Specified Skilled Worker (i) has two examinations behind it, and they are unrelated to each other:
- A language requirement - JFT-Basic, or JLPT N4 or above.
- A sector skills test - specific to the field you will work in, whether care, food service, construction, agriculture or another.
Passing one does nothing for the other. See the SSW skills test explained and the sectors list.
Why the order matters
In principle you can take them in any order. In practice three things push most candidates to sit JFT-Basic first:
Schedules. JFT-Basic runs roughly monthly at Prometric centres, so a failed attempt costs weeks, not seasons. Skills tests are scheduled less frequently in many countries and fill up.
The skills tests are in Japanese. Most sector tests are delivered in Japanese, often with furigana. A candidate who cannot yet read a practical notice will struggle with a skills paper regardless of how well they know the trade. Language study therefore helps both tests; skills study helps only one.
Certificate validity. Both results have validity periods. Sitting the one that takes longest to achieve first reduces the risk of the other expiring while you wait - see certificate validity.
When the opposite is right
Sit the skills test first if:
- Your sector’s test in your country runs rarely and a sitting is available now.
- You already have JLPT N4 or above, which satisfies the language requirement outright. JFT-Basic or JLPT.
- Your employer or the accepting organisation has asked for it in that order.
Do not study them simultaneously
It is tempting and it usually slows both. The language test rewards daily accumulation over weeks; the skills test rewards a concentrated block of study about a defined body of knowledge.
The sequence that works for most of our students:
- Two to four months on Japanese, to JFT-Basic level.
- Sit JFT-Basic. Get the result.
- Four to six weeks on the sector skills test.
- Sit it while your Japanese is still fresh.
Neither is the last step
Passing both makes you eligible. It does not give you a visa. You still need an employer, a contract, a registered support organisation where applicable, and a Certificate of Eligibility:
Candidates routinely underestimate how long the paperwork takes after the exams are done. Build that into your plan from the start - what happens after you pass.
If you want to know where your Japanese currently stands before committing to a sequence, sit the free exam demo: 48 questions, 60 minutes, an estimated score at the end.