Japanese Neurological Society Neurology Specialist Examination

The Japanese Neurological Society administers the national neurology specialist examination in Japan. This guide centers on the new-system route for candidates who began neurology specialty training in 2022 or later. For that route, specialist recognition is under the Japan Medical Specialty Board.

The Society’s 2026 notices distinguish this route from the legacy route for training begun by 2017 and the transitional route for 2018–2020 starts. As of October 16, 2026, the written examination scheduled for October 3 has passed; the second-stage oral/practical examination is scheduled for November 8. Use the instructions for your own cohort.

For the new-system route, bring the examination tools specified by the Society for Group A and copies of the required case summaries for Group B. The published description is an interview with practical examination and case discussion; it does not describe an OSCE.

The 2026 examination instructions specify question counts and response formats, but the materials reviewed do not provide percentage weights by neurological topic. The Society’s training curriculum organizes competencies into knowledge, physical examination, investigations, treatment, and other required items, with attainment levels. Use these categories to organize revision, not to predict question frequency.

The curriculum’s 80% target applies to completion of designated training items; it is not a published examination pass mark or topic weight. The separate case framework supports breadth across neurological disease categories, but does not establish how many questions will address any one category.

For the 2026 new-system route, the Society specifies a Japanese medical license, at least six years of clinical training including initial training, at least three years of regular Society membership, and Japanese Society of Internal Medicine certification as an Internal Medicine Specialist. The notice also specifies three years of neurology training in Society-recognized facilities, subject to facility-specific rules for counting training time. Candidates taking the internal medicine specialist examination in the same year may apply while its result is pending, subject to the Society’s review.

New-system training-completion evidence includes completing 80% of designated curriculum items; at least 90 cases, including experience in nine disease groups, with outpatient cases limited to 20%; two first-author presentations or publications; required course participation; and a 360-degree evaluation. The application requires 17 case summaries: 13 from distinct categories within the 16-category framework, two neurological emergencies, one specialist-outpatient case, and one consultation case.

These are not universal requirements for every cohort. The 2018–2020 transitional instructions specify at least 45 cases and 10 summaries. The legacy route for training begun by 2017 also requires 10 summaries under its separate rules. Check the cohort-specific instructions before assembling records.

1. Confirm your cohort before planning. Match your training start and history to the Society’s new-system, transitional, or legacy instructions; case and training records differ.
2. Practice the written formats. Use timed single-answer A-type and select-two X2-type practice, including longer clinical cases. The published written formats are not short-answer questions.
3. Revise across the curriculum. Organize study around neurological knowledge, examination, investigations, treatment, and other required competencies. The published material does not support weighting topics by predicted exam share.
4. Rehearse the interview’s two tasks. Practice a focused neurological examination and concise explanation of findings. Separately, rehearse discussing the cases in your submitted summaries, including diagnostic reasoning and management decisions.
5. Check required materials against your route’s notice. The new-system instructions specify examination tools for the practical group and copies of the submitted summaries for the case-based group.

Recognition differs by cohort. The new-system instructions place specialist recognition under the Japan Medical Specialty Board. The transitional and legacy instructions describe separate Japanese Neurological Society certification arrangements, including a later transition for the transitional cohort. Do not assume that one route’s recognition process applies to another.

The new-system instructions require a Japanese medical license and neurology training in Society-recognized facilities. The materials reviewed do not establish that an overseas specialist qualification substitutes for either requirement or explain how every overseas training record is assessed; candidates with international training should ask the Society how their specific record is handled.

The 2026 application and examination instructions are specific to that cycle. As of October 16, the 2026 written stage is over and its interview remains scheduled for November 8. Consult the official cohort page and the next cycle’s notice for application procedures and updated dates.