(NOTE: Related thread for the N3 over here.)
This is a thread to discuss how folks are prepping for this year's JLPT N2 and N1 tests.
After being one of the 39% who cleared this year's N2, I've decided to go for the N1 this year. I've decided that this is because I'm insane.
My prep currently consists of the following. This will likely fluctuate as the year ticks by. A lot of my current plans are currently being influenced by the fact that I'm about to go to Japan, and will be suspending work on my Anki decks at least until I return. I also feel like my Anki work is dominating my Japanese time, and I want to spend a little more time enjoying native content in the leadup to the JLPT1.
* Vocab: Skritter + reading and listening to drive acquisition. I'm using Skritter's pre-made JLPT N1 list for backup when I run out of words in my custom vocab list. I've tried vocab acquisition before without an SRS system, and I find I learn a lot faster and retain a lot more when I'm explicitly studying vocab. Plus Skritter gives me the writing component, which helps with my journaling.
* Reading: I have a several-pronged approach here. I have a stack of novels here. Beyond that, I continue to read lots of news online, and am starting to read more specialty interest materials, such as a magazine called Dancyu (http://www.president.co.jp/dan/) that a colleage brought to me as a present. I also spend a little time each weekend reading several entries from the 新完全マスター読解 for N1, just to give me a little more practice in digesting the specific format used by the JLPT. My teacher and I also work on reading and grammar in our weekly lessons.
* Grammar. I've digested all of 新完全マスター and 総まとめ N1 books via Anki already. I wil likely resume reviewing this deck when I'm back to Japan, and am going to keep adding to it. A friend who passed the JLPT N1 years ago recently gave me an old ALC book that contains nothing but common words and grammar points, along with example sentences to clarify usage and highlight the various multiple meanings of basic words. E.g., the section on 抜ける contains four short examples sentences, each with a short accompanying Japanese language explanation:
（１）最近、髪が抜けて困っている。
（２）パンクしてタイヤの空気が抜けてしまった。
（３）トンネルを抜けると、急に景色が変わった。
（４）この本には３４ページから４９ページまで抜けている。
I find this kind of disambiguation and short usage example very valuable, and am slowly transcribing my photocopy of this book into Anki. (I'm happy to make the final result available to others once I've finished inputting everything and editing my entries.)
Again, this is a task for when I get back from Japan.
* Listening: Lots of anime and drama (some with subtitles, a lot without). Podcasts while walking to and from work. I'm suspending my Subs2SRS work for now, because I have a HUGE pile of shows and anime that I want to watch, and re-watching the same things over and over again through Subs2SRS is digging into that time. (I still have 600 episodes of 名探偵コナン needing my attention!!) I feel like it's time to truly start immersing myself with listening, rather than spending so much time studying. I'm also finishing up まっしろ, will likely re-watch 斉藤さん, and want to keep enjoying the delicious trashiness that is 少女革命ウテナ.
I plan to start explicitly studying N1 listening in July from the 総まとめ and 新完全マスター books. Until then, I'm going to spend some time enjoying the fruits of the past three years.
That's it for now. Basically, I'm trying to prep for N1 mainly by enjoying more complicated Japanese, with a little test-specific study thrown in to give myself some additional practice with JLPT format.
What are YOU doing? Any advice from past takers of the N2 and N1?
This is a thread to discuss how folks are prepping for this year's JLPT N2 and N1 tests.
After being one of the 39% who cleared this year's N2, I've decided to go for the N1 this year. I've decided that this is because I'm insane.
My prep currently consists of the following. This will likely fluctuate as the year ticks by. A lot of my current plans are currently being influenced by the fact that I'm about to go to Japan, and will be suspending work on my Anki decks at least until I return. I also feel like my Anki work is dominating my Japanese time, and I want to spend a little more time enjoying native content in the leadup to the JLPT1.
* Vocab: Skritter + reading and listening to drive acquisition. I'm using Skritter's pre-made JLPT N1 list for backup when I run out of words in my custom vocab list. I've tried vocab acquisition before without an SRS system, and I find I learn a lot faster and retain a lot more when I'm explicitly studying vocab. Plus Skritter gives me the writing component, which helps with my journaling.
* Reading: I have a several-pronged approach here. I have a stack of novels here. Beyond that, I continue to read lots of news online, and am starting to read more specialty interest materials, such as a magazine called Dancyu (http://www.president.co.jp/dan/) that a colleage brought to me as a present. I also spend a little time each weekend reading several entries from the 新完全マスター読解 for N1, just to give me a little more practice in digesting the specific format used by the JLPT. My teacher and I also work on reading and grammar in our weekly lessons.
* Grammar. I've digested all of 新完全マスター and 総まとめ N1 books via Anki already. I wil likely resume reviewing this deck when I'm back to Japan, and am going to keep adding to it. A friend who passed the JLPT N1 years ago recently gave me an old ALC book that contains nothing but common words and grammar points, along with example sentences to clarify usage and highlight the various multiple meanings of basic words. E.g., the section on 抜ける contains four short examples sentences, each with a short accompanying Japanese language explanation:
（１）最近、髪が抜けて困っている。
（２）パンクしてタイヤの空気が抜けてしまった。
（３）トンネルを抜けると、急に景色が変わった。
（４）この本には３４ページから４９ページまで抜けている。
I find this kind of disambiguation and short usage example very valuable, and am slowly transcribing my photocopy of this book into Anki. (I'm happy to make the final result available to others once I've finished inputting everything and editing my entries.)
Again, this is a task for when I get back from Japan.
* Listening: Lots of anime and drama (some with subtitles, a lot without). Podcasts while walking to and from work. I'm suspending my Subs2SRS work for now, because I have a HUGE pile of shows and anime that I want to watch, and re-watching the same things over and over again through Subs2SRS is digging into that time. (I still have 600 episodes of 名探偵コナン needing my attention!!) I feel like it's time to truly start immersing myself with listening, rather than spending so much time studying. I'm also finishing up まっしろ, will likely re-watch 斉藤さん, and want to keep enjoying the delicious trashiness that is 少女革命ウテナ.
I plan to start explicitly studying N1 listening in July from the 総まとめ and 新完全マスター books. Until then, I'm going to spend some time enjoying the fruits of the past three years.
That's it for now. Basically, I'm trying to prep for N1 mainly by enjoying more complicated Japanese, with a little test-specific study thrown in to give myself some additional practice with JLPT format.
What are YOU doing? Any advice from past takers of the N2 and N1?