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100+ Free EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Practice Questions

Pass your EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency, Grade Pre-2 exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Exam

EIKEN Grade Pre-2 is the Eiken Foundation of Japan's CEFR A2 English test for high-school learners; Stage 1 has 29 multiple-choice reading items and 30 listening items, and a CSE score of 1728 is the pass benchmark.

Sample EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your EIKEN Grade Pre-2 exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1After working as a reporter for several years, Angela became its ( ). It is her job to decide which news stories will appear in the newspaper.
A.architect
B.editor
C.engineer
D.astronaut
Explanation: An editor is the person who decides which stories are published in a newspaper, which matches the description of her job. This is a classic Grade Pre-2 vocabulary item testing job words.
2A: I'm looking for ideas for this year's company trip. Does anyone have any ( )? B: We could go hiking around Tindall Lake.
A.figures
B.characters
C.puzzles
D.suggestions
Explanation: A suggestion is an idea or proposal someone offers, which is exactly what speaker A is asking for and what speaker B then provides. The reply giving a concrete idea confirms the word.
3A: Mom, can we make some cookies today? B: No. We don't have all the ( ). There aren't any eggs or sugar.
A.explosions
B.ingredients
C.participants
D.forecasts
Explanation: Ingredients are the foods and items needed to cook something, and the mention of missing eggs and sugar shows these are baking ingredients. The context of making cookies makes this the only fit.
4The ship's captain ( ) dived into the sea and swam to the little girl who had fallen into the water.
A.unfortunately
B.awfully
C.bravely
D.hardly
Explanation: Bravely means showing courage, which fits diving into the sea to rescue a child in danger. The heroic action makes this adverb the natural choice.
5A: Charlie, the soup is ready. Could you put those ( ) on the counter? B: Sure, Mom.
A.bowls
B.ropes
C.logs
D.rays
Explanation: Bowls are round dishes used to serve soup, so placing them on the counter to serve the meal makes sense. The reference to soup signals the right kitchen item.
6Judy has a ( ) problem. She is getting married next week, but her dog tried to eat her wedding dress and destroyed it.
A.curly
B.serious
C.steady
D.careful
Explanation: Serious means important or worrying, and a destroyed wedding dress just before a wedding is clearly a serious problem. The seriousness of the situation defines the adjective.
7After graduating from college, Terry moved to Boston to ( ) his marketing company there. He thought the city would be a good place to start a business.
A.blush
B.base
C.bend
D.broadcast
Explanation: To base a company in a place means to make that place its main location, which fits starting a business in Boston. The phrase about starting a business there confirms the meaning.
8Lisa tried to remember the man's name, but her mind completely ( ). As a result, she struggled to continue the conversation naturally.
A.collected
B.hurt
C.blanked
D.waved
Explanation: When your mind blanks, you suddenly cannot remember something, which fits her failure to recall the name. The struggle to continue talking shows the memory disappeared.
9A: Have you finished writing your postcards to your friends? B: Yes. I'm going to ( ) them on my way to school tomorrow.
A.stand
B.steam
C.mail
D.float
Explanation: To mail something means to send it through the postal system, which is what you do with finished postcards. Sending them on the way to school fits posting letters.
10A: What are you doing with that old tennis ball? B: I'm going to ( ) it against the garage wall and catch it. It was fun when I was a kid.
A.feed
B.share
C.chew
D.bounce
Explanation: To bounce a ball means to make it spring back after hitting a surface, which is exactly throwing it against a wall and catching it. The action with a ball and wall confirms the verb.

About the EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Exam

EIKEN Grade Pre-2 is a level of the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency, administered by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and backed by Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT). It is pitched at CEFR level A2 and is popular with high-school students, certifying that a learner can understand and use English in general aspects of daily life. The examination is given in two stages: Stage 1 tests reading, writing and listening, while Stage 2 is a short speaking interview that examinees may take only after passing Stage 1. The Stage 1 reading section has 29 four-option multiple-choice items across sentence completion, dialogue and passage gap fills, and passage Q&A, and the listening section has 30 items combining three-option conversation completion with four-option dialogue and monologue questions. From the 2024 academic year, the writing section added an email-reply task alongside the opinion composition, but this practice bank focuses on the multiple-choice reading and listening skills. Results are reported on the EIKEN CSE Score, with 1728 as the Grade Pre-2 pass benchmark.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

Reading and Writing are allotted 80 minutes and Listening approximately 20 minutes in the official Stage 1; this practice bank covers the multiple-choice Reading and Listening items and is untimed.

