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Free Practice Questions for Judicial Scrivener Examination

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Exam pass rate: About 5.2% (令和7: 751 of 14,418). 令和6: 737 of 13,960 (5.3%).
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Key Facts: Judicial Scrivener Examination Exam

8,000 JPY

Fee (収入印紙)

日本司法書士会連合会試験情報; 千葉地方法務局 令和8案内

2 + 3 hours

Written 5 Jul 2026 AM/PM

千葉地方法務局 令和8案内

70 MCQ + 2 記述式

Written structure (105+105+140 points)

MOJ 令和6 afternoon instructions / 令和6–7 result PDFs

84 / 105 AM

令和8 morning MCQ floor

MOJ 令和8 多肢択一式基準点 PDF

5.2%

令和7 pass rate (751 / 14,418)

MOJ 令和7年度最終結果 PDF

司法書士試験 is MOJ's national Judicial Scrivener exam. 令和8 written 5 Jul 2026; 8,000 JPY; AM 2 hours + PM 3 hours. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not the official papers.

Sample Judicial Scrivener Examination Practice Questions

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

1Under Civil Code (民法) Article 4, at what age does a person reach majority (成年) under current Japanese law?
A.16 years of age
B.18 years of age
C.20 years of age
D.21 years of age
Explanation: Article 4 now provides that a person reaches 成年 at 18. The former 20-year rule was amended and should not be used on a current sitting. Majority is a capacity baseline; other statutes can still set a higher age for a particular act.
2Under Civil Code Article 5, which statement about a minor's juridical act is correct?
A.Every act by a minor is void even if the legal representative consented.
B.A minor generally needs the legal representative's consent, but an act that merely acquires a right or releases an obligation does not.
C.A minor may freely sell real property without anyone's consent.
D.An act done without required consent is automatically a crime, not a civil defect.
Explanation: Article 5(1) requires the 法定代理人's consent for a minor's juridical act, with an exception for acts that merely obtain a right or free the minor from a duty. Article 5(2) makes a violating act 取消しできる (voidable), not void from the outset.
3Under Civil Code Article 9, a juridical act by an adult ward (成年被後見人) is generally:
A.void, including the purchase of daily necessities
B.voidable, except for the purchase of daily necessities and other day-to-day-life acts
C.fully effective unless the family court later annuls it
D.effective only if a notary public witnesses it
Explanation: Article 9 makes the adult ward's juridical acts 取消しできる. The proviso carves out 日用品の購入 and other everyday-life acts, which remain effective. Daily shopping is therefore not unwound merely because a 後見開始の審判 exists.
4Seller A and buyer B agree that ownership of A's land passes to B. No 登記 is filed. As between A and B, when does the real-right transfer take effect under Civil Code Articles 176 and 177?
A.Only when the Legal Affairs Bureau completes 所有権移転の登記
B.Solely by the parties' manifestations of intention, even before registration
C.Only when B pays the price in full
D.Only when a 司法書士 receives the 登記識別情報
Explanation: Article 176 makes creation and transfer of a real right effective by the parties' 意思表示 alone. Article 177 is a 対抗要件 rule: without 登記, the change generally cannot be asserted against a third party. Between the parties, registration is not the vesting event.
5B buys land from A but does not register. C, who knows of B’s purchase and buys purely to pressure B into repurchasing at an inflated price, then registers. Under Civil Code Article 177 and settled case law, may C assert ownership against B?
A.Yes in every case, because Article 177 is purely formal and whoever registers first always prevails
B.No, because a 背信的悪意者 — a person whose bad faith makes reliance on the register contrary to good faith — is not a ‘third party’ protected by Article 177
C.No, because any knowledge of B’s earlier purchase disqualifies a second buyer from Article 177 protection
D.Yes, but only if C also takes possession of the land in addition to registering
Explanation: Article 177 protects a third party who completes 登記, and mere 悪意 — knowing that an earlier sale happened — does not by itself strip that protection. Case law nonetheless excludes the 背信的悪意者, whose bad faith goes beyond knowledge (for example buying and registering in order to extort the first buyer), from the class of protected third parties. Possession is not an element of the immovable 対抗要件.
