Hello! I took 1 1/2 years of Japanese in university. After finishing 201 (fall 2011), I moved to S.Korea. Now I am back in the states, but it has been almost 2 years since I've studied Japanese, so it's safe to say I've forgotten a lot. However, my comprehension is better off than my speaking/writing abilities. The books used for years 1 and 2 at my uni: Nakama 1 and 2. I signed up for 301 this fall. I have been reviewing and studying the Nakama books this summer, so that I won't be behind in the class. The review is bringing everything back to me, thank goodness! My classmates say that 3rd and 4th year students basically study for JLPT.

I'm not sure which level to study for. I still have 2 years left of university (my minor is in Japanese), so I also plan to begin 4th year next fall. I also want to go to grad school. Basically, what I'm wondering is:

Which level of JLPT would look good for grad schools?
Would the N3 be good to study for this year, or should I aim for a different level?
Any tips on how to go about studying for the JLPT?

My apologies if this post seems a bit jumbled.. I'm just really confused about the JLPT :/

[Zgarbas]

Grad school... in Japan? If you want to study in Japanese N1+ is necessary.

Otherwise, depends on the grad school.

Yeah, I think stabarke means grad school in the States.

There used to be old tests on the JLPT's website, so you can test yourself there.
Also check wikipedia's page of the JLPT and check how many items of grammar/vocabulary/kanji you have studied to get a rough idea of your level.

[Zgarbas]

The jlpt also has sample exam tests (not the ones with one question/type, though you can try those out too, a full sample exam for each level) on their website if you're interested. The sample seems a bit easier than the IRL one though =/

EratiK Wrote:Yeah, I think stabarke means grad school in the States.

There used to be old tests on the JLPT's website, so you can test yourself there.
Also check wikipedia's page of the JLPT and check how many items of grammar/vocabulary/kanji you have studied to get a rough idea of your level.

Oops, yeah, I meant grad school in the US.

I checked the site, after reviewing this summer, I should be up to par with N4's kanji an vocab requirements. So maybe I should focus on the N3 for this year? I'll try some sample questions from both to make sure though.

I don't know anything about US schools so I can't really comment on that, but in terms of JLPT, aiming to improve by about 1 level each year is quite possible. For example if you're around level 4 now, aiming for level 3 after the first year and level 2 after the second your should be quite possible.

If your main focus is on studying something else then passing JLPT level 2 on the side with minimal classes is a decent acheivement. However, if Japanese is your main focus and you're aiming to get a job using Japanese or continue study focusing on Japanese then I would have thought you should be aiming for level 1, although it'd probably require quite a bit of effort to pass in two years while not living in Japan.

mutley Wrote:I don't know anything about US schools so I can't really comment on that, but in terms of JLPT, aiming to improve by about 1 level each year is quite possible. For example if you're around level 4 now, aiming for level 3 after the first year and level 2 after the second your should be quite possible.

If your main focus is on studying something else then passing JLPT level 2 on the side with minimal classes is a decent acheivement. However, if Japanese is your main focus and you're aiming to get a job using Japanese or continue study focusing on Japanese then I would have thought you should be aiming for level 1, although it'd probably require quite a bit of effort to pass in two years while not living in Japan.

I would love to focus all my time on studying Japanese, but I'm taking 5 courses a semester that require my time as well I think I will study for N3 this year, thank you

Well, if you really are that crunched for time, don't want to spend the cash, and still want to see basically anything on the JLPT, you might want to check out my site. I try my best to make sure literally every single topic on the JLPT 1 is mentioned at least once somewhere, although it's even hard for myself to find things at times. You could also invest money to get the n1 Kanzen book. As far as studying is concerned, I would try to at least study one hour a day. Even though you have 5 courses, that is probably doable given that you manage your time well.

imabi Wrote:Well, if you really are that crunched for time, don't want to spend the cash, and still want to see basically anything on the JLPT, you might want to check out my site. I try my best to make sure literally every single topic on the JLPT 1 is mentioned at least once somewhere, although it's even hard for myself to find things at times. You could also invest money to get the n1 Kanzen book. As far as studying is concerned, I would try to at least study one hour a day. Even though you have 5 courses, that is probably doable given that you manage your time well.

Wow, what a wonderful site you have! Thank you, I bookmarked it