The JLPT 1 is next week, on the 4th of July (which carries special significance for people from the US). I am not prepared.

My kanji is okay, but my vocabulary is weak, my reading speed and comprehension are week, my listening is week, and my grammar knowledge is incomplete.

But I'm unemployed, I don't have a girlfriend, I don't have any money to distract me, and my apartment is clean.

What should I do for the next week? Do I have any hope of cramming for this test? I'm hoping to be able to trade ability for effort.

198 hours left.

If what worked for the old JLPT still works, get your reading speed up. I'm pretty sure it made a huge difference for me.

No matter what anyone else here might tell you, I can absolutely guarantee that your ability to cram for the test over the next week is close to 100%.

Of course, if your question is about whether you can cram for the test and pass, well, that changes things. Gonna have to go with something more along the lines of "hell no" for that one.

Read,read and more read. Go over past tests, all of them if you want that is of course. It helps, it gives you what to expect from the test even if it new. Someone said that, knowing the format/everything about it is half the battle. The rest goes to your skills.

I think the better question to be asking is: why weren't you preparing during all the months leading up to the test?

For the most short term benefit I agree that you should do lots of (timed!) past papers -- knowing the format and kind of questions and how quickly you need to go is very helpful (and hope new-JLPT isn't too different...) Also I think that cramming grammar points rather than vocabulary is better, because there are far fewer grammar points than vocab words, so the chances of any particular one coming up are much greater.

Do you have any hope? That depends where you are now. This kind of thing can push a "maybe pass" up to a "probably pass" if you haven't previously done it, but there's no silver bullet...

Everyone says best is just read. I disagree.

After reading 10 years of previous test I don't think you will be more accurate on the 11th test you will do. You surely will be faster, but no more accurate. If you are to fail the question because you lack vocabulary, you will fail it also after reading a lot...
Anyway the site I am using for previous tests is this:
http://www.ngoilaibennhau.net/jatest/index_4.php

Personally I am most worried about the listening part.
Someone knows any site with the transcriptions?

At this point, it makes no sense to cram 1 week for JLPT1 if you haven't done any studying. In fact, it might be better to take the exam without studying.

It would give you a good idea of your current level of Japanese (as it relates to what is tested on JLPT1). Just use it as a learning experience and if you fail, learn from your mistakes so that you pass next time.

chamcham Wrote:At this point, it makes no sense to cram 1 week for JLPT1 if you haven't done any studying. In fact, it might be better to take the exam without studying.

It would give you a good idea of your current level of Japanese (as it relates to what is tested on JLPT1). Just use it as a learning experience and if you fail, learn from your mistakes so that you pass next time.

So you're saying that if he learns more during this last week it won't be his "current level of Japanese"? How is that logical in any way Maybe his current level is just below the passing mark and he would have passed if he studied? His learning experience would be then best summed up by "I should have learned more during the week before exam"...

trusmis Wrote:Everyone says best is just read. I disagree.

After reading 10 years of previous test I don't think you will be more accurate on the 11th test you will do. You surely will be faster, but no more accurate. If you are to fail the question because you lack vocabulary, you will fail it also after reading a lot...

Reading JLPT past papers is the most efficient way of revising and learning JLPT vocab anyway imo.

Well, yea. Cramming a lot of infomation leads to forgetting huge amounts of it. It's not a viable way of long time study, hence the whole SRS thingy was invented and stuff. That's how I could pass certain subjects in high school back then whilst now remembering next to nothing about them.

That's why I personally think it is pointless to cram for a JLPT, you haven't really 'passed' it if you crammed for it in my opinion. You do not master the contents of the test, so to me that means your level isn't on JLPT[#] yet.

So yea, my advice would also be just to take the test without cramming, see where your level is at, and try to improve in the area's you failed. That is if you want the JLPT certificate as a proof of your mastery of the Japanese Language, not just to 'have' it

thurd Wrote:

chamcham Wrote:At this point, it makes no sense to cram 1 week for JLPT1 if you haven't done any studying. In fact, it might be better to take the exam without studying.

It would give you a good idea of your current level of Japanese (as it relates to what is tested on JLPT1). Just use it as a learning experience and if you fail, learn from your mistakes so that you pass next time.

So you're saying that if he learns more during this last week it won't be his "current level of Japanese"? How is that logical in any way Maybe his current level is just below the passing mark and he would have passed if he studied? His learning experience would be then best summed up by "I should have learned more during the week before exam"...

There's nothing wrong with failing the JLPT1 if you never studied for it. In fact, it would be quite encouraging to know that JLPT1 is within your grasp.

For me, barely passing wouldn't be so great. I'd want to pass comfortably(at least 10% of the passing mark). Barely passing gets you the certificate, but it means that you've barely mastered the material. For me, the knowledge gained is more important that the
certificate (although I can understand if foreigners seeking jobs in Japan think otherwise).

Also, I feel that instead of "cramming to pass the test", people should just make
JLPT material a part of their life. You shouldn't feel like you're "studying to pass the
test". You should be studying Japanese for the sake of learning Japanese.

That way when JLPT material does come up in your daily life, you'll recognize it, internalize it (instead of cramming and forgetting everything after the exam is over), and use it in your daily life.

IMHO, the value of the JLPT exam is shown by the growth in your everyday japanese skills after you've passed the exam.

But that's just me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Kind of off topic, but are you allowed to use hearing aids during the test?

I did a 2009 level 1 practice test at school last week without my hearing aids (forgot them in the morning). I passed all the sections except listening, at 35%, so it kind of seems pointless for me now.

I was excited for passing it at the 1 year mark for studying Japanese ! Oh well, at least I don't need the certificate this round.

Try reading 社説 from newspapers. They're usually used on the long reading sections as the hardest of the hard. If you can get through a couple dozen of these in a week, you'll be in good condition.

http://www.asahi.com/paper/editorial.html

http://www.nikkei.com/news/editorial/

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/editorial/

http://mainichi.jp/select/opinion/editorial/

Then again, there's always December!