Move over test-takers: ChatGPT just aced Japan’s toughest university entrance exams. According to LifePrompt, the generative AI chatbot scored 50 points higher than the top test taker on the University of Tokyo’s most competitive Natural Sciences III (medical track) exam. It also received a perfect score in mathematics.
Results Overview
ChatGPT scored 503 out of 550 in the university’s natural sciences exam and 452 out of 550 in humanities and social sciences. That compares to 453 and 434, respectively, which were the best human scores recorded by successful applicants, according to data released by the university.
In the Kyoto University tests, ChatGPT scored 771 points in the Faculty of Law exam and 1,176 points in the Faculty of Medicine exam, exceeding the highest passing score of 734 in the former and the top human score of 1,098 in the latter.
In addition to a perfect score in mathematics, LifePrompt reported that ChatGPT scored around 90% in English and around 25% in essay-based history questions. The essays were marked by teachers from the cram school Kawai Juku. In 2024, ChatGPT failed to pass all of the school’s entrance exams.
Reaction to ChatGPT’s Results in University Exams
Experts offered broader perspectives on the results. “The AI’s capabilities have been well documented,” said Satoshi Endo, head of LifePrompt. “Given the rapid pace of AI evolution, companies will need to adopt AI with an eye toward how business operations will look in 10 to 20 years.”
Satoshi Kurihara, a professor at Keio University and the head of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, wasn’t surprised by ChatGPT’s results. “Just as calculators can perform calculations faster and more accurately than humans can, it is only natural for AI to earn high scores,” he said.
