Government Employment Examination Results Announced

The list of candidates who passed the government employment examination (type 1, second (and final) examination) was announced on June 21. It is commonly thought that the number of Waseda students who pass this exam shows the vitality of the University, just as do the number of cabinet ministers who are Waseda graduates, the results of various sports clubs such as baseball, rugby, and long distance relay races (Ekiden), the Akutagawa Prize winners and the successful candidates for the bar examination.

Concerning the number of candidates who passed, Waseda secured a very successful result, all the more so in that the University does not have departments of agriculture or medicine, which produce many successful candidates at other schools. Those who passed are to have interviews with government officials of the ministry or agency where the applicants wish to work. Analyzing the trend of candidates, the number of Waseda students who passed the first examination this year is well over the average number. Some applicants did not do as well as they might have on the general education subjects of the first examination, but they tended to make up the difference in the second examination, which concerns more specialized subjects. The phenomenon can be often seen with Waseda candidates.

I'd like to make two points here. First, there are many campus magazines which provide information for students about courses and exams. Wouldn't it be a good idea for such magazines to introduce courses and faculty members that are relevant to preparing for the government employee exam? If all they do is tell students which teachers are easy to get a passing grade out of, they don't serve a very important purpose. Second, if the candidates want to succeed in the interview, they need the ability to discuss current affairs (at a level higher than that of the typical popular TV show). For this purpose the applicants need to maintain a high level of general education. There are many resources in the University, including public lectures, and students should make use of them

The table below displays the results of the government employee exam (type 1) for 2003 and 2004 (figures from the National Personnel Authority). The number of women is shown in parentheses.

Successful Candidates by University (newspaper figures)