6A and B collude to make a false 所有権移転 that A does not intend. Under Civil Code Article 94, which statement is correct?
A.The false manifestation is void, but that nullity generally may not be asserted against a third party in good faith.
B.The false manifestation is fully valid among everyone, including those who knew it was fake.
C.The false manifestation is a crime only; it has no civil effect.
D.The false manifestation is voidable solely by the family court.
Explanation: Article 94(1) makes a collusive false 意思表示 void. Article 94(2) protects a good-faith third party: the parties cannot assert that nullity against such a person. This is why a sham transfer can still support a later registered purchaser in good faith.
7Under Civil Code Article 166(1), a claim is extinguished by prescription if the obligee does not exercise it within which pair of periods?
A.1 year from knowledge and 3 years from when it became exercisable
B.5 years from the time the obligee came to know it was exercisable, or 10 years from when it became exercisable
C.10 years from knowledge and 20 years from the tort
D.20 years from the contract date only
Explanation: Article 166(1) uses a dual clock: 5 years from knowledge that the claim was exercisable, and 10 years from when it became exercisable. Special shorter or longer rules can apply to particular claims, but this is the general claim-prescription structure after the 2020 reform.
8Under Civil Code Article 369(1), a mortgage (抵当権) on immovables is characterized by which feature?
A.The mortgagor must deliver possession of the land to the mortgagee.
B.The mortgagee may have the claim satisfied, in preference to other obligees, from immovables provided as security without transferring possession.
C.A mortgage can secure only movable machinery.
D.A mortgage arises automatically from any unpaid invoice, without an establishing act.
Explanation: Article 369(1) defines 抵当権 as a non-possessory preferential real right in immovables offered by the obligor or a third party. Possession stays with the owner; that is the contrast with 質権.
9Under Civil Code Article 398-2, a revolving mortgage (根抵当権) is a mortgage created to secure:
A.one identified loan only, which cannot later change
B.unspecified claims of a defined scope, up to a stated maximum amount (極度額)
C.all present and future debts of every person in Japan
D.tax liabilities only
Explanation: Article 398-2(1) allows a mortgage to secure unspecified claims within a defined scope, up to a 極度額. Paragraph (2) requires that scope to be limited, for example to a continuous transaction or a stated kind of transaction with the obligor.
10A possesses B's land peacefully and openly with the intention to own it. Under Civil Code Article 162, when does A acquire ownership?
A.After 5 years in every case
B.After 20 years, or after 10 years if A's possession began in good faith and without negligence
C.Never, because immovable ownership can change only by 登記
D.After 1 year if A pays property tax
Explanation: Article 162(1) awards ownership after 20 years of peaceful, open possession with 所有の意思. Article 162(2) shortens that to 10 years if possession started in good faith and without negligence. Registration is the usual 対抗要件, not a bar to acquisitive prescription itself.

About the Judicial Scrivener Examination Exam

司法書士試験 is Japan's national Judicial Scrivener exam under the Judicial Scrivener Act, run by the Ministry of Justice. The 令和8 written sitting was 5 July 2026 (AM 2 hours, PM 3 hours), fee 8,000 JPY, no eligibility bar. The Japanese written paper is 70 多肢択一式 items (105+105 points) plus two 記述式 registration-drafting items (140 points). Written passers sit an oral (13 October 2026); final results 5 November 2026. 令和7 pass rate was about 5.2% (751 of 14,418). OpenExamPrep publishes independent English multiple-choice study for those statutes and registration rules. It is not an official translation, not a 記述式 form-drafting or oral simulation, and not a substitute for Federation registration.

