of the entrance exams, a "gate" used to be set up at the Main Gate of Mita to prohibit anyone other than those involved from entering the campus. This was because the aftermath of the student protests was still ongoing, and there were concerns about students or others obstructing the exams. However, as times became more peaceful, the "gate" was moved back to the entrance of the South School Building in 1985, narrowing the restricted area. Today, it has narrowed even further and is set up at the entrance of each school building where the exam is held. In 1979, the Common First-Stage Exam, the predecessor to the National Center Test for University Admissions, began. It was an era of significant change both socially and in the way entrance exams were processed within the Juku. Keio developed a new computer system compatible with all faculties, and as a result, the lists of successful examinee numbers could simply be printed and posted as-is. Since then, the announcement methods have evolved; currently, applicants apply online, and results are announced on their personal "My Page" on the website, so only the individual can see them. Since there are no longer postings of successful examinee numbers, the Mita Hilltop Square does not get crowded on the day of the announcement. It truly feels like a different world.