justusperthes Wrote:So I was looking around the forum for ideas for N1 reading practice material and someone in another thread mentioned Asahi's 天声人語. I then did a google search and stumbled upon this app (for Apple devices) which was released just yesterday: http://japan.cnet.com/news/service/35071825/

It seems to be a kind of role playing game where you listen to a bunch of characters reading a 天声人語 and then it gives you questions about the content. I haven't really looked at it thoroughly but it seems as if it could be useful as reading/listening practice.

Looks interesting, and they're planning an Android release as well (but don't have a release date at the moment). It's main demographic is actually Japanese highschool and college students, so it won't have any odd JSL language. I'm don't know how well people on Koohii would like the voice actors though, as they all seem to be known for their work in anime.

There will probably be a problem with purchases though, for those of us not in Japan; though it's free to download and comes with fifteen free bits, that's only half the content available.

(On a slight tangent, what kind of pricing scheme is that? "残りの15編は、1編120円または2編セット250円で購入できる。"; who the heck is going to pay ten yen more for a set of two instead of buying them separately? Are they just aiming for the lazy people who'll buy sets whether it's a better deal or not (or would rather not go through the effort of buying things seperately)? Or maybe it's a typo of some kind... Whatever it is, that pricing structure is dumb.)

Who is ready for JLPT next month? I'm taking N2 and still a bit nervous about it since I didn't get as much studying done as I would have liked since the semester started. I retook the J-CAT test to see if I improved on my score any in the past 5 months, and I managed to go from a 213 to 254, which I'm really happy about at least. My scores in grammar and listening did not improve at all, though, so I really want to work on that while I still can before the test.

I'm doing okay. Took a mock N1 on Monday, and got 34/45 on grammar/vocab, 15/25 on reading, and 28/37 on listening. I need to work on reading comprehension, but I knew that already.

It works out to around 126 or so-ish out of 180, which is a nice soft pass (need 100), but the mock test could have been easy. I can't let the scores lull me into a false sense of "Oh hey, I'm doing good!" (Also, the real scoring isn't that straightforward, either. )

So I'm working on any areas where I feel like I'm deficient. (Like reading comprehension.)

I'm using Scrivener to keep a "Ｎ１文法ノート," and that helps me internalize what I'm reviewing. I'm going over stuff, then summarizing it in a form that makes sense to me. Renshuu.org and 日本語文型辞典 help a lot with that.

I REALLY LOVE 日本語能力試験N1文法必修パターン by J-リサーチ出版(ISBN: 978-4-86392-233-4), because it has a really good N5-N2 review for N1 people in the first half of the book, covering particles, adverbs, keigo, and the N3/N2 phrases you may or may not remember because you're obsessing over N1. >_>a

The other thing I'm obsessing on is vocab. Kango nouns and する verbs are handy, especially for reading, because often it seems like the whole passage will revolve around one kango word or two, and if I don't know it, I'm boned. On the grammar bit, it seems like verbs/adverbs can be really nasty, so I'm verbing and adverbing up when possible.

Other than that, I'm hitting the drill books (the ドリル＆ドリル series is my friend), doing lots of listening drills, reading drills, and a mock test every few days. I've got a stack of mock tests. I plan on taking as many of them as I can before the real thing, so when it's test time, it's "Just another mock test."

I'm not worrying about prepping for the mock tests anymore. I used to have this dumb hangup that "I better study for the mock test so I don't waste it," then I'd never take them, because I was never "perfectly prepared," which is just dumb, but psychology reminds us that people do dumb things for dumb reasons, myself included.

So I'm taking all the mock tests. I'm studying, but not worrying about it all being perfect, because they'll throw curve balls at me anyway. That's how I'm doing it.

rich_f Wrote:... and a mock test every few days. I've got a stack of mock tests. I plan on taking as many of them as I can before the real thing, so when it's test time, it's "Just another mock test."

A full mock test every few days? o_O wow, that's amazing. I'm doing 4 mock tests over 5 months before the real thing, and was worried perhaps that was too much...

That's what I did for N2 a few years back. That was the one thing I think that helped me the most, I think; I got to the point where the Real Thing wasn't such a big deal.

My goal is to at least do one a week, if not two. One is definitely doable, two not always so, because life and all that. But one is doable.

zx573 Wrote:Who is ready for JLPT next month?

Not ready yet, but there is still a month to go... I am going for the N2. For vocab, I am doing the Kanji in Context - series and it seems to be working quite well, except that all of the hiragana/katakana only words are missing. So on top of that I am doing the zero-kanji vocab from Core10k.

For reading practice I use the 社説比較くん and the Yomiura online (thanks to whoever it was that posted those links!).

