In order to apply for the NIMS-GRA for the doctoral program and later take the PhD entrance examination, I needed a valid English proficiency certificate. Unfortunately, the TOEIC certificate I had used when applying for the master’s program had already expired by the time the doctoral application period began. This meant I had to take a new English test.

At first, I planned to take the TOEIC again because it is cheaper and generally much easier. However, due to my lack of familiarity with the English testing system in Japan, I miscalculated. I later found out that the waiting list for the TOEIC in Japan can be very long—sometimes requiring a wait of two to three months. In contrast, the TOEFL iBT allowed me to register and take the test at a nearby test center within a much shorter time.

In the end, I had no choice but to register for the TOEFL iBT. The cost? Almost 30,000 yen. If I had taken the TOEIC instead, it would have cost around 8,000 yen. At that time, the 20,000 yen difference was not a small amount for me. Still, I had no other option.

Because the TOEFL is widely considered more difficult than the TOEIC, I had to prepare myself in a very limited amount of time. If I remember correctly, I studied for less than two weeks, focusing mainly on reading and listening. I more or less left the speaking and writing sections to my existing English ability at that time.

When exam day arrived, it was my first time taking the TOEFL iBT—and also my first time taking an exam in Tokyo. I left Tsukuba early in the morning and headed to Tokyo. At the test site, I simply showed my ID and waited to be called into the exam room. Once seated, I immediately checked the speaker and microphone, and then the test began.

My final score was 87, with the following breakdown: Reading 19, Listening 26, Speaking 20, and Writing 22. Honestly, the reading section felt the most exhausting—long, tedious, and sleep-inducing. The listening section was fairly manageable, while the speaking section… well, you can imagine how awkward it feels to speak loudly in the same room as other test takers. Still, that’s no excuse—my preparation was probably insufficient.

With that TOEFL score, I was finally able to apply for the doctoral program. Later on, I found out that the English score was not actually used as a major evaluation criterion—it was merely an administrative requirement.

So here’s my advice:

if the English score is not used for academic evaluation, choose the easiest and most affordable test available, such as the TOEIC. In Japan, the TOEIC is still widely accepted for university applications, and its cost is far more reasonable.