～にしては— Contrary to Expectation

• 彼は初心者にしては上手だ。

  Kare wa shoshinsha ni shite wa jouzu da.

  For a beginner, he's quite skilled.

  Noun 初心者 + にしては — the skill is unexpectedly high given the premise

• たくさん練習したにしては、成績が悪かった。

  Takusan renshuu shita ni shite wa, seiseki ga warukatta.

  Considering how much he practiced, his results were poor.

  Plain past 練習した + にしては — the outcome contradicts the effort

• この店は東京にしては安い。

  Kono mise wa Toukyou ni shite wa yasui.

  For being in Tokyo, this shop is cheap.

  Noun 東京 + にしては — cheapness is surprising given Tokyo's reputation

• ・Always implies the result is contrary to expectation (surprise).
• ・The premise must be a specific standard, not a general one — use わりに for looser proportional judgments.
• ・Cannot be used when the premise and result match as expected.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～にしては is tested against.

• ～くらい／～ぐらい — To That Extent
• ～というより — Rather Than, More Like
• ～ば～ほど — The More, The More
• ～ほど — To the Extent That
• わりに(は) — Considering That