Social stats in Persona 5 Royal are a significant part of its gameplay. Only by increasing them can you progress in certain Confidants and unlock more features, as well as ace the tests you have to take every semester. Luckily, Royal has given Joker more ways to expand these stats, making it easier to max them out.
Proficiency is essential not just for progressing certain party members' Confidants, such as Yusuke's and Haru's, but also for being able to make more infiltration tools to use in Palaces and Mementos. Knowing the best ways to upgrade it can spare a lot of time to work on other social stats.
12 Iwai's Confidant
Certain Confidants give one of your social stats a little boost when you spend time with them, which is great news since it's like hitting two birds with one stone. Spending time with Iwai gives Joker two Proficiency points, even when the Confidant won't level up on that visit.
However, just starting Iwai's Confidant requires your Guts to be at rank four - in other words, almost maxed out. Because of that, this method of increasing Proficiency won't really work until later in the game. Still, it can be a good way of increasing Proficiency without spending a time slot on another social stat-focused activity.
11 Part-time Jobs
There are two job locations that give you Proficiency points: the Beef Bowl Shop and Crossroads. Ironically, you need to already have rank two Proficiency to work at the former, and the latter requires a whopping rank four Proficiency just to get started, along with rank three Kindness and Guts.
The Beef Bowl Shop's Proficiency requirement isn't hard to reach, and gaining two or three points of Proficiency (depending on how well you can remember orders) while earning some cash isn't a bad way to spend your time. Though Crossroads' bar is higher, it does offer good pay and more than one social stat to choose to increase, not just Proficiency.
10 Reading Books
There are a bunch of books to read and a bunch of places to read them. Reading at the school library or in Leblanc at night is worth the time spent. Sometimes, you'll also be able to read a book on the way to school, so make sure to always have at least one book you haven't finished reading on hand.
The books Tidying the Heart and Woman in the Dark will give you three points of Proficiency once you've finished them. You can buy Tidying the Heart from the book store Shibuya, and you'll find Woman in the Dark in the library after Haru joins the Phantom Thieves.
9 Watching Movies And DVDs
You can spend time watching movies at the theater, and friends will invite you there sometimes as well. If you accept their invitation, you'll gain both Confidant points and social stat points, depending on the person and movie you watch.
The same goes for watching DVDs in your room after buying a TV and DVDs. Watching March of the Sheeple and Admission Possible at the theater will grant you three Proficiency points each, while watching Guy McVer in your room gives you two Proficiency points each session. Unlike books, DVDs give you points even when you haven't finished the DVD.
8 Playing Video Games
You can buy a retro game console from the old shop owner in Yongen-Jaya. Games for it can be found in the Retro Game Shop in Akihabara. They can be a bit pricey since most of them are at least 5,000 yen, but they're worth the buy - especially when you consider that finishing them also gets you a card.
This card can be exchanged for special accessories to equip in Palaces. And, of course, playing these games increases your social stats. Playing Golfer Sarutahiko gives you two Proficiency points per session.
7 The Big Bang Challenge And Totem Pole
Studying isn't only done at the library. You can also study in the diner to prepare for tests, and doing so will give you the chance to order something to eat or drink meanwhile. Ordering the Totem Pole gives you a single Proficiency point. As a bonus, it also gives you two Knowledge points if skies are clear, and three if it's raining.
On the other hand, participating in the Big Bang Burger Challenge will give you one to three Proficiency points depending on which phase of the challenge you're in. It also gives you the same number of points for every other social stat except Kindness. Keep in mind, though, that participating and succeeding in these challenges requires at least rank two Proficiency, Knowledge, and Guts.
6 The Batting Cage
Another activity to spend time on is practicing your batting skills at the Batting Cage in Yongen-Jaya. It'll give you one Proficiency point at the end of the session, or two if you don't miss a single ball. This is an interactive activity, so the results are based on your skill.
The good news is that there aren't any prerequisites to be able to participate in this activity, but the bad news is that it's not necessarily the most generous in terms of Proficiency points. On the plus side, you do get nice rewards if you manage to hit a home run or all five balls.
5 Fishing
Fishing is another activity that rewards you with points and items based on what you get. Fishing will give you a single Proficiency point, and maybe even some other things if you had a good session. Though it only gives one Proficiency point, this activity opens up fairly early on in the game and has no prerequisites.
It does cost money to take part, but going fishing in the evening nets you a discount. Be sure to take advantage of that if you want to work on your Proficiency while keeping some cash on hand.
4 Billiards
This activity is one of the new features in Royal. It's not just for increasing social stats; playing billiards increases the power of your technical attacks in Palaces and Mementos. Playing will randomly give you a single point towards any social stat except Kindness. It also needs different ranks of Proficiency to get to the following levels.
If you're looking to upgrade Proficiency only, billiards isn't the most reliable way to do it. However, if you want to upgrade multiple social stats, including Proficiency, this can be a good choice.
3 Drinking Special Juice
You can find a drink stand in the Shibuya Underground Walkway that will sell you some juice on Sundays. Like billiards, the juice randomly grants you a point to any social stat. This is only really worth it if you need an increase in most social stats, not just Proficiency.
On the bright side, drinking this juice doesn't take up a time slot. So, this can be a valuable way to slowly increase your social stats without taking up any time if you remember to visit the stall on Sundays.
2 Crafting Infiltration Tools
Unless you don't like unlocking special chests, you're going to be crafting lockpicks and other tools for the Metaverse fairly often. Doing this gives you at least two points of Proficiency, sometimes three if Morgana thinks you've done a particularly good job.
This can usually only be done in evenings, but you can also do it during class if you raise Kawakami's Confidant high enough. The Proficiency points are basically a bonus in this activity since crafting lockpicks, at the very least, is a must to get some valuable items.
1 Fixing The Broken Computer
Rather than an activity, this is a one-time thing you need to do to gain access to a certain shady shopping website. It does give you two points of Proficiency, though. So, even if you don't plan to shop, it might be worth fixing.
You can buy a broken computer in Yongen-Jaya and repair tools from Akihabara. It is worth taking a look at what Tanaka has to offer either way, as he sells rare items, accessories, and armor. Other than that, you won't be getting any social stat boosts after the initial two Proficiency points.