I took the N2 in Yokohama - nine months after starting to learn Japanese. When I initially signed up for it, I was aiming to fail. However, I now feel that I actually have some chances of passing.

I fear that I bombed the response section, as by the time all the three options were presented, I had already forgotten the initial phrase. Better take notes!

Personal trivia rant:
Other than that I was kind of put off by one of the texts at the end of the reading section. The one about people having (too) many choices nowadays, but not being happier due to them. And that instead of worrying so much about the choices, we should just focus on doing what we actually do in a good way.
Unfortunately, the JLPT coincided with the deadline for my master's study choice and I was eternally torn between robotics and physics. I struggled to forget about that choice temporally and focus on Japanese all weekend (with varying degrees of success). Therefore, I wasn't exactly delighted to be haunted by it even during the test!

erlog Wrote:Yeah, the response section of the listening is absolutely brutal, and I say this as someone who's studied Japanese for 6 years, has passed N1 multiple times, and has lived in Japan for 3 years.

I've lived in Japan almost two years total and can understand most TV but the response section gets me every time so I'm glad someone else feels this way.

I'm starting to think its just a question of years spent in Japan because people who say N1 listening is easy have almost all been here longer than I have or went to high school here. I find that when you have actually been in a situation in real life it's easy to understand what they are trying to say, but when you have only studied the words in an academic setting then you just can't process them fast enough.

hyvel Wrote:I took the N2 in Yokohama - nine months after starting to learn Japanese. When I initially signed up for it, I was aiming to fail. However, I now feel that I actually have some chances of passing.

If you pass, that's crazy. 9 months is crazy.

Sadly though, if you do pass, I probably won't believe you, haha.

Tzadeck Wrote:

hyvel Wrote:I took the N2 in Yokohama - nine months after starting to learn Japanese. When I initially signed up for it, I was aiming to fail. However, I now feel that I actually have some chances of passing.

If you pass, that's crazy. 9 months is crazy.

Sadly though, if you do pass, I probably won't believe you, haha.

9 months is far outside the norm, but I don't find it all that surprising or crazy.

On the old version of the test that had a lot more technical grammar questions it would be less possible, but the recent tests being so focused on reading + living in Japan + having a slightly intense study regimen could definitely nudge you past a passing score on N2 in that amount of time. It would probably be somewhere between 100-110, but it doesn't seem impossible. It just seems like that person might be in some exceptional circumstances.

I've met some people on study abroad that were in intensive programs in the UK and Australia that were able to do that kind of thing. The reason the beginning parts of Japanese take so long for most people is that they're still figuring out HOW to go about learning a language. It took me 4 years to figure that out properly. If I had been a good, intensive Japanese program rather than the one I was in then that time could have been shortened quite a bit.

I'm not saying that anyone who takes longer than 9 months is a failure or anything. It's completely normal for it to take time to figure out how to learn a language, and like I said, it took me until after I had already graduated from university to figure out how to make real progress with Japanese.

It's just that if someone has really good guidance at the beginning then they can move a lot faster because they know clearly what's required of them to improve rather than having to figure it out on their own. Most people just aren't lucky enough to have that kind of guidance, though. It's one of the grudges I hold against my university's Japanese program.

Also, if someone grew up bilingual or Japanese isn't the first foreign language they've learned then they can move faster too.

I'm not saying I think it's impossible. I'm just a bit distrusting because enough people have exaggerated their ability or speed (even on this forum), that I just assume that more than half of the peple who make incredible claims are lying or stretching the truth. Not sure about this guy specifically, of course--my comment was meant to be light-hearted (hence the 'haha'). And, anyway, he hasn't gotten the results.

In reality, I think it takes 90% of people at least two years to get to N2, and I think the average is probably somewhere between 3-5 years. So 9 months is really very fast.

Chinese people seem to be able to pass N1 after a year pretty consistently, though.

dizmox Wrote:Chinese people seem to be able to pass N1 after a year pretty consistently, though.

Yeah. I meant native English speakers, of course. Or, native speakers of European languages.

The only native English speakers I've met who have gotten to around N2 level in a year are those that studied abroad at the high school I teach at. They're usually 16 years old when they come, they get a Japanese tutor for two or three hours a day, and the rest of the day they're in regular Japanese classes with Japanese students. And they live with a host family.

Anyway, since I've lived in Japan for five years now, and I was in a few Japanese programs, I've met hundreds of learners in different situations using different methods. N2 in a year for native English speakers is incredibly rare.

