IT Passport 2024 (Reiwa 6) Past Exam Trends and Frequent Topics

Prerequisites for the Reiwa 6 Exam

The IPA public exam for Reiwa 6 (2024) consists of 100 questions. The exam format is the year-round CBT method, with no distinction between spring and fall sessions. The passing criteria are set at a total score of 60% or higher and at least 30% in each field. This analysis breaks down the 100-question sample by field and keyword.

Distribution of Questions by Field (Reiwa 6)

Since Reiwa 3, the 35:20:45 ratio has been completely fixed. The Reiwa 7 public exam follows the same structure. For details, refer to the Reiwa 7 analysis article.

Number of Questions by Keyword for Reiwa 6

By keyword, security had the most questions at 8, making it the most frequent field as usual. Project management had 6 questions, covering PMBOK and WBS. AI had 5 questions, showing an increasing trend toward 7 questions in Reiwa 7. RPA had 3 questions, authentication (MFA and SSO) also had 3, and IoT had 2, which was low. Encryption, cloud, personal information, and agile each had 1 question, while BCP was not tested.

Characteristics of Reiwa 6

More Project Management Questions

Out of the 20 total Management questions, 6 were related to project management. Specifically, topics included WBS, stakeholder management, and risk management.

Many RPA Questions

Reiwa 6 had a relatively high number of RPA questions at 3, with half of the 6 questions from the past five years concentrated in this year. This likely reflects the trend toward business automation. For more details, check RPA and Business Automation.

Diagram Questions: 3 Questions

There were 3 diagram questions, which is relatively high compared to 0 in Reiwa 7. This is a slight increase from 2 questions in Reiwa 5.

Increase in AI-Related Questions

AI-related questions have increased from 3-4 per year in Reiwa 3-5 to 5 in Reiwa 6, and 7 in Reiwa 7. This is thought to reflect the impact of the spread of generative AI.

Top 5 Frequent Topics for Reiwa 6

In first place is security with 8 questions, covering cyber attacks, encryption, and authentication. For preparation, study Summary of Cyber Attack Types, Basics of Encryption, and Difference Between Authentication and Authorization. In second place is project management with 6 questions, focusing on PMBOK and WBS. For preparation, see PMBOK, WBS, and Gantt Charts. In third place is AI with 5 questions, covering machine learning and generative AI. AI and Machine Learning Basics is effective for preparation. In fourth place are authentication and RPA with 3 questions each, focusing on MFA and business automation. For preparation, refer to Difference Between Authentication and Authorization and RPA and Business Automation. In fifth place are accounting and business strategy with around 10 questions, covering break-even points and frameworks. Articles on Break-Even Point and SWOT, 3C, and PEST are helpful.

Study Priority for Reiwa 6

As a study priority, first secure the 14 questions from security and project management. Next, focus on the 8 questions from AI and RPA. Then, studying the Strategy field's business and accounting topics is efficient.

Comparison with Reiwa 7

Compared to Reiwa 7, AI increased from 5 to 7 questions, security remained steady from 8 to 9 questions, project management stayed the same at 6 questions, IoT remained flat from 2 to 1 question, and diagram questions dropped sharply from 3 to 0. For details, check the Reiwa 7 analysis article.

Summary

In Reiwa 6, AI and RPA increased slightly, while security remained stable in first place. The 35:20:45 ratio has not changed. Trends over the past five years are explained in detail in Summary of Past 5 Years (2021-2025) Exam Trends. All 100 questions from Reiwa 6 can be reviewed on the 2024r06 past exam page, and practice exams are recommended for realistic test preparation.