deedo Wrote:Hello there,

nice to meet a kanken addict like me.

To tell you a bit about me, I did the real kanken exam in Paris last sunday. It was 7級. It was a lot of fun. I was the only White guy in the building. All the other were kids and their parents.

I'm pretty sure, i passed since I never had any trouble with kanken DS at that level.

6級 is way way more difficult. There're two parts that give me a headache. In the first one, you need to know all the keys that make the kanjis by NAME (there're 214 of them !!)
The second one, I need to read the instruction because i didn't even get what i was about lol.

5級 : you need to know the 4 kanji sentences !!!

Don't even want to think about the 4級...

I hope you passed! You have to tell us the results when they come in.

I'm definitely willing to bet that 6級 is a lot harder than 7級 XD.

Interesting to know about that section on 6級. That's going to be a real pain. Anki will HAVE to be used there. Mostly I find though, each level only tests you're knowledge of about 200 kanji because they're assuming you've completed all the previous levels in which they tested you on all the other kanji you should know by now. So in that respect although 7級 has 640, it only tests you for working knowledge on the 200 new ones being introduced. Which makes me think that, that radicals section on 6 will only be testing those new 200 kanji? Would I be right in saying that?

I'm up to almost 90% of 10級 and have been passing every new exam on the first try so I'll consider it "finished" though I will be picking away at it until I reach near 100%. I started on 9級 yesterday and am already at 6% so that's good to know.

How I've been approaching it is by just taking the 10 minute tests at first. Everything I miss is added to the "My Kanken" section. I then go in and drill those in My Kanken and then retake my previous 10 minute test until I get a perfect score. Move on to a new 10 minute test and repeat.

In terms of real world usefulness I think Kanken knowledge is an awesome supplement for those doing vocabulary SRS'ing like 2001 KO, etc. It really completes the puzzle and gets you mastering outputting Kanji vocabulary. The knowledge required to pass a level pretty much ensures you have "mastered" that Kanji. It is very rewarding and confidence inspiring.

activeaero Wrote:I'm up to almost 90% of 10級 and have been passing every new exam on the first try so I'll consider it "finished" though I will be picking away at it until I reach near 100%. I started on 9級 yesterday and am already at 6% so that's good to know.

How I've been approaching it is by just taking the 10 minute tests at first. Everything I miss is added to the "My Kanken" section. I then go in and drill those in My Kanken and then retake my previous 10 minute test until I get a perfect score. Move on to a new 10 minute test and repeat.

In terms of real world usefulness I think Kanken knowledge is an awesome supplement for those doing vocabulary SRS'ing like 2001 KO, etc. It really completes the puzzle and gets you mastering outputting Kanji vocabulary. The knowledge required to pass a level pretty much ensures you have "mastered" that Kanji. It is very rewarding and confidence inspiring.

Great to hear you're making progress

I did a bit of review on a few sections for 7級 and went and tried a test. Well there's still lots I don't know for 7級 but I definitely feel my knowledge improving as I was able to answer more questions with more confidence than before. I still only got 132 but so far on any given test certain areas will come up really weak or really strong depending purely on the questions that I get asked. That indicates to me that there's a long way to go before my knowledge is rounded out enough on this level.

I feel I could get a passing grade by the end of the week if I worked hard at it but I won't be satisfied with just 140/200.

Woot! Just got my first pass on 7級! 142/200. I'm having to do lots of study in the my kanken section but it's paying off. As my confidence increases in various sections, my score goes up accordingly. I've only seen like 15% of 7級 too! I doubt i'll pass consistently for a little while yet. Wish me luck.

I got 162/200 today. A pass I'm at least ok with. I definitely feel that I know enough to warrant a passing grade on this test, now I just gotta get everything nailed down. The opposites section is still next to impossible

I've seen about 20% 7級 now. Pace is definitely a lot slower for this level but I'm finding it to be quite relaxing. I've taken to studying the my kanken section after every single test now and then going and doing another test. I think maybe I should be paying attention to the names of the radicals in the radicals section to at least get familiar with some of them in prep for 6級.

I have to say, I'm impressed with the progress you've made so far, and you done it in such a short time too. (compared to me anyway!)

I had kanken 2 a couple of years or so ago and was working on 7級, but the game kept freezing so I moved on to なぞって覚える instead. Just switched back to kanken 3 a couple of weeks ago and depressingly, I'm still at the same level was back then. I must know 90% of the words there, but just can't seem to nail everything. Anyway, I'm determined to get to a respectable level this time then hopefully I won't be in this situation again!

