chochajin re: drill books, I am only just moving past level 3 of the JLPT (speaking in the older terms) and moving onto learning 2. I haven't used it yet, but I think this drill book looks good, it accompanies the textbook I am using for grammar
http://tiny.cc/V3LzU

I have also used the beginner level book of this, and highly recommend it. I can' only assume that the one for 2 kyu would be just as good.

http://tiny.cc/lOzoS

chochajin Wrote:Okay, let's try a different question then.
If I already have all 3 Dictionary of Japanese grammar to back up my Kanzen 2kyuu grammar book, is it still a good idea to get 日本語文型辞典?

I'm a sucker for buying books about Japanese (so much easier than actually learning!), but I guess it probably doesn't need to be top of your priority list, no.

chochajin Wrote:I see, thanks a lot.
So you're not really using any textbooks like Genki or anything like that, right?
I'd love to do more exercises and drills - the question is where to find those.

I was thinking about buying this one. It has drills for all areas of JLPT. There's also this series which is pretty similar to the 完全マスター grammar books, but with audio to go with the example sentences as well. There's also a (slightly buggy) app on iTunes with about 700 questions for each level. You can also search around for online resources, and of course past papers.

I'm looking to take 2級 myself this year, since I won't be quite ready for 1級. I don't suppose there's a resource with a good collection of past papers? I'm yet to try any listening exercises, so I've got no idea how I'd do. My all-round listening is pretty good, but it's a different skill to actually answer questions at the same time. I was thinking about trying this book.