rich_f Wrote:The one that threw me off was the very last listening question type--

I loved that question! I just started taking notes like crazy as I figured it would ask where they both wanted to go at the end. I missed some silly listening questions like where some couple was going to meet because I had a lapse in concentration and missed some easy parts. I really thought I would kill the listening, but it can be difficult to go for 45 minutes and stay focused.

That said, the reading section flogged me. I'm still amazed I passed.

Got my hotel room in London, now all I need to do is book my flight, and I'm good to go. I found a nice place in Kensington that will gladly shake me down for loose change.

But it has little mini-kitchen closet-things in all the rooms, and free WiFi, so that will save some money, and it's right on the Piccadilly Line to the test site and Heathrow, so even an idiot like me shouldn't get lost.

Oh, and look, you can order Oyster cards and have them sent you by mail. That's kind of cool.

http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/english.htm

Now my Suica won't be lonely, I guess.

Back to grinding through vocab.

I found out for the test location near me, I have to sign-up between sept-oct. So I got a lot of time before signing up to take the test. Kinda nervous just thinking about the test. I just gotta keep practing and as well as keep reading/listening.

I just dreamt I did the test last night. I didn't do very well. :'(

How`s everyone`s progress going?

I`m preparing for the July N1 and am feeling pretty burnt out. I`m adding words faster than I`m learning them and haven`t seen a real improvement in my ability in a while. I study about 2 hours a day, but it evidently isn`t enough.

julianjalapeno Wrote:How`s everyone`s progress going?

I`m preparing for the July N1 and am feeling pretty burnt out. I`m adding words faster than I`m learning them and haven`t seen a real improvement in my ability in a while. I study about 2 hours a day, but it evidently isn`t enough.

You could always do like me and not study at all, and just fail miserably in July.

Cramming in as much reading and trying to add as much vocab as I can. We'll see if I get it right in July.

If not, I'll at least have a chance to do some touristy stuff in London after the test. *shrug*

Man JLPT isn't even on my radar right now. I wonder if my study abroad would make us take it next December. If so I guess I should be thinking about the December test. So I guess my goals would be to finish KO2001 by end of September as well as Core2k/6k.


Man it's depressing to think that even if I finish all that I'd probably be at what, N3 level provided I'm also listening / watching exclusively in Japanese? I really want to be fluent.

I'm taking part in this reading contest and nothing else atm. I should do some listening but I got 30/60 in december and that isn't motivating me at all. The 19/60 in the reading part made me read so much I still can't believe it
The rest is up to Anki ^.^;

NoSleepTilFluent Wrote:Man it's depressing to think that even if I finish all that I'd probably be at what, N3 level provided I'm also listening / watching exclusively in Japanese? I really want to be fluent.

At least you have a realistic idea of how hard it is. I've been studying Japanese for six years, and I think if pass JLPT1 this July it will be juuuuust barely. Even getting to JLPT 2 level takes a long long time for the vast majority of learners.

julianjalapeno Wrote:How`s everyone`s progress going?

I`m preparing for the July N1 and am feeling pretty burnt out. I`m adding words faster than I`m learning them and haven`t seen a real improvement in my ability in a while. I study about 2 hours a day, but it evidently isn`t enough.

Where are the words coming from? I've still been adding words I encounter in my workbooks and stuff, but I've been trying to cut down on Anki, since I think time is better spent reading and listening at this point. That being said, I'm not actually doing much reading or listening...

Pretty much everywhere. Workbooks, stuff I read or hear on the side...I add everything I don't know, but it's sometimes not a good idea when it's so obscure. I have about 10,000 words in anki now but that amount takes years to fully understand. (btw, I've seen some folks talking about learning 50-100 words a day and 15k in a year, etc. and I'm sorry, but it's BS. Big difference between being able to recognize a word in anki and being able to use it in a sentence).

I think I'll focus on increasing the reading and listening as you said, Javizy, those are the hardest parts of the test for me anyways.

sigh, there's always the December test...

I think it's going ok. I SRS grammar, listen to podcasts and get new vocab from articles online. Even if I don't pass the JLPT in July I know my Japanese is improving. I hope I pass though because the exam is not exactly cheap.

julianjalapeno Wrote:Pretty much everywhere. Workbooks, stuff I read or hear on the side...I add everything I don't know, but it's sometimes not a good idea when it's so obscure. I have about 10,000 words in anki now but that amount takes years to