Let's be real: sitting through a virtual math lecture when you have a literal tower of shadows to climb feels like a drag. You’re playing Persona 3 Portable, usually on your phone or Switch these days, and suddenly Mr. Ono is breathing down your neck about Jomon-period housing. It’s tempting to just mash the X button and hope for the best.
Don't do that. Honestly, those little pop quizzes are the secret sauce to maxing out your social stats without wasting your precious evening slots at the arcade or the cafe. Answering correctly in class usually bumps your Charm, while acing the big exams is one of the most efficient ways to skyrocket your Academics.
If you want to unlock the best Social Links—like Mitsuru or the Sun arcana—you need those stats. Here is the move-by-month breakdown of every Persona 3 Portable classroom answer you'll need to stay at the top of the class.
April: The Early Days of Gekkoukan High
School starts fast. You're barely adjusted to the dorm before the teachers start testing you. April is mostly about setting a baseline.
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- 4/8: The first one is a bit of a trick. Ms. Toriumi’s favorite author? It's Utsubo Kubota.
- 4/18: When Mr. Ono asks about where people in the Jomon period dumped their trash, the answer is Mud huts. (Yes, the logic is a bit weird, but that's the game for you).
- 4/27: Math time. When were numbers invented? 6,000 years ago.
May: Your First Real Test
May is a big month because it introduces the first set of Midterms. This is where you actually get rewarded by Mitsuru if you rank high, so don't slack off.
- 5/6: Chemistry class. Water without much calcium or magnesium is called Soft water.
- 5/13: Physics is a headache. Earth's rotation speed near the equator? About 1,700 km/hour.
- 5/15: A weird linguistics question about the word "pan." It translates to Bread.
May Midterm Exam Answers (5/19 - 5/22)
You won't have free time during this week. It's just the exams.
- 5/19: The English translation for "pan" is Bread.
- 5/20: Earth's rotation speed? Faster than sound.
- 5/21: Water high in minerals? Hard water.
- 5/22: The Kitora Tomb is located in Nara.
June: Magic and Science
June feels a bit more relaxed, but the questions get weirder. We're talking Shamanism and dowsing rods.
- 6/15: Fill in the blank for Ms. Toriumi: "It rained all last week, and... it'll rain again today."
- 6/17: Origins of magic? Shamanism.
- 6/22: Which of these is NOT a "devilfish"? Jellyfish.
- 6/25: Looking for water with magic? That’s Dowsing.
- 6/29: Which way does the swirl go in the Northern Hemisphere? It can go either way. This one trips people up because they expect a "clockwise" or "counter-clockwise" answer.
July: The Summer Slog
It’s getting hot, and finals are around the corner. You're probably thinking about the beach trip, but focus.
- 7/3: Murasaki Shikibu's global achievement? The Global Heritage Pavilion.
- 7/8: Grammar check! Which phrase is wrong? "I failed, it's over now."
- 7/9: The foundation of feudalism? The Konden Einen Shizaihou. Good luck pronouncing that.
- 7/10: Mystical study of Jewish texts? Kabbalah.
- 7/11: Taira No Masakado’s self-claimed title? Imperial Prince.
July Final Exam Answers (7/14 - 7/17)
- 7/14: Magic used to find water? Dowsing.
- 7/15: What do Europeans call "devilfish"? Octopus.
- 7/16: Who founded the Kamakura shogunate? Minamoto No Yoritomo.
- 7/17: Example of a comma splice? "I went, I learned."
September: Back to the Grind
After summer break, the game really starts to ramp up. The questions follow suit, getting quite technical.
- 9/1: Physics again. Zero electrical resistance is Superconductivity.
- 9/10: What do you say after eating? Gochisou-sama.
- 9/11: The Renaissance magic book? The Hermetica.
- 9/14: Japan’s nuclear prohibitions? Can’t let others produce.
- 9/26: Holy numbers in numerology? The Tetractys.
