Q. What if I fail the board exam in Japan?

A. Filipino nurses can take the board exam up to 3 times during their 3-year stay in Japan. The nursing board exam is held every February.

Filipino caregivers can take the board exam in Japan only once during their 4-year stay in Japan.

On the other hand, the passing rate of the nursing board exam and the caregiving board exam in Japan is 90.6% and 50.4%, respectively (in 2007).

If you fail to pass the exam during the said period, whether you are a nurse or a caregiver, you have to leave Japan. You can still visit Japan, say, on a tourist visa, to take the board exam again, but you have to buy the plane ticket to Japan at your expense.