Anzan Kentei dan mock exam
Above 1 kyu, the anzan exam of the League of Japan Abacus Associations (Nishuren) changes shape. One dan paper decides all 13 ranks, from pre-shodan (jun-shodan) to 10th dan. Each of its three sections has its own clock and earns its own rank, and the overall anzan rank is the lowest of the three.
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Dan (one paper for every rank)
150 questions in 3 sections · 3 + 3 + 4 minutes · ranks from 90 to 290 points per section
Clock
The mock exam builds a full dan paper to the published specification: 60 multiplications, 60 divisions and 30 column problems in their three bands, with subtracted rows in the columns and answers that can fall below zero. Run each section on its official clock (3, 3 and 4 minutes) or untimed. When you finish, it ranks each section against the 90 to 290 table and reports the lowest section's rank as the overall result, the way the real exam decides it. It uses the even 5- and 10-point weighting described above, and it is a practice paper, not an official one.
Built to the published format
Every paper follows the question counts, digit widths and question shapes of the published specification and sample papers, and a new paper is written each time you start.
The real clock
One 12-minute clock for a kyu paper, 3 + 3 + 4 minutes for dan, or untimed while you are learning. Answer the questions in any order, as in the exam.
Marked the way the paper is marked
Points per question, the pass mark or grade reached and, for dan, the rule that the lowest section decides the rank, then every wrong answer next to the right one.
The official format
Kake anzan (multiplication): 60 questions, 3 minutes
| Questions | Shapes on the paper | Digits in all (jitsuho) |
|---|---|---|
| Nos. 1–20 | 2-digit × 3-digit (10), 3-digit × 2-digit (10) | 5 |
| Nos. 21–40 | 3-digit × 3-digit (16), 2-digit × 4-digit (2), 4-digit × 2-digit (2) | 6 |
| Nos. 41–60 | 3-digit × 4-digit (10), 4-digit × 3-digit (10) | 7 |
There is no 4-digit × 4-digit anywhere on the paper. All numbers are bare numbers, with no units.
Wari anzan (division): 60 questions, 3 minutes
| Questions | Divisor and quotient | Digits in all (hosho) |
|---|---|---|
| Nos. 1–20 | 2-digit divisor, 3-digit quotient (10); 3-digit divisor, 2-digit quotient (10) | 5 |
| Nos. 21–40 | 3-digit divisor, 3-digit quotient (16); 2-digit divisor, 4-digit quotient (2); 4-digit divisor, 2-digit quotient (2) | 6 |
| Nos. 41–60 | 3-digit divisor, 4-digit quotient (10); 4-digit divisor, 3-digit quotient (10) | 7 |
Divisor plus quotient is always 5, 6 or 7 digits by band; the dividend is not counted. No decimals appear on the official samples.
Mitori anzan (columns): 30 questions, 4 minutes
| Questions | Rows | Digits per problem |
|---|---|---|
| Nos. 1–10 | Ten rows, every row exactly 4 digits | 40 |
| Nos. 11–20 | Ten rows, every row exactly 6 digits | 60 |
| Nos. 21–30 | Ten rows, every row exactly 8 digits | 80 |
Rows of one fixed width are called soroi. The 2018 official sample includes subtraction in this section: 48 of its 300 rows are subtracted and 3 of its 30 answers are negative.
Rank table: the minimum score each section needs
| Rank | Japanese name | Score needed in each section |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-shodan | jun-shodan | 90 |
| 1st dan | shodan | 100 |
| Pre-2nd dan | jun-nidan | 110 |
| 2nd dan | nidan | 120 |
| Pre-3rd dan | jun-sandan | 130 |
| 3rd dan | sandan | 140 |
| 4th dan | yodan | 160 |
| 5th dan | godan | 180 |
| 6th dan | rokudan | 200 |
| 7th dan | nanadan | 220 |
| 8th dan | hachidan | 240 |
| 9th dan | kudan | 260 |
| 10th dan | judan | 290 |
Nishuren's dan page lists these marks without stating a maximum. A chamber of commerce that administers the exam (Kagoshima) lists each anzan section at 300 points, with this table as the pass standard.
