In December 2009, 27 Japanese students took and passed the annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Administered worldwide to evaluate and recognize language proficiency for non-native speakers, the JLPT tests vocabulary, listening, reading comprehension and grammar. Fifteen students passed level 4, the lowest skill level offered by JLPT, and 11 students passed level 3. These levels recognized the hours of work students spent learning grammar, comprehension and conversational skills.