I failed N2 again

My score improved by a whopping 1 point over my result from 2 years back, which really sucks (don't mind failing, I do mind not improving)...

In reality I did improve my scores in vocab&grammar and listening, quite a lot actually (though went from A vocab, C grammar to B vocab, B grammar, not doing SRS does that to you) but totally bombed reading. Last time I had 20 points, barely above guessing avarage but this time I went full retard and got 10.... a cat would be able to get a better score than that

Guess third time's the charm, right?

Ha Ha Ha, did better in listening than in reading.
Time to hit the books.
Failed N3 btw.

Yay, I passed



Time to study for N1.

FooSoft Wrote:Yay, I passed

http://foosoft.net/pub/pics/misc/goukaku.png

Time to study for N1.

Nice work man. You really aced the test. Too bad I can't say the same for N1. Any tips on how you prepared? I didn't prepare and it showed....
Grammar and Vocab I got B. I got better on listening then I did in reading (found that really ironic).

Anyhow it looks like I just need to prepare ahead of time.

Yay, I passed N1! Got roughly 75% overall, so not a great score, but still. I didn't really expect to pass so it totally made my day. Congrats to everyone else who passed

N2 Passed

Vocab/Grammar - 60/60
Reading - 50/60
Listening - 43/60

Listening was way better than expected as my only source of audio is anime and 80% of the time I'm reading the Japanese subs for those.

SRS works!

ta12121 Wrote:

FooSoft Wrote:Yay, I passed

http://foosoft.net/pub/pics/misc/goukaku.png

Time to study for N1.

Nice work man. You really aced the test. Too bad I can't say the same for N1. Any tips on how you prepared? I didn't prepare and it showed....
Grammar and Vocab I got B. I got better on listening then I did in reading (found that really ironic).

Anyhow it looks like I just need to prepare ahead of time.

Take lots of practice tests, that helped me out for sure! Also, I have a tutor who I can ask about any grammar points that I miss on the practice exams. Reading novels also obviously helps for the reading portion ^^

I passed N1 after almost four years of, basically, AJATT and no focused study for the JLPT itself. Reading manga/books, watching TV/anime/movies, and using Anki with hefty deletion has been my strategy. Some people might say 4 years is too long, but honestly, I think I could've passed it a year ago. I just wanted to wait until I was in Japan to take it.

My advice for future JLPT-takers: screw study materials and Core25000 or whatever it's called and just find the fun! A lot of people criticize AJATT, and it has become a pretty bloated site with AJATT+ and Silverspoon or whatever... but his basic advice is right on target. If you keep touching Japanese and let your curiosity be your guide, you will improve quickly.

Edit: One important part of the strategy that I can't believe I left out: Interaction with Japanese people! Your friends will teach you so much, they will become your motivation, and most importantly... they're your friends!

>> his basic advice is right on target. If you keep touching Japanese and let your curiosity be your guide, you will improve quickly.

That's why I don't like AJATT (i.e. the site). I don't need someone that basically just says "do a full immersion and let your passion for Japan guide you".
It's not even a method, it's just enjoying what your doing without thinking too much about the next exam + "full immersion" (and I do hope no one thinks he invented full immersion).
He took this simple concept that I already knew (like a lot of other people) and decided he could basically sell it* to every begginer out there, like it was gold or something.
And that would be fine IF he invented that method, but he didn't.

*I know he doesn't sell the method per se, but he does sell other things using his site イメージ he created with his met... my bad, "with a stolen method".

Then again, to tell you the truth Heisig's method too is partially a well known method that is around since ancient Rome was a republic (like the mental castle you may have heard of).

[Zgarbas]

Can we please keep the thread to JLPT results& assorted congratulations and "how I did it" and not start another Ajatt discussion?

^That doesn't make the method less valid.

...though he has been going overboard with the marketing thingy nowadays...

N2

Vocab/Grammar: 34/60
Reading: 29/60
Listening: 35/60

Total: 98/180
Pass

I'm happy I passed because I can officially put it on my resume, but it was a really close call. I'm still satisfied with my score because I have only recently really started reading books and gotten into actual studying. If anybody here was like me, it was basically that up until September, for over 2 years, I had been watching Japanese stuff and doing Anki but perhaps not putting in the effort. I had not even touched a book before September. But leading up to the December JLPT test I read Summer Wars which contributed to me passing I bet.

Since then I've beaten an entire JRPG in Japanese and read the first half of Hunger Games, and of course kept up my show watching. I'm confident in saying that I'm getting closer to the "right" track and improving more and more. I'll keep a conscious effort to reading consistently from now on.

Sorry if I went off into nowhere with that. Good job everyone.

[Zgarbas]

No N3 and below test takers? o.O

Zgarbas Wrote:No N3 and below test takers? o.O

Why would anyone take those?