Sample paper
The sample below is a shortened dan paper written to the published specification: six multiplications, six divisions and six column problems, two from each band of each section, so all three sizes appear in every section. The real paper has 60, 60 and 30. All six column problems here include subtracted rows, but none of their answers falls below zero; a full paper can have negative answers (the 2018 official sample has 3 among its 30 column problems), and every mock exam paper includes three. At the average pace the official clocks allow, the six multiplications would take 18 seconds, the six divisions 18 seconds and the six column problems 48 seconds. It is not an official paper, and Kani Math is not affiliated with any exam body.
The sample below is a shortened dan paper written to the published specification: six multiplications, six divisions and six column problems, two from each band of each section, so all three sizes appear in every section. The real paper has 60, 60 and 30. All six column problems here include subtracted rows, but none of their answers falls below zero; a full paper can have negative answers (the 2018 official sample has 3 among its 30 column problems), and every mock exam paper includes three. At the average pace the official clocks allow, the six multiplications would take 18 seconds, the six divisions 18 seconds and the six column problems 48 seconds. It is not an official paper, and Kani Math is not affiliated with any exam body.
Kake anzan: multiplication
- No. 124 × 826 =
- No. 2259 × 88 =
- No. 3501 × 971 =
- No. 4218 × 870 =
- No. 5122 × 4,456 =
- No. 62,631 × 478 =
Wari anzan: division
- No. 721,216 ÷ 32 =
- No. 837,278 ÷ 981 =
- No. 995,976 ÷ 248 =
- No. 10251,330 ÷ 613 =
- No. 116,980,025 ÷ 975 =
- No. 125,808,506 ÷ 6,362 =
Mitori anzan: columns
- No. 136,2281,6885,3864,617−5,676−3,2385,4273,6741,8268,461
- No. 146,7413,4555,153−8,501−1,2241,5822,2661,6709,4817,505
- No. 15235,501849,006−841,152−100,697299,961327,638−586,222230,060519,775412,199
- No. 16270,233528,328328,204512,541829,474267,735693,350444,044809,978−617,391
- No. 1732,495,558−23,521,69762,541,16087,103,87499,997,09465,300,73310,636,50343,671,55880,928,51130,657,326
- No. 1892,766,14891,391,691−26,696,18723,021,79015,013,063−70,522,18487,425,23015,055,32449,510,73730,873,265
Kani Math is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by the League of Japan Abacus Associations (Nishuren), the League for Soroban Education of Japan (Zenshuren), the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry or any other exam body. The sample papers and mock exam on these pages are written to the published specification; they are not official papers, and a mock result is not a certification. Flash Anzan is a trademark of its owner. Exam details can change, so confirm them with whoever runs your sitting.
Answer key
- 19,824
- 22,792
- 486,471
- 189,660
- 543,632
- 1,257,618
- 663
- 38
- 387
- 410
- 7,159
- 913
- 28,393
- 28,128
- 1,346,069
- 4,066,496
- 489,810,620
- 307,838,877
How it is scored
Each section is ranked on its own against the table: 90 for pre-shodan, 100 for 1st dan (shodan), rising by 10 to 3rd dan at 140, then by 20 a rank to 9th dan at 260, and 290 for 10th dan.
The overall anzan rank is the lowest of the three section ranks. Nishuren's FAQ says every section must clear a rank for it to be awarded, and a chamber of commerce that administers the exam (Hanno) issues the certificate at the lowest section's rank. The three scores are not added together to decide the rank.
An example: multiplication 205 (6th dan), division 185 (5th dan), mitori 140 (3rd dan). The overall result is 3rd dan, however strong the other two sections are.
Nishuren's page does not state the maximum, but the administering chamber's 300 points per section, if spread evenly over the questions, works out to 5 points per multiplication or division question and 10 per column problem. The mock exam on this page scores it that way.
On those figures, pre-shodan's 90 means 18 multiplications or divisions right, or 9 column problems; 10th dan's 290 means 58 of 60, or 29 of 30.
According to Nishuren's FAQ, a section's rank stays valid for the last five exams held, so sections can be combined across sittings.
What changes at this level
- One paper with three clocks instead of one: 3 minutes for 60 multiplications, 3 minutes for 60 divisions and 4 minutes for 30 column problems. The kyu papers give one 12-minute clock to the whole paper; here each section is timed on its own.
