Introduction
On April 30, 2026, the IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan) released the 100 public sample questions for the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) IT Passport exam. FY2026 (Reiwa 8) is the first year in which Syllabus Ver.6.5 applies, and there had been a lot of attention on how the question trends would shift, especially in the AI and security fields.
In this article, I independently analyze all 100 released questions and summarize the breakdown by field, the new question themes worth watching, and points that will help with your exam preparation going forward.
FY2026 (Reiwa 8): The Basic Data
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam time | 120 minutes |
| Number of questions | 100 (all required) |
| Syllabus | Ver.6.5 |
| Release date | April 30, 2026 |
| Source | IPA public sample questions page |
Breakdown by Field
(Q1–Q34)
(Q35–Q54)
(Q55–Q100)
Technology is the largest group with 46 questions, in line with the usual trend. Management with 20 questions and Strategy with 34 questions represent a standard distribution.
Highlight: New Questions for the Generative AI Era
What stands out most in FY2026 (Reiwa 8) is that AI and machine learning accounted for 7 questions in total. Among them, the following two questions cover themes that appear for the first time in the exam's history.
Other AI-Related Questions
- Q16: Annotation — the data preparation step in supervised learning
- Q17: Ethical Considerations for Using AI — safety, fairness, and privacy
- Q27: Strong AI / Weak AI — the classification of general-purpose AI vs. specialized AI
- Q82: Backpropagation — a learning method for neural networks
- Q84: Deductive Reasoning — an AI reasoning method
Exam prep point: AI-related terms are likely to keep increasing going forward. Be sure to have "generative AI," "prompt," "annotation," and "backpropagation" down cold.
Security Tops the List with 25 Questions
Centered on the Technology field, security-related questions made up 25% of the whole — a heavy showing. This follows the usual trend while giving the field even greater weight.
Notable Questions
- Q92: Zero Trust Security — the shift away from traditional perimeter-based defense
- Q96: APT Attacks — the growing sophistication of targeted attacks
- Q95: Sanitizing — a countermeasure against SQL injection
- Q91: Hash Functions — SHA-256 and its connection to blockchain
Perennial Frequent Themes
- ISMS (Q70, 93, 100)
- Encryption and authentication (Q59 WPA2, Q77 iris authentication, Q80 biometrics, Q90 PKI)
- Malware countermeasures (Q63 ransomware, Q83 security patches)
Exam prep point: Security is the single most important field every year. Because questions cover a wide range, old and new alike, understand not just the meaning of the terms but also the concrete countermeasures.
DX and IoT: 8 Questions in Total
Around Digital Transformation
- Q6: The Definition of DX
- Q2: BYOD (using personal devices for work)
- Q22: RPA (business process automation)
IoT Systems
- Q8: IoT Use Case (equipment monitoring)
- Q55: IoT Security (the default password problem)
- Q76: LPWA (low-power wide-area communication)
- Q78: Sensors and Actuators
- Q81: BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Exam prep point: For IoT, memorizing the flow "sensor → communication → server → actuator" as a set lets you tackle related questions all together.
Other Notable Topics
- Q12: WFA (Work From Anywhere) — a new concept as an evolved form of telework
- Q58: UX Structured Scenario Method — the three layers of value, activity, and interaction
- Q15: Chasm — a classic theme from the innovator theory
- Q25: The 3 Vs — the characteristics of big data (Volume, Velocity, Variety)
Relation to the Changes in Syllabus Ver.6.5
FY2026 (Reiwa 8) is the first year that Syllabus Ver.6.5 applies. One major change was the renaming of the "Subcontract Act" to the "Act on Ensuring Fair Transactions for Small and Medium Subcontractors" (enforced in January 2026), but none of the 100 FY2026 (Reiwa 8) public sample questions dealt directly with this legal revision. There is a strong possibility it will appear in future exams.
Practice Past Questions with a Study App
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You can practice roughly 2,900 questions across 29 sittings of past exams, including the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) set analyzed in this article.
- 2,374 text questions from 29 sittings of past exams
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- A jump feature from past questions to the glossary
Summary
The FY2026 (Reiwa 8) IT Passport public sample questions stood out for two major themes: "AI and generative AI" and "security." Prompt engineering and generative AI copyright in particular look set to become standard questions from here on.
Security makes up a quarter of the whole, and its position as the most important field is unshakable. Use past-question practice together with the glossary to prepare efficiently.