[Zgarbas]

Why wouldn't they?
I just figured there'd be more <N3 takers since there are more beginner&intermediate learners here than intermediate and above.

Zgarbas Wrote:Why wouldn't they?
I just figured there'd be more <N3 takers since there are more beginner&intermediate learners here than intermediate and above.

From what I hear they are kind of useless though, aren't they? Most people don't really bother until at least N2.

Zgarbas Wrote:No N3 and below test takers? o.O

Jasberg and yours truly on the first page. I admit I played it safe by taking N3 instead of N2 - if I didn't have to take a semester abroad in 2011 I could have passed it back then. Being a fresh graduate with a bachelor's degree, looking for my first real job at the time of the winter 2012 JLPT application deadline, I wasn't sure I'd have enough free time to study for N2. Now that I do have a full time job I believe I still don't have enough time to get myself to a level where I'd be 100% confident in myself passing N2, but I guess this time I'll just have to take a risk.

So I passed N5. Yay.



Looking back I'm quite sure it would have been a better idea to go for at least N4 instead, but since I didn't start studying Japanese seriously before summer last year and applied for the test not long after that, I had no idea if I'd be able to keep up with the studying when school was to start again, and opted to go for the lowest level instead. Turns out I was able to.

Time to get my hearing skills up to match the others and try for a higher level next time!

I passed N1 too ... I was so happy when I saw the results!
My score was:
言語知識: 40/60
読解: 44/60
聴解: 32/60
Total Score: 116/180

A in voc. and B in grammar
That's not a big surprise because I never actually studied for the jlpt test itself, I just studied Japanese starting with RTK and then moving to anki for sentences deck, and doing whatever came to my mind in Japanese, like watching doramas, reading books and stuff, since 2009. Because of that, well,I didn't study the grammar in a deep level.

I was kinda of surprised I passed because I thought I wouldn't reach 19 points in the listening section since I couldn't concentrate for some reason. I think 32 was actually good considering this .
But in my opinion 55% being the minimum you have to score to pass is way too low. I mean, honestly even though I passed I don't feel like "I'm also able to read written materials with profound contents on various topics and follow their narratives as well as understand the intent of the writers comprehensively.", like the jlpt website says for N1, for example. Ok, I can read most texts I find out there but it's not rare when I find one and go "uh...I'm sorry...what?"

Congratulations to everyone who passed

Gloriously failed N2.

I managed to get a breathtaking 3/60 in the reading section, something rather difficult statistically considering I did give all answers.

I have to explain I was expecting this since I was unprepared for various reasons and feeling completely overwhelmed by the reading section (which I knew to be my weakness) I blanked out and gave random answers.

In a way this has been very beneficial to me since I started studying properly right after the exam rather than wait until the results.

I like these exams, I have been playing with them for a while (passed N3 in July after preparing it properly for the first time) and I have registered again for N2 next July. Also, they are cheap, so I cannot complain. It's just a pity that they are not as well designed as other language exams.

Managed to pass N1 on my first attempt.
Vocab: 60/60
Reading: 60/60
Listening: 42/60

I can now confirm that passing N1 with a high mark really does say nothing about your production skills - since I am only half decent at writing, and pretty much have never had a conversation in Japanese in my life.

I'm rather surprised I managed to get 100% in both vocab & reading sections, considering there were at least a handful of questions I wasn't quite sure about. Plus the reading section always tends to have 2 answers that are almost the same...

Congratulations to everyone else who passed their test!

Souryo Wrote:Managed to pass N1 on my first attempt.
Vocab: 60/60
Reading: 60/60
Listening: 42/60

I can now confirm that passing N1 with a high mark really does say nothing about your production skills - since I am only half decent at writing, and pretty much have never had a conversation in Japanese in my life.

I'm rather surprised I managed to get 100% in both vocab & reading sections, considering there were at least a handful of questions I wasn't quite sure about. Plus the reading section always tends to have 2 answers that are almost the same...

Congratulations to everyone else who passed their test!

It's only once you pass N1 that you realise how meaningless it is.

N1 is the beginning of becoming proficient in Japanese. Everything up to that point is just an introduction.

fakewookie Wrote:N1 is the beginning of becoming proficient in Japanese. Everything up to that point is just an introduction.

I completely agree with this, but what can us exam-addicted people do after passing N1?

cingo Wrote:I completely agree with this, but what can us exam-addicted people do after passing N1?

As discussed in another thread recently you best bets are 漢字検定 and 日本語検定. Both of these tests are aimed at native speakers so beyond those you would probably need to go into something highly specialized like the bar exam.

cingo Wrote:

fakewookie Wrote:N1 is the beginning of becoming proficient in Japanese. Everything up to that point is just an introduction.

I completely agree with this, but what can us exam-addicted people do after passing N1?

I think it's really only 漢字検定 and 日本語検定 from that point, as mentioned. What's with being exam-addicted though? Just enjoy using and improving your Japanese