October: The "Moses" Mistake
October is famous in the Persona community because the game actually contains a factual error in its own quiz.
- 10/7: Why is a matador’s cape red? To excite the audience. (The bull is actually colorblind to red, but the audience loves the drama).
October Midterm Exam Answers (10/13 - 10/16)
- 10/13: Source of stress for women? Husbands. (A bit of 2006-era humor there).
- 10/14: Who founded numerology? Moses.
Note: Factually, the answer is Pythagoras. However, in Persona 3 Portable, the game considers Moses the correct choice. If you pick Pythagoras, you'll get it wrong.
- 10/15: Superconductivity? Zero electrical resistance.
- 10/16: The other incident that triggered the Sengoku era? Coup of Meiou.
Post-Exam October Questions
- 10/19: Number of calendar patterns? Fourteen.
- 10/22: How is Natto made? By fermenting them.
- 10/23: Founder of Theosophy? Madam Blavatsky.
- 10/26: Which one isn’t Arabic? Wristwatch.
- 10/29: The enzyme? Lactase.
November and December: The Final Push
The stakes in the story are sky-high right now, but you still have to show up for English and Literature.
- 11/7: Classic literature. "Fuyu wa tsutomete" means Winter mornings are pleasant.
- 11/12: Ancient Indian texts? The Upanishads.
- 11/30: Did men use white makeup and pluck eyebrows? They did both.
- 12/7: Allotrope with three oxygen atoms? Ozone.
- 12/11: Plural of cactus? Cacti.
December Final Exam Answers (12/14 - 12/18)
- 12/14: Battle of Dan-no-ura year? 1185.
- 12/15: Element in ozone? Oxygen.
- 12/16: Rule for Lorentz Force? Left-hand rule.
- 12/17: Translate "Fuyu wa tsutomete"? Winter mornings are pleasant.
- 12/18: Correct plural? Cacti.
January: The End of the Road
Final stretch. Only a couple of questions left before the world potentially ends.
- 1/8: Is the sentence right? It's wrong.
- 1/18: Greek sorceress? Circe.
Why Your Academics Stat Actually Matters
In many RPGs, "Intelligence" is just a combat stat. In Persona 3 Portable, your Academics rank is a gatekeeper.
If you want to start the Social Link with Mitsuru Kirijo, you can't even talk to her until your Academics are at Rank 6 (Genius). That takes a long time. By getting every classroom question right and staying awake in class, you save dozens of night sessions that would otherwise be spent studying at your desk.
Also, talk to Mitsuru after you get your exam results. If you ranked #1 in your class, she’ll give you a powerful equipment reward or a rare item. It’s basically free loot for being a nerd.
Actionable Tips for Persona 3 Portable Students
- Stay Awake: If the game asks if you want to close your eyes or stay awake, stay awake. It gives you a small Academics boost for free. Only sleep if you are "Tired" or "Sick" and absolutely need to recover for a Tartarus run.
- The Library is Your Friend: On non-rainy days, the library is okay, but on rainy days, studying gives you a much bigger boost.
- Don't Forget the Nurse: If you do end up "Tired," go see Mr. Edogawa in the nurse's office. He’ll give you a gross drink that boosts your Courage without consuming any time. It's one of the best "free" stat gains in the game.
- Check the Rankings: After every exam, make sure to check the bulletin board in the school hallway. Your character won't get the Charm bonus or the Mitsuru reward unless you actually "see" that you did well.
By the time you reach the final months, having your stats maxed out allows you to focus entirely on the Social Links that matter. It makes the endgame much less of a "social stat" grind and more of an emotional experience. Keep this list handy, ace those tests, and get back to fighting Shadows.
Next Step: Check your current social stat ranks in the status menu. If you aren't at at least Rank 3 Academics by the July exams, you should start spending your Saturday nights at the Game Panic arcade playing the "Quiz Game" to catch up.