Story here: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/...Stories%29

So has anybody here taken it? Did it help open any doors for you? Or was it just more of a way to measure your progress.

I'm personally nowhere near ready to take that test, but I am disappointed to see it go. I always figured after I'd finished with the JLPT I'd move onto this someday as my next measure of progress.

Even the JLPT won't help you get a job or open any doors unles you have some other specialty skill (like medicine or computers/technology)

ocircle Wrote:Even the JLPT won't help you get a job or open any doors unles you have some other specialty skill (like medicine or computers/technology)

Did you even read the article? Of course this is assuming you have the other skills needed for the company or uni evaluating you.

edit: clarity

ocircle Wrote:Even the JLPT won't help you get a job or open any doors unles you have some other specialty skill (like medicine or computers/technology)

A Japanese learner telling another that their Japanese skills are useless on an internet forum?! How delightfully original!

I did the BJT for the first time this year and it is a bit of a pain that as soon as I do they decide to scrap the thing. I already managed (somehow) to get a non-teaching job before actually taking this test, but my friend has had the J2 for a long time and he says it has been helpful in him getting jobs. It certainly doesn't hurt to have it on your resume (despite what all the doomsayers will tell you). From my limited knowledge I think the JLPT is more well known among Japanese companies (although mine had never heard of it) than the BJT, but I think the BJT is better known amongst foreign companies operating in Japan. I also get the sense that foreign companies have the view that the JLPT is less relevant to business and thus probably have a bit more respect for the BJT. Having said this, a JLPT 1 grade is still going to be immensely useful for getting any kind of job.

Anyway, just my thoughts. I think the BJT is still worth taking if you want to test your skills and the things you actually have to learn for it are way more relevant for working in a Japanese company that anything in the JLPT. I also think it is known about by enough companies that even after it has been discontinued, people will still recognise it has value.

Rise from your graaaave
Turns out that the BJT is no longer being scrapped, probably because of high demand on what was to be the final test.

In other news, I got my score from the Nov. BJT back today. Got 1級 (J1).
Lost points on the listening sections so I never made 特１級 . It was full of specialist topics that I never hear in my workplace (since I'm not in the finance industry) and was quite a bit harder than the few practice tests I did. I probably should have started studying the practice tests more than a few days before the test :O
They also only play each question once which makes it impossible to double check like on JLPT.
Maybe I'll take it again at some point, but for now having JLPT1 and BJT1 on the resume looks good enough for whenever I want to change jobs.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Rise from your graaaave
Turns out that the BJT is no longer being scrapped, probably because of high demand on what was to be the final test.

Couldn't that just be because people wanted to use their last chance to do it before it was scrapped?

That is exactly why I took it
I'm half-convinced it was just a scheme to get lots of people to take it and they never really planned on scrapping it.

Either way, I'm glad it's back. Alternatives to the JLPT are always welcome.

EDIT: One thing that would be nice: More NA test centers. Looks like the only choice is Hawaii... which is great for the people who live there, but for the rest of us, you might as well just offer it in Japan only.