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Key Facts: Embedded Systems Specialist Examination Exam

7,500 JPY

Exam fee (tax included)

IPA スケジュール、手数料など

60/100 + Rank A

A-1/A-2/B-1 cutoff and B-2 essay rank

IPA 試験要綱 Ver.5.6

1 of 2 + 1 of 3

Official B-1 and B-2 answer counts

IPA エンベデッドシステムスペシャリスト試験

Level 4

IT Skill Standards (ITSS) ranking

IPA エンベデッドシステムスペシャリスト試験シラバス（レベル4）

Japan's national ITSS Level 4 embedded-systems exam, run by IPA for METI. Fee 7,500 JPY (tax included); Japanese CBT with MCQ, descriptive, and essay papers. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not an official translation.

Sample Embedded Systems Specialist Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Embedded Systems Specialist Examination exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A single-server M/M/1 queue receives jobs at 40 per second and the server completes jobs at 50 per second. What is the server utilization ρ?
A.0.20
B.0.80
C.1.25
D.0.50
Explanation: For an M/M/1 queue the utilization is ρ = λ/μ, where λ is the arrival rate and μ is the service rate. Here ρ = 40/50 = 0.80, so the server is busy 80 percent of the time. IPA Subject A-1 regularly tests this applied-mathematics result because utilization must stay below 1 for a stable queue.
2A controller has an MTBF of 990 hours and an MTTR of 10 hours. What is its steady-state availability?
A.90 percent
B.99 percent
C.9.9 percent
D.99.9 percent
Explanation: Steady-state availability is A = MTBF / (MTBF + MTTR) = 990 / (990 + 10) = 990/1000 = 0.99, or 99 percent. Subject A-1 treats this reliability-engineering identity as a system evaluation indicator, not as a vendor marketing figure.
3In SWOT analysis used for embedded product strategy, which item is an external positive factor?
A.A patented motor-control algorithm owned by the firm
B.A shortage of MCU firmware engineers inside the firm
C.A new public subsidy for energy-saving appliances in the target market
D.A rival's announced low-cost sensor module
Explanation: Opportunities are external conditions the firm can exploit. A public subsidy in the market is outside the company and favorable. Strengths and weaknesses are internal; threats are external and unfavorable. The ES syllabus lists SWOT among business-strategy tools for product planning.
4Under Japan's Copyright Act (著作権法), what is protected as a copyrighted work in typical embedded firmware?
A.The idea of using a PID loop to regulate temperature
B.The specific source and object code of the control program as an expression
C.A mathematical formula for discretizing a continuous-time plant
D.A functional requirement that the heater must shut off at 80 degrees Celsius
Explanation: Japanese copyright protects creative expressions, and computer programs are listed as copyrighted works. The particular source or object code is an expression; ideas, algorithms as such, and functional requirements are not copyright subject matter (they may be considered under patent or contract instead). IPA A-1 legal items routinely distinguish expression from idea.
5A RAID 5 array uses block striping with distributed parity. How many disk failures can it tolerate while still serving data?
A.Zero; RAID 5 has no redundancy
B.One disk failure
C.Two disk failures, like RAID 6
D.All disks except the parity disk
Explanation: RAID 5 stripes data and parity across member disks so that any single disk failure can be reconstructed from the remaining data plus parity. Two concurrent disk failures generally lose the array (that is the RAID 6 case with dual parity). Subject A-1 tests RAID as a system-configuration reliability technique.
6In 8-bit two's-complement representation, which bit pattern is −1?
A.10000001
B.11111111
C.10000000
D.00000001
Explanation: Two's complement encodes −1 as all bits set: adding 1 to 11111111 wraps to 00000000. 10000000 is −128 in 8-bit two's complement, and 00000001 is +1. Discrete-math numeric representation is a staple of Subject A-1.
7A cache has a 90 percent hit ratio. A hit completes in 20 ns. A miss completes in 200 ns total (the 200 ns already includes the cache lookup). What is the average memory access time?
A.38 ns
B.180 ns
C.220 ns
D.18 ns
Explanation: Average access time is h × T_hit + (1 − h) × T_miss = 0.90 × 20 + 0.10 × 200 = 18 + 20 = 38 ns. The problem states that the miss time is a total, so you must not add 20 ns again on a miss.
8In TCP, what does the sliding window mechanism provide?
A.Encryption of the payload so that intermediate routers cannot read it
B.Assignment of IP addresses to hosts that have just joined the network
C.Flow control, by letting the receiver advertise how many further bytes it can accept before more acknowledgements are sent
D.Translation of a host name into an IP address
Explanation: The receiver advertises a window size that tells the sender how much unacknowledged data it may have outstanding, so a fast sender cannot overrun a slow receiver's buffers. The window slides forward as acknowledgements arrive, which also lets the connection keep several segments in flight instead of waiting for each one. Congestion control uses a separate window that interacts with this receive window.
9Which SQL statement returns one row per department with that department's number of employees, assuming a table employees(dept_id, name)?
A.SELECT dept_id, COUNT(*) FROM employees;
B.SELECT dept_id, COUNT(*) FROM employees GROUP BY dept_id;
C.SELECT dept_id, COUNT(*) FROM employees ORDER BY dept_id;
D.SELECT DISTINCT COUNT(*) FROM employees;
Explanation: An aggregate such as COUNT(*) combined with a non-aggregated column requires GROUP BY that column. ORDER BY only sorts; DISTINCT COUNT(*) is not the per-department grouping. Database operations are in the A-1 knowledge items.
10A device must encrypt a 2 MiB firmware image before storing it. Which choice is the usual practical design?
A.Encrypt the whole image with a 2048-bit RSA public key as a bulk cipher
B.Use a symmetric cipher such as AES for the bulk image, and use public-key cryptography only to wrap the AES key if needed
C.Hash the image with SHA-256 and treat the hash as the ciphertext
D.Apply a CRC-32 over the image and call that encryption
Explanation: Symmetric ciphers are used for bulk data because they are far faster than public-key encryption of megabytes. Hybrid designs wrap a random AES key with RSA or a similar public-key scheme. Hashing and CRC provide integrity checks, not confidentiality. Cryptography appears in A-1 security knowledge items.