Update:

Tonight on the train home, I got 160/200 on 7級. It's my best so far but I've still really only seen just under 30% of the total. Life's been a little slow over the past week.

However, I'm registering to sit 6級 when it comes around... roughly end of Jan/beginning of Feb. I tried a 6級 test just for shits and giggles and to see what i'm in for, I got 88/200 which isn't bad for 0 study on that level. Since I know i'll be able to pass it easy by the time the test rolls around I'm going to aim for a perfect or near perfect score. I'll be using Anki on certain sections this time round, no doubt about it.

Apparently I can sit kanken again in August so the plan there is to go for maybe 3 or 4 depending on where I'm at.

１級）　（大学・一般程度、○○字）常用漢字を含めて、約6000字の漢字の音・訓を理解し、文章の中で適切に使えるようにする。

I didn't even know there were that many kanji in the Japanese language. I'd like to meet somebody who has passed this.

edit -- just read this from the same Wikipedia article:
級が上がるほど使用頻度の低い漢字が出題されるため、準1級や1級のレベルでは本検定以外での使用例が非常に少なく、一般の漢和辞典にも載っていない読みや熟字訓も出題されている。

For the kanji impaired, it basically says there will be kanji readings that aren't even found in dictionaries. How the hell are you supposed to learn something that isn't even written anywhere?

候 read either そうろう　or こう only has those two readings listed in the dictionary. I knew those were the only two it had and it came up while I was taking an 1kyuu test for laughs and I was like... hmm I know this because it's only kou or sourou and it wouldn't be sourou here so its kou. Turns out it was something unlisted. I was like oh hell no!

So yes, wikipedia is quite right. I can confirm that.

samesong Wrote:For the kanji impaired, it basically says there will be kanji readings that aren't even found in dictionaries. How the hell are you supposed to learn something that isn't even written anywhere?

It says 一般の漢和辞典... and only 読み and 熟字訓.

In other words there are readings and jukujikun compounds (but not kanji) which don't appear in general use character dictionaries (but do appear in specialist dictionaries).

Jarvik7 Wrote:

samesong Wrote:For the kanji impaired, it basically says there will be kanji readings that aren't even found in dictionaries. How the hell are you supposed to learn something that isn't even written anywhere?

It says 一般の漢和辞典... and only 読み and 熟字訓.

In other words there are readings and jukujikun compounds (but not kanji) which don't appear in general use character dictionaries (but do appear in specialist dictionaries).

The KanKen prep books also have them.

mezbup Wrote:候 read either そうろう or こう only has those two readings listed in the dictionary.

Stop using KANJIDIC and get something better.

漢字源 Wrote:候
《常用音訓》 コウ/そうろう
《音読み》 コウ/グ
《訓読み》 うかがう(うかがふ)/まつ/さぶろう(さぶらふ)/そうろう(さうらふ)
《名付け》 そろ·とき·みよ·よし

Jarvik7 Wrote:

mezbup Wrote:候 read either そうろう or こう only has those two readings listed in the dictionary.

Stop using KANJIDIC and get something better.

漢字源 Wrote:候
《音読み》 コウ/グ
《訓読み》 うかがう(うかがふ)/まつ/さぶろう(さぶらふ)/そうろう(さうらふ)
《名付け》 そろ·とき·みよ·よし

Interestingly this is from the dictionary in KanKen DS3 itself. I'm guessing a lot of those readings are super rare.

Something I'm kinda regretting not having explicitly studied is readings. It becomes a big part of the test on the higher kanken levels as to whether a reading is on or kun and it even tests configurations of readings in words like on-on, on-kun, kun-kun, kun-on!

It's a copy & paste from 漢字源, the most common kanji dictionary in Japan. Maybe KanKen DS3 licenses it.

Sorry I meant that the dictionary in KanKen DS3 only gives the 2 readings. It's not the greatest of dictionaries though.

I wouldn't worry about all those readings anyway, it's only if you're studying for really high levels that you need to even know that stuff.

I think KanKen DS would be perfect if it had an SRS built into the mykanken section.

I did a little experiment last night on my friend Keigo and had him take the 3級 exam. He got within just a few points from passing on his first try. In fact he actually did "pass" as he got several wrong on accident due to hitting "ok" before checking to see if the game had identified his hand writing correctly.