Passing Score

Pass or fail based on the EIKEN CSE Score; the Grade Pre-2 benchmark is a CSE score of 1728 (CEFR A2). Stage 1 must be passed to advance to the Stage 2 speaking interview.

Exam Fee

8,500 yen at public test sites and 6,100 yen at group (school) test sites for Stage 1 in the 2025-2026 academic year (tax inclusive). (Eiken Foundation of Japan (Society for Testing English Proficiency, STEP))

EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Exam Content Outline

25%

Sentence Completion (Vocabulary)

Choosing the best word or phrase to complete short texts and dialogues, testing everyday nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs at A2 level.

15%

Grammar, Phrasal Verbs and Idioms

Tense, conditionals, relative clauses, passive voice, gerunds, prepositions, phrasal verbs and common idioms in sentence-completion items.

18%

Conversation and Dialogue Completion

Completing the missing turn or phrase in short everyday conversations about school, shopping, travel and daily life.

6%

Gap Fill in Passages

Selecting words or phrases that fit the meaning and flow of a short reading passage.

18%

Passage Comprehension (Q&A)

Answering questions about an email and explanatory passages, including main idea, detail and inference at A2 level.

18%

Listening Comprehension

Understanding short conversations, dialogues and monologues to choose the correct response or answer about details, purpose and next actions.

How to Pass the EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Pass or fail based on the EIKEN CSE Score; the Grade Pre-2 benchmark is a CSE score of 1728 (CEFR A2). Stage 1 must be passed to advance to the Stage 2 speaking interview.
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: Reading and Writing are allotted 80 minutes and Listening approximately 20 minutes in the official Stage 1; this practice bank covers the multiple-choice Reading and Listening items and is untimed.
  • Exam fee: 8,500 yen at public test sites and 6,100 yen at group (school) test sites for Stage 1 in the 2025-2026 academic year (tax inclusive).

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

EIKEN Grade Pre-2 Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build a strong base of everyday A2 vocabulary, since sentence-completion items reward knowing common nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
2Practise reading short dialogues and choosing the natural missing line, which is tested in the conversation-completion part.
3Learn common phrasal verbs and idioms such as take it easy, on my own and in addition to, which appear in the harder grammar items.
4Work through official past papers from eiken.or.jp under realistic conditions to get used to the question styles.
5For listening, focus on catching key details like times, prices, places and what a speaker will do next.
6Read the question before reading a passage so you know exactly what information to look for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EIKEN Grade Pre-2 and who administers it?

EIKEN Grade Pre-2 is a level of the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency, administered by the Eiken Foundation of Japan (STEP) and backed by Japan's Ministry of Education. It certifies CEFR A2 English used in general aspects of daily life.

How many multiple-choice questions are on the Grade Pre-2 Stage 1 test?

Stage 1 has 29 reading items (15 sentence completion, 5 gap fill in dialogues, 2 gap fill in passages, 7 passage Q&A) and 30 listening items (10 conversation completion, 10 dialogue Q&A, 10 monologue Q&A).

How is EIKEN Grade Pre-2 scored?

EIKEN uses a pass/fail system based on the EIKEN CSE Score. The Grade Pre-2 benchmark is a CSE score of 1728, which corresponds to CEFR level A2. Stage 1 must be passed before taking the Stage 2 speaking interview.

How long is the Grade Pre-2 Stage 1 test?

Reading and Writing together are allotted 80 minutes, and the Listening test runs about 20 minutes. The Stage 2 speaking interview, taken later, lasts about 6 minutes.

How much does EIKEN Grade Pre-2 cost?

For the 2025-2026 academic year, Stage 1 costs 8,500 yen at public test sites and 6,100 yen at group (school) test sites, with fees inclusive of tax.

What changed in the Grade Pre-2 writing section in 2024?

From the 2024 academic year, an email-reply writing task was added alongside the existing opinion composition. This practice bank focuses on the multiple-choice reading and listening sections rather than the writing tasks.