Based on the latest mock test result I think I can pass, but not with a big margin so it could go either way...

Requested all of the Drill & Drill books sent to my local Kinokuniya end of September. Picked up one mid-October. The last 2 only just arrived today, so pissed. Now I spend the next 3-4 weeks cramming the 2 remaining books. Definitely not ready...

I'll be taking another mock exam this weekend, so I'll have the latest data then, but on the last mock exam I took, it seems I'll be chasing down about 20 points for a pass.

I've been using 'Try! N1' to study for the past month, and it's been really helpful with grammar, since it explains it in Japanese and English and has several example sentences (and usually a few questions); and that's not including the actual tests and reviews.
It's also really nice for listening practice; I listen to the passages for the unit before I read them, to try and train my ear more, but there are also listening questions at the end of each unit.
As I said in the N3 thread, I plan on fully reviewing this book after the test; I like it that much.

Currently, my biggest problem is the reading comprehension part. I always run out of time on the mock exams (getting better though). The listening is usually pretty easy, so long as I recognize the words (thus listening practice), and since I started focusing on grammar, the 言語知識 portion has become much easier.

Yeah, reading comp is still my bane. It's really tempting for me to read the whole passage, but I have to fight that temptation.

What I really hate are the super-vague essays. I had one where they talked about 行動 and 停止, and it took me a minute to figure out they were talking about businesses, but they never used the freaking word business at all. Just 行動行動行動行動 and then 停止停止停止停止. It was really annoying... until the penny dropped, of course. XD If you don't know that those words are used a lot in a business sense, then there's a lot of WTF in that essay.

Keep at it, folks! (I will, too.)

sholum Wrote:I'll be taking another mock exam this weekend, so I'll have the latest data then, but on the last mock exam I took, it seems I'll be chasing down about 20 points for a pass.

Can I ask what you're using as the source for your mock exams? I'm planning to take N1 next summer. When I took old-style level 2 a decade ago (!) the JLPT organization was still publishing past papers and it was pretty easy to get hold of them online. However these days they don't publish them. I'd really like to be able to take a bunch of mock papers to figure out where I need to focus my effort and to track progress, like I did last time around...

pm215 Wrote:

sholum Wrote:I'll be taking another mock exam this weekend, so I'll have the latest data then, but on the last mock exam I took, it seems I'll be chasing down about 20 points for a pass.

Can I ask what you're using as the source for your mock exams? I'm planning to take N1 next summer. When I took old-style level 2 a decade ago (!) the JLPT organization was still publishing past papers and it was pretty easy to get hold of them online. However these days they don't publish them. I'd really like to be able to take a bunch of mock papers to figure out where I need to focus my effort and to track progress, like I did last time around...

So far, I've been using ゼッタイ合格！日本語能力試験完全模試 (the N2 and N1 books) from Jリサーチ出版. These come with three mock exams that are designed to be like the actual JLPT tests; there are some appendices with vocabulary and grammar points that are seen on the exam, but I haven't paid them much mind.
If you use these, pay attention to the time goals! I didn't even notice them until my tutor pointed them out, but they give you an idea of how fast you should be able to complete each set of questions (this is really helpful for the reading part).
It's 2000円 without tax.

I also have another mock exam that I'll take in a couple weeks. My tutor has the book at the moment, so I can't remember the title, though I think it was one of the official mock exams...

I like the practice for sitting in an uncomfortable chair for 4 hours and getting used to having my brain feel like it's full of fluff when I hit the listening section. That way I won't panic or have my brain go 真っ白 when it's time for the real thing. The "how close am I to passing" bit is really a crap shoot, but getting comfortable with the motions is really useful.

I'm buying my mock tests off of amazon.co.jp, because although shipping is more expensive, it's less hassle for me. I'm a fan of books with more than 1 test in them, because 400 yen/book shipping gets annoying after a while.

Some of the mock tests are probably too easy, and some are probably too hard, so I bought a few different ones from different publishers, to sort of even out any variations in quality.

I usually search for N1 模擬試験 as well as N1 模試 (もし), because I get two different sets of results, of course. 日本語能力N1模試 gives a third set of results, because Amazon.

I'll list a few I have, and a few others:

This one is by Unicom (2013), has 2 tests, and it boasts that it not only has the latest, most thorough research, but it'll also help you find weak points. (And brighten your teeth, too!) It doesn't show up on a lot of searches for some reason:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4896894898

ALC (2011), 3 tests. Took it last week. Not bad, but kind of old:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4757419937/

J-リサーチ出版 (2012), 3 tests. I like some of their prep books, too, but haven't used this:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4863921217/

ASK vol2, 2 tests (2012):
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872178025/

ASK vol1, 2 tests (2010, so not sure how accurate it is: I don't have this one.):
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872177436/

These tests are sold individually (2011-2013), so they're kind of pricey, shipping-wise (400 yen shipping per book.) Link is for N1#4, just click on the author name and you'll get the whole page:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4883196526/

I'll try the Unicom book for my next mock test and see how it goes. (My teeth could always use extra whitening!)