Considering he's lived in America for the past 4 years, where all of his major writing tasks have been in English, I thought it was impressive. Definitely shows that native Japanese know more than 500 characters

samesong Wrote:１級）　（大学・一般程度、○○字）常用漢字を含めて、約6000字の漢字の音・訓を理解し、文章の中で適切に使えるようにする。

I didn't even know there were that many kanji in the Japanese language. I'd like to meet somebody who has passed this.

edit -- just read this from the same Wikipedia article:
級が上がるほど使用頻度の低い漢字が出題されるため、準1級や1級のレベルでは本検定以外での使用例が非常に少なく、一般の漢和辞典にも載っていない読みや熟字訓も出題されている。

For the kanji impaired, it basically says there will be kanji readings that aren't even found in dictionaries. How the hell are you supposed to learn something that isn't even written anywhere?

It's not so bad really. I've know about 20 Japanese people and maybe 5-10 foreigners that have passed level 1. Also, if you want to know how you learn something that isn't even written anywhere, the answer is, of course: guess. Use the radicals to figure out what the onyomi might be.

Well 1000 people take it a year and only 150 pass so it's a pretty insane test really.

I had kanji for breakfast today (meaning I studied before I ate) and got 156/200. I'm noticing my ability in all sections has become equal. When I look at the graph it's no longer all over the place but a good even spread which is nice. The exception being the opposites section which even a Japanese friend of mine says is quite tricky.

I noticed on level 6 for one section you have 12 possible answers and you have to choose which one is right. Haha. Easy if you know the words well but next to impossible if you dont!

Woot 178/200 on 7級! 2 more points and i'll be happy that i'll have a respectable score.

I've seen roughly 35% of this level and the vocab curve has pretty much steadied down to a trickle. I've nailed down how to study the compound questions and the opposites section well... I'm actually improving there too I'm getting extremely used to the words and their pairs in the opposites section, reading one word then knowing it's opposite (or similiar word) given the clues.

The compounds section is getting lots easier now that I'm studying it the right way. Every time I come to this section, regardless of the answer, I always tick every question to go to my kanken. After the test I go through the pairs looking up which words I don't know and really getting them solidly in my brain as to which kanji to select. I go through and make sure I can get every answer right, then I go back through again and this is the round in which I un-tick them. I'm doing much much better on this section now.

Without a shadow of a doubt, if you know the vocab for a level inside and out, you can get a good score.

mezbup: You're making good progress, but I'd recommend reading some level appropriate material to ensure you're learning the word in real context and not the one sentence tidbits that are oft repeated in kanken ds3. My recommendation would be to source some kokugo textbooks appropriate to the level of the kyuu. They are very cheap if you're in Japan (300Y each or so new), but I don't know where you live.

Now that the JLPT is over it's time to get back to KanKen study! I'm signed up for level 6 which is at the very beginning of feb

Seeing as I know i'll be able to pass it I don't wanna go for just a pass, I wanna really nail it. So i'm aiming for at least 190/200.

Haven't touched my KanKenDS3 at all in the last week or two due to a heavy JLPT study load so I haven't made any further progress with 7 really. I'm just going to move straight on to 6 though given that's the level i'm going to be sitting in 2 months time.

I can't wait

Man, good luck! I'd like to say I've made progress, but I got lazy and haven't.

I had to slack off the past week or so as well. Just had my comprehensive final for my entire degree this past Saturday. Now that my degree is complete it's time to really start hitting the Japanese studies hardcore. No excuses now.

Currently about 45% done with level 9. My short term goal is to have level 8 completed before the end of this year.

I've just started my Anki deck for my 6級 prep!　Tagging things according to which section they're from and entering everything I get wrong into Anki. I'm not really doing it super detailed, like for reading it's literally Kanji > Kana and no other info. I'm aiming to smash the test so i'm not fussed on details, i'll learn those elsewhere in my studies.

I thought the radical section was going to be hard as but just entering the stuff into Anki I can see it's actually going to be one of the easiest sections. I'm also learning the names of the radicals as I go! It's great

I'm not setting the deck up as multiple choice either, it's all produce from memory sort of stuff. That way picking the correct answer will be twice as easy when I have multiple choice given I can produce it from memory alone

I am going to pwn this test. Going to aim for 190+.

Good to know the radical stuff isn't going to be that bad.

Reached 73% of level 9 today. I hope to be on level 8 by the time the weekend is over.

Oh and Mezbup where did you register for the test and how often do they give it?