- Multiplication starts at the 1 kyu size and goes further: five digits between the two numbers in Nos. 1–20, six in Nos. 21–40 and seven in Nos. 41–60. The largest shapes are 3-digit × 4-digit and 4-digit × 3-digit.
- Division is counted as divisor plus quotient, 5, 6 or 7 digits by band, and the middle band includes two questions with a 2-digit divisor and a 4-digit quotient and two with a 4-digit divisor and a 2-digit quotient.
- In each column problem every row has the same width, four, six or eight digits by band, and there are always ten rows. The 2018 official sample includes subtracted rows, and 3 of its 30 answers fall below zero, one of them −2,800.
- Every number on the paper is a bare number with no unit, and a chamber of commerce that administers the exam (Hanno) requires a comma every three digits in the answers.
Pacing
Multiplication: 60 questions in 3 minutes is 3 seconds a question. Division: the same, 3 seconds a question.
Mitori: 30 problems in 4 minutes is 8 seconds a problem, 0.8 seconds a row. In the last band that means ten 8-digit rows, 80 digits, in 8 seconds.
Because every section is ranked separately, the target is set section by section. On the even-weighting figures, 1st dan (100) needs 20 multiplications or divisions right, one every 9 seconds of the 3 minutes, or 10 column problems, one every 24 seconds of the 4.
Within a section the bands grow in size, so Nos. 1–20 of the multiplication and division sections are the quickest points on the paper. A candidate aiming at the lower ranks can plan to be accurate there first.
How Zenshuren's exam differs
The League for Soroban Education of Japan (Zenshuren) also awards anzan dan ranks from pre-shodan to 10th dan, with a different scale. Each of its three sections, multiplication, division and mitori, is timed at 3 minutes and marked out of 200.
At Zenshuren, 70 or more in all three sections gives pre-shodan, higher scores give higher ranks, and 10th dan needs 190 or more. Only those two cutoffs are confirmed by Zenshuren's national headquarters, so this page does not list the ones between them.
Decimals appear in Zenshuren's dan exams, though not in its kyu exams, and Zenshuren publishes no per-level question specifications online.
As of September 2026, Zenshuren holds dan exams six times a year (January, March, May, July, September and November), and its anzan dan has carried support from Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT) since its 422nd exam on 21 July 2024. Nishuren holds its dan exam in June, October and February.
How to prepare
Find the section that sets the rank
Because the overall rank is the lowest section's, time each section on its own and see which one limits the result. Twenty more points in the weakest section can raise the overall rank; forty more in the strongest cannot.
Train at 3 seconds a question
Short, strictly timed sets of 20 multiplications or divisions from one band, 20 in 60 seconds, match the rhythm of the paper better than long untimed sessions.
Practise equal-width rows with minus signs
Work ten-row columns of exactly 4, 6 and 8 digits with some subtracted rows, including problems that end below zero, so a negative answer is written with confidence rather than second-guessed.
Write every answer with commas
Make commas every three digits a habit in practice, in answers like 23,066 or −2,800, so that the format the administering chamber asks for costs no thought.
Use the five-exam window
A section's rank stays valid for the last five exams held, so a plan can aim to lift one section at a time across sittings rather than all three at once.
Common questions
Is the dan exam scored as one total?
Can my child keep a good section and retake only the weak one?
Do dan answers need commas?
Can a mitori answer be negative?
Is there 4-digit × 4-digit multiplication?
Is the anzan dan the same exam as the soroban dan?
How do Nishuren and Zenshuren dan ranks compare?
Sources
- Nishuren: anzan kentei, kyu levels (Japanese)
- Nishuren: anzan dan exam and pass table (Japanese)
- Nishuren: official sample papers (Japanese)
- Nishuren: exam FAQ (Japanese)
- Nishuren: exam fees (Japanese)
- Zenshuren: exam overview (Japanese)
- Zenshuren: anzan exam (Japanese)
- Zenshuren: flash anzan exam (Japanese)
Kani Math is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by the League of Japan Abacus Associations (Nishuren), the League for Soroban Education of Japan (Zenshuren), the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry or any other exam body. The sample papers and mock exam on these pages are written to the published specification; they are not official papers, and a mock result is not a certification. Flash Anzan is a trademark of its owner. Exam details can change, so confirm them with whoever runs your sitting.
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