This article describes the National Center Test for University Admissions, a unified national test in Japan, which is taken by 500,000 students every year. It states that implementation of the Center Test began in 1990, with the English component consisting only of the written section until 2005, when the listening section was first implemented after a series of preparatory research studies. The test is designed and produced by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations. The content of the Center Test is aligned with the guideline titled the "Course of Study" for secondary or high schools prescribed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (MEXT). This article describes the test's purposes as both an achievement and certification test, its length and administration, and its written and listening components, It also presents basic test statistics, test review and validation, practicality, washback, and impact.