Paraphrasing:

Quote:exceptional circumstances/intensive Japanese program/really good guidance at the beginning

Guilty as charged ! I've had the privilege to start off my studies at a serious Japanese language school in Japan where I could solely focus on Japanese for five months. So I've been lucky to get a great start and basically just had to advance and keep going from there. I'm quite certain that it would have turned out a lot different if not for this opportunity.

Quick question on the vocab section of the test.

Was つらい or 重苦しい correct for the sentence that went along the lines of "parting from my friends gives me a ____ feeling."? I chose the first

[Zgarbas]

I'd　go with 重苦しい, since 辛い感じ sounds awkward. I think stand-alone つらい is far more common.

おも‐くるし･い【重苦しい】__形__
1) 圧迫されるようで息苦しく感じる｡｢胸が─｣
2) 押さえつけられるようで気分が晴れない｡｢場内に─空気が漂う｣｢─沈黙が続く｣

You're right I think T_T

[RawToast]

Test results are available for those who took the test in Asia:
http://www.jlpt.jp/e/guideline/results_online.html

Other countries
(The result of 2013 July test will be available from the afternoon of August 29 to 5pm on October 15(JST).)

http://www.jlpt.jp/e/guideline/results_online.html

Results for Japan test takers actually come out 8/27 according to the website and my page after I logged in, but that got the old heart rate going pretty good anyway.

[RawToast]

It's a bit silly that some countries don't get their results until after the December application deadline -- not that I am apply in December

Still, 5-7 days left to wait for most people.

[Zgarbas]

Isn't the December application deadline mid-October everywhere?

Passed JLPT(日本語能力試験) N1 again, but my listening score went down again. I actually did a listening drill book this time, though! I probably should spend a lot more time watching TV.

Vocabulary/Grammar - 39/60
Reading - 43/60
Listening - 29/60

Total - Passed - 111/180

At this point, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do to improve other than just read/speak/watch/listen a lot. I'm gonna start studying for the BJT soon because that test is in November, and I want to make my business Japanese better in case I don't recontract as an English teacher for next year.

Zgarbas Wrote:Isn't the December application deadline mid-October everywhere?

The USA application opened yesterday. I'm not sure when it closes, but last year it was open for about a month. It's being done by a new organization this year. Maybe that means they will host a July test as well.

edit: never mind that last hopeful thought. http://www.aatj.org/jlpt-faq#g5

[Zgarbas]

Huh, weird. Always figured that since the date is the same everywhere the application period, hour and what not also coincide . (I notice now that that centre has the exam start at noon. So lucky. No spending the morning in the cold, siberian breeze after not getting enough sleep cause you're worried about waking up on time. )

I mediocre-ly passed N1.

Language knowledge 33/60
Reading 40/60
Listening 36/60

Total 109/180

Moji; goi B
Bunpou A

But, hey, I passed! Tequila!

[RawToast]

Zgarbas Wrote:Isn't the December application deadline mid-October everywhere?

Not everywhere, it probably is later in Japan/Asia though:

Quote:Online applications for December 2013 will be open from 15th August and the deadline is 6pm 3rd October 2013 or when the maximum number of applications is reached.

http://www.soas.ac.uk/languagecentre/awards/jlpt/

So it can even close before October in the event that they are fully booked and from what I saw in July, they could fill up.

Quote:Registration for the December 2013 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is currently OPEN and will close on September 27, 2013 at 9PM EST.

http://www.ii.umich.edu/cjs/academics/jlpt

Congrats Tzadeck!

And to everyone else too :-).

Thanks! I've been at this for a while, haha.

Tzadeck Wrote:I mediocre-ly passed N1.

It's good enough for the highly skilled foreign professionals visa and isn't that what really counts?

Aaand the results are out for us rest-of-the-worlders. Lessee how I did...

Holy cow, I actually passed N2! I was really doubting myself this time, but looks like my preparation was adequate after all:

言語知識 51/60
読解 50/60
聴解 56/60

総合得点 157/180

文字・語彙 A
文法 A

I guess now I just have to take a shot at N1 this winter. Employability in Japan, here I come!

[RawToast]

vonPeterhof Wrote:Holy cow, I actually passed N2! I was really doubting myself this time, but looks like my preparation was adequate after all:

言語知識 51/60
読解 50/60
聴解 56/60

総合得点 157/180

文字・語彙 A
文法 A

Man you smashed that test!

I passed my first JLPT test and the results are how I expected. I felt the vocab section was a breeze, and the result shows.

Vocab: A
Grammar: B
Listening: B

I need to work on my listening when I step up to the big levels, 26/60 was a little close :S