About the Embedded Systems Specialist Examination Exam

The Embedded Systems Specialist Examination (エンベデッドシステムスペシャリスト試験, ES) is Japan's national ITSS Level 4 exam for embedded and IoT engineers. IPA administers it for METI. The 2026 fee is 7,500 JPY (tax included). Candidates sit Japanese CBT: 30 common MCQs, 25 specialist MCQs, one of two descriptive cases, and one of three essays. A pass requires 60 of 100 on A-1, A-2, and B-1 plus Rank A on B-2. OpenExamPrep publishes 100 independent English multiple-choice study questions on the published syllabus. This bank is not an official translation, not a 2026 CBT item clone, and not a substitute for Japanese design or essay practice.

Exam sponsor: 独立行政法人情報処理推進機構 (IPA / Innovation Platform Agency, Japan) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Japanese CBT in the FY2026 second-half (後期) window. Subject A group and Subject B group are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring applies. Paper sittings are a special measure only.

Time Limit

A-1 50 min; A-2 40 min; B-1 90 min; B-2 120 min, with A group and B group on separate 2026 CBT days.

Passing Score

60 of 100 on A-1, A-2, and B-1, plus Rank A on B-2. IPA may adjust numeric cutoffs if difficulty requires it.

Exam / Certification Fees

7,500 JPY (tax included).

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25% of this local practice set

Common IT knowledge (Subject A-1)

Shared advanced-exam knowledge. IPA does not publish ES domain percentages.

30% of this local practice set

Hardware, sensors, and real-time software

MCU/SoC, interrupts, RTOS, and timing.

25% of this local practice set

Architecture, reuse, and development process

HW/SW partitioning, platforms, and reuse.

20% of this local practice set

Quality, safety, security, and IoT constraints

Safety, security, power, and environmental constraints.

Preparing for the Embedded Systems Specialist Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 60 of 100 on A-1, A-2, and B-1, plus Rank A on B-2. IPA may adjust numeric cutoffs if difficulty requires it.
  • Assessment: Japanese CBT in the FY2026 second-half (後期) window. Subject A group and Subject B group are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring applies. Paper sittings are a special measure only.
  • Time limit: A-1 50 min; A-2 40 min; B-1 90 min; B-2 120 min, with A group and B group on separate 2026 CBT days.
  • Exam / certification fees: 7,500 JPY (tax included). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Embedded Systems Specialist Examination: Suggested Study Strategy

1Include timing calculations: interrupt latency, task periods, and buffer sizing from stated numbers.
2Practice HW/SW split and RTOS scheduling decisions, then write Japanese B papers from IPA past questions.
3Do not invent unofficial safety-integrity numbers; stay with concepts the ES syllabus actually names.
4A-1 is shared with other advanced exams; ES A-2/B decide the specialist result.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the passing score for the ES examination?

IPA requires at least 60 of 100 on Subjects A-1, A-2, and B-1, and Rank A on essay Subject B-2 (試験要綱 Ver.5.6). Multi-stage selection applies.

How is the 2026 examination structured?

Japanese CBT in the late window: A-1 30 MCQs/50 min, A-2 25 MCQs/40 min, B-1 2 descriptive/90 min (answer 1), B-2 3 essays/120 min (answer 1). A group and B group are on separate days.

Does this bank replace descriptive embedded-design papers?

No. Official B papers are Japanese descriptive and essay design. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not an official translation or a writing simulation.

Are these OpenExamPrep practice questions official IPA exam questions?

No. IPA administers the official Japanese examination. This bank is independent study on published syllabus topics.

Is the exam changing after 2026?

IPA states that the current examination system ends with the FY2026 (令和8年度) administration and that a new examination system is planned from FY2027, following the METI/IPA review of the exam-division structure. FY2026 is also the year every division moved to CBT, and IPA no longer publishes live CBT questions. This practice set is built from the current published syllabus, so confirm IPA's 試験制度の見直し page before planning a sitting beyond FY2026.