Thanks to both of you -- I think I'll pick up the ゼッタイ合格 book and that set of 本試験形式でチャレンジ individual test books. (I buy via honto.jp so I don't get hit by the per-book shipping charge, they just pass on whatever Japan Post charged them without adding a markup.)

Yeah, I used to buy via Honto/BK1, too, until my local post office started losing and destroying packages randomly. Now I buy via Amazon for the DHL delivery, or via Kinokuniya if I'm not in a hurry, because they ship FedEx or UPS.

The only way I'll use the USPS is if it's EMS, signature required, but DHL is easier to deal with. So yeah, I'll trade some $$$ for less hassle. :|

Also, I'd recommend looking into the ドリル＆ドリル practice books for N1. They have a grammar one, a 読解・聴解 one, and a 文字・語彙 one. I like these because they have really good explanations in the back for the questions.

rich_f Wrote:Yeah, I used to buy via Honto/BK1, too, until my local post office started losing and destroying packages randomly. Now I buy via Amazon for the DHL delivery, or via Kinokuniya if I'm not in a hurry, because they ship FedEx or UPS.

The only way I'll use the USPS is if it's EMS, signature required, but DHL is easier to deal with. So yeah, I'll trade some $$$ for less hassle. :|

Also, I'd recommend looking into the ドリル＆ドリル practice books for N1. They have a grammar one, a 読解・聴解 one, and a 文字・語彙 one. I like these because they have really good explanations in the back for the questions.

I should thank you Rich for the Drill & Drill books. I ordered them from my local Kinokuniya end of September and only got the grammar one about mid-October. Just the other day the other 2 arrived at the store and I'm already grinding through the vocab one (putting off listening because, like you, that part is the worst for me).

Aiming to get a book done each week, then I'll have some wiggle room to just do Anki reviews. I also read the 2 daily opinion pieces on Yomiuri, and the 天声人語 on NHK. I just hope I don't fail... 3rd failure in a row would probably crush my morale.

Drill & Drill is awesome. I've been mostly doing the listening/reading exercises lately, not so much the grammar or vocab stuff, because those are the points I want to work on.

One thing that helps me get started in a study session is to grab an old N2 level book and do an exercise or two from it so I can "warm up" with something easier before putting my head in the Drill & Drill blender. (Or I guess the Drill & Drill drill press, huh?)

It's interesting. There's really a big difference between the UNICOM mock test I took today and the ASK one I took last week. The UNICOM one was a heck of a lot harder, or so it seemed to me. My score was even 30 points lower overall. (Ouch!)

Dunno if the UNICOM is a better approximation of the real N1, if it was just really freaking hard in order to "Help you find your weak points," like it advertised, or if it was something in-between.

Having you calculate your score is VERY EDUCATIONAL. They have a point system and everything, supposedly just like the one on the real thing, where easy questions only get 1 point, normals get 2, and hard questions get 3. Then you add points, divide by the number of questions, multiply by the point total for the section, etc. etc. There aren't many hard questions, and there aren't that many easy questions, but there are more easy than hard ones.

At any rate, it's a good mock test if you want a challenge.

justusperthes Wrote:(On a slight tangent, what kind of pricing scheme is that? "残りの15編は、1編120円または2編セット250円で購入できる。"; who the heck is going to pay ten yen more for a set of two instead of buying them separately? Are they just aiming for the lazy people who'll buy sets whether it's a better deal or not (or would rather not go through the effort of buying things seperately)? Or maybe it's a typo of some kind... Whatever it is, that pricing structure is dumb.)

My statistically insignificant experience in Japan makes me think it's more common in Japan than the US for commercial businesses to try to screw people who don't want to do arithmetic. The whole "The first 30 minutes are free, but you have to buy a drink, but if you come three days in a row we'll give you 500 yen back. Also you have to make a point card to use the advertised discount. The point card will cost 300 yen. (too bad this sucker didn't ask about the table charge)" etc. etc.

Not that this sort of hell doesn't exist in other countries. I just normally found it more in cellphone and credit card contracts in the US rather than when I'm spending a Friday night on the town in Japan.

Ooh, shiny new forum design is now up.

Finished mogi test #4 for N1, my final full mogi test before the real deal in December.

