Uchida-Kraepelin Performance Test — Reveals Ability and Personality / Behavioral Characteristics, illustrated with two working curves.
Uchida-Kraepelin Test Insights

The Uchida-Kraepelin Test and Work Volume

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Each row of the Uchida-Kraepelin Test sheet contains 116 digits. Because the task is to add adjacent digits, completing an entire row means performing 115 additions. In the main test, examinees move to a new row at the signal given every minute. If they reach the end of a row before the signal, they continue on the next row. If they complete five more additions on that row before the signal, they have completed 120 additions in one minute.

How much work does an “ordinary person” complete in one minute? The Japanese average is around 60 additions. Average work volume (AV) is calculated by dividing the total work volume by 30 minutes. In the Japanese distribution, approximately 60% fall within 50–74 additions per minute, and approximately 40% within 55–69. Work volume in this range can therefore be considered typical.

Distribution of average work volume (AV) in the Japanese sample
Source: Nisseiken, Inc.

Work volume in the Uchida-Kraepelin Test has been studied from various perspectives.

Within a group of people of a similar age, work volume is not evenly distributed. Far more people are close to the average, and fewer are found as the distance from the average increases, producing a graph resembling a normal distribution. When matching people to jobs, more work volume is not necessarily better. In a company, there is a range of work volume that is sufficient and appropriate for the situation and the purpose of the work. A mismatch is more likely when work volume is either too high or too low for those requirements.

Average work volume differs considerably between countries and regions. We speculate that this is influenced by the pace of daily life associated with the degree of economic development. Data from examinees tested so far—please note that these samples do not represent entire countries or regions—show average work volumes of 55–61 additions per minute in Japan, South Korea, coastal China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and 41–46 in Southeast Asia and India.

Comparison of work volume in East Asian and Southeast Asian samples
Source: Nisseiken, Inc. These figures are for reference, as sample sizes and data collection periods differ.

When comparing countries or regions, it is important to look at distributions as well as averages. For example, the graph above shows that selecting the top 20% by work volume from the ASEAN sample produces a group whose work volume exceeds the Japanese average by as much as 10%.

Changes in work volume with age have also been studied. Work volume rises rapidly as children grow, and its increase generally levels off in adulthood, around the thirties. In Japanese data, the average work volume of groups aged 15–16 is about 40 additions per minute. It increases with age, reaching 60 in the group aged 22. Growth then becomes more gradual. Groups in their thirties maintain an average close to 65, after which it gradually declines. This can help in observing children’s development and estimating the potential for further growth among new employees.

Changes in average work volume (AV) by age in Japanese data
Source: Nisseiken, Inc.

Research in the transportation field has found that, when groups with high and low work volume are compared, the group with lower work volume is more likely to have accidents.


To arrange the Uchida-Kraepelin Test, a work-based aptitude and personality test that can be used in the same way in Japan and overseas, please contact your nearest distributor in your country or region.

Distributors in East Asia

  • South Korea
    • Korea Management Association
      • Main areas served: Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, Jeju
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Management consulting
      • Languages supported: Korean
  • Mainland China
    • Shanghai Oracle Bay Enterprise Group, Co., Ltd.
      • Main areas served: Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Yancheng, Nantong, Nanning, Ningbo, Bengbu, Xining, Yinchuan
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Human resource development
      • Languages supported: Chinese
    • NINGBO NAPU TRADE CO., LTD.
      • Main areas served: Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dongguan
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Manufacturing consulting, Fabless manufacturing
      • Languages supported: Chinese, Japanese
  • Hong Kong
    • N-ERVE TECHNOLOGY
      • Main areas served: Hong Kong
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Manufacturing consulting, Fabless manufacturing, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Chinese
  • Taiwan
    • Pasona Taiwan
      • Main areas served: Taipei, Hsinchu, Kaohsiung
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting, Human resource development, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Chinese

Distributors in Southeast Asia

  • Thailand
    • Krung Asia Insight
      • Main areas served: Bangkok, nationwide Thailand
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Thailand market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Thai, Japanese
    • Waguri
      • Main areas served: Bangkok, Chon Buri, Rayong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Lamphun
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese
    • Pasona HR Consulting Recruitment (Thailand)
      • Main areas served: Bangkok
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, HR consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Thai
    • TRAINING AND SEMINAR KOTSUKOTSU
      • Main areas served: Bangkok
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Human resource development, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Thai
  • Vietnam
    • Kosaido HR Vietnam
      • Main areas served: Hanoi (on-site visits available for Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and other locations)
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, Human resource development, Vietnam market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Vietnamese
    • Success Partner
      • Main areas served: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Organizational development
      • Languages supported: Vietnamese
  • Myanmar
    • J-SAT CONSULTING
      • Main areas served: Yangon, Mandalay
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, Myanmar market entry consulting, Japanese language education
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Burmese
  • Cambodia
    • Creative Diamond Links
      • Main areas served: Phnom Penh
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Khmer
  • Malaysia
    • Pasona HR MALAYSIA
      • Main areas served: Kuala Lumpur
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Malay, English
  • Laos
    • Lao-Japan Gateway
      • Main areas served: Vientiane
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Cybozu Kintone, Laos market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Lao
  • Indonesia
    • Bruggen Batavia Indonesia
      • Main areas served: Jakarta, Bekasi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting, Legal consulting, Visa consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Indonesian, English
    • Japan Asia Consultants
      • Main areas served: Jakarta, Bekasi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Indonesia market entry and company incorporation, Accounting and bookkeeping, Tax services, Labor affairs, Legal services, Visa services
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Indonesian, English
  • Philippines
    • One World Human Resources Development
      • Main areas served: Manila, Quezon
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Japanese language education, Human resource development
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Tagalog, English
  • Singapore
    • Pasona Singapore
      • Main areas served: Singapore
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, HR consulting
      • Languages supported: English

Distributors in South Asia

  • India
    • Pasona India
      • Main areas served: Delhi, Gurugram, Chennai, Bengaluru
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Hindi, English

If you cannot find a nearby distributor or would like to arrange testing in multiple regions, please contact us using the contact form.