中間試験（ちゅうかんしけん）/ Chūkan Shiken
English Term: Midterm Exam
Japanese (Kanji): 中間試験（ちゅうかんしけん）
Hiragana: ちゅうかんしけん
Romaji: Chūkan Shiken
An examination held in the middle of a school term in Japanese schools, used to evaluate students' academic progress before the final exams.
Midterm Exam（中間試験 / ちゅうかんしけん / Chūkan Shiken） refers to exams held halfway through a school term in Japanese junior high schools and high schools.
The tests measure how well students understand the material taught during the first half of the term.
Subjects typically include:
These exams are part of the regular academic evaluation system and contribute to a student's overall grades.
Midterm exams are usually followed later in the term by final exams（期末試験 / きまつしけん / Kimatsu Shiken）.
Japanese schools usually divide the academic year into terms, and each term includes two major exam periods:
Because exams strongly influence grades and school rankings, students often spend significant time studying in preparation.
The period before midterm exams is commonly associated with:
For many students, this period becomes a stressful but familiar part of school life.
Midterm exams typically occur a few weeks after the school year begins in April, often in late May or early June.
The sequence often follows this pattern:
Because club activities are often suspended during exam periods, the atmosphere at school changes noticeably.
Students spend more time studying, and teachers focus on review lessons.
Midterm exam periods appear frequently in school anime.
Typical scenes include:
Series such as The Quintessential Quintuplets and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War feature exam episodes where studying and academic performance become central parts of the story. These moments often mix comedy with the pressure of school life.
Midterm exams are a defining part of the rhythm of Japanese school life.
They represent a moment when students pause regular activities and focus intensely on academic performance.
In anime storytelling, exam periods often create opportunities for:
Because of this, exam arcs have become a recognizable narrative pattern in school-based anime.