Here are my scores (prior scores in parentheses):

言語知識: 45/60 (40/60, 35/60, 38/60)
読解: 40/60 (38/60, 41/60, 44/60)
聴解: 51/60 (57/60, 48/60, 56/60)
Total: 136/180 (135/180, 124/180, 138/180)

Before this exam I went through and completed the Shin Kanzen Dokkai book, which I felt was pretty easy compared to the practice exam readings.  I still have the Shin Kanzen Goi book, but at this point I’m not going to bother cramming it since I went through Sou-Matome Goi N1 earlier this year.  I will probably go through it at a leisurely pace next year since I think the phrases and vocabulary are pretty valuable.

I didn’t get a great night of sleep, but instead of putting off the exam I decided to take it since there’s probably a decent chance I won’t sleep well before the real exam anyway.  I don’t feel it affected me much during the reading section, but I definitely noticed that I had some trouble concentrating during the latter half of the listening section.  Zoning out for a few seconds right at the start of a dialog or question can throw you for a loop.  No big deal if you catch yourself doing that while reading, but you can’t rewind on the listening section.

Anyway, my plan for the last few weeks is to go and re-do the Drill & Drill bunpou N1 again, and do a grammar practice test and a reading practice test closer to the exam.  Continue with daily anki review (maybe do a cram session for the Jouyou Kanji), and continue some light reading of novels for pleasure.

As far as expectations go, if the practice exams are accurate, then my lowest section scores would be a 121 total score, highest section scores would be 146.  I’m considering 120s to be a disappointing score, 130s to be the expected score, and 140s to be a good score.  If I don’t pass, I doubt that I’ll take it again in 2016, I’ll probably self-study other things and just read a bunch for leisure/study and then try again in 2017.

Just as reference, here are all of the books that I used for the past 12-18 months:

Kanji ABC (like RTK)
N１単語ターゲット２０００
新完全マスター　文法　N１
新完全マスター　読解　N１
新完全マスター　語彙　N１ (did not use this)
日本語総まとめ　語彙　N１
ドリル＆ドリル　文法　N１
日本語能力試験　模試と対策　N１ (ASK Publishing)
日本語能力試験　模試と対策　N１, Vol. 2 (ASK Publishing)

Well, I got my test center voucher in the mail yesterday, so that's good. (And that means the rest of the US should already have it.)

I did one of the 3-A 模試s yesterday, (#3 out of 4), and did "meh," but passing "meh." 115 or so. I did much better in reading comprehension than last week, but I got sloppy in listening. That was probably because my concentration was kind of shabby towards the end.

On the upside, I now know exactly which questions are the ones that kill me, and which ones I don't really have problems with. So with that knowledge, I should be able to do something about it.

I hope!

Also, new forum looks nice!

Oh, 3-A also has their own version of the Drill and Drill books for the 文法・語彙 exercises. They're pretty good.

語彙：
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872177673/
文法：
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872177827/

But Drill and Drill is the gold standard for pain, IMO. XD

A friend and I got our vouchers two days ago. It reminded me of how soon the test actually is.

I've been going through my grammar book exercises since I need more practice, badly. That and listening... ;-;

My voucher hasn't arrived yet... Hope it gets here soon; I might go crazy if it doesn't!

I had my last test-prep session with my tutor yesterday; we did more listening practice from 'Try!' (basically just skipping ahead to the まとめの問題 sections of each chapter). I managed quite well.

I'll be taking a mock exam soon. With any luck, I'll actually get enough points in reading to pass (if/when I run out of time, I'll just guess, mark it as a guess, and see how many points I manage to scrape out)... I never thought that I'd still be having so much trouble with that section this close to the test, but there's a big difference between leisure reading and reading comprehension tests...

Don't stress out too much about the voucher. You can always print out one from "My Account" at the US JLPT website. (US only, of course.) 

I looked into that because my USPS service is generally okay, but in the past few months, they lost one package and totally destroyed another. Thanks guys. -_-

Ah, didn't know I could print the admission voucher myself, thanks!

And yeah, USPS works most of the time, but I've gotten a couple of bubble envelopes that had chunks missing from the corner with charred edges where it got caught in the machinery.
If their envelope sorter works as poorly as their package conveyor, then it just might have eaten my delivery.  

Voucher arrived, get hype. If anyone else is going to the Chicago location we can get dinner or something. Lemme know.

By the way I got the Drill & Drill book for N1 listening/reading. Came with some CDs and uploaded them to Google Drive for easy studying as I go through. I'll post the links to them for people to listen. I think that's okay because you're still missing the actual diagrams and questions/answers. Can be helpful if you need more listening practice for the robotic dialogue. I can remove the links if necessary.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0...sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0...sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0...sp=sharing