This is the 5196th most frequent Japanese word.
間際
"間際" means "just before" or "on the verge of (an event)."
間際 here denotes the immediate time before an event. It emphasizes urgency, as in just before the train's departure.
電車が発車する間際に間に合いました。
I made it just in time before the train departed.
間際 refers to the moments immediately preceding the end of the lecture, capturing the notion of being at the end of the time span.
授業の終了間際に先生が重要なことを話しました。
The teacher spoke about something important just before the class ended.
間際 is used here to highlight the time immediately preceding the commencement of the exam, denoting persistence up to the last moment.