Exam sponsor: 法務省 (applications at Legal Affairs Bureaus / District Legal Affairs Bureaus). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

National exam under the Judicial Scrivener Act (司法書士法, Act No. 197 of 1950), run by 法務省. 令和8 written: Sunday 5 July 2026. AM 9:30–11:30 多肢択一式; PM 13:00–16:00 多肢択一式 plus 記述式. Oral 13 October 2026. Final list 5 November 2026. Applications 7–18 May 2026; 8,000 JPY revenue stamps.

Time Limit

Written: 2 hours morning + 3 hours afternoon on 5 Jul 2026. Specified arrival 9:15 and 12:45. Oral time is notified to written passers.

Passing Score

Per-sitting floors. 令和7 overall written 255.0/350; AM 78/105; PM MCQ 72/105; 記述式 70.0/140. 令和8 MCQ floors: AM 84/105, PM 75/105 (MOJ 12 Aug 2026). 記述式 and final 令和8 cuts follow later MOJ notices.

Exam / Certification Fees

8,000 JPY (収入印紙; cash not accepted)

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: About 5.2% (令和7: 751 of 14,418). 令和6: 737 of 13,960 (5.3%).. This describes exam candidates, not OpenExamPrep users or results from using our resources. 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.

17%

民法

Civil Code; typical AM 20 items.

34%

不動産登記法

Real-estate registration MCQ plus 記述式 knowledge as judgment items.

27%

商業登記・商法会社法

Commercial registration and company/commercial law, including 記述式 knowledge.

6%

民事手続法群

Civil procedure, execution, and preservation.

6%

憲法・刑法

Constitution and Penal Code.

10%

供託法・司法書士法

Deposits and professional statute, including oral-stage conduct as MCQ judgment.

Preparing for the Judicial Scrivener Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Per-sitting floors. 令和7 overall written 255.0/350; AM 78/105; PM MCQ 72/105; 記述式 70.0/140. 令和8 MCQ floors: AM 84/105, PM 75/105 (MOJ 12 Aug 2026). 記述式 and final 令和8 cuts follow later MOJ notices.
  • Assessment: National exam under the Judicial Scrivener Act (司法書士法, Act No. 197 of 1950), run by 法務省. 令和8 written: Sunday 5 July 2026. AM 9:30–11:30 多肢択一式; PM 13:00–16:00 多肢択一式 plus 記述式. Oral 13 October 2026. Final list 5 November 2026. Applications 7–18 May 2026; 8,000 JPY revenue stamps.
  • Time limit: Written: 2 hours morning + 3 hours afternoon on 5 Jul 2026. Specified arrival 9:15 and 12:45. Oral time is notified to written passers.
  • Exam / certification fees: 8,000 JPY (収入印紙; cash not accepted) 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

Judicial Scrivener Examination: Suggested Study Strategy

1Weight study toward 民法, 不動産登記法, 商法/会社法, and 商業登記法 — they dominate points including 記述式.
2Treat AM, PM MCQ, and 記述式 floors as independent fails.
3Practice Japanese registration-application drafting separately; this English bank cannot replace 記述式.
4Confirm 令和8 MCQ floors on the MOJ 12 Aug 2026 notice (AM 84, PM 75) and wait for 記述式/final notices.
5Cite article numbers only after opening e-Gov or the Real Estate Registration Order / Commercial Registration Act text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who administers 司法書士試験?

The Ministry of Justice. Applications go to Legal Affairs Bureaus. The Japan Federation of Shiho-Shoshi's Associations publishes an overview and points to MOJ for the sitting.

What is the 令和8 timetable and fee?

Written Sunday 5 July 2026 (9:30–11:30 and 13:00–16:00). Oral 13 October 2026. Final list 5 November 2026. Fee 8,000 JPY in revenue stamps.

Is the official exam only multiple choice?

No. Afternoon 記述式 (two registration-drafting items, 140 points from 令和6) and a later oral are required. OpenExamPrep questions are independent English MCQs for the same knowledge, not form drafting or interview practice.

Does this bank replace Japanese past papers?

No. Official papers are Japanese. This is independent English MCQ study. It is not an official translation and not a substitute for the 記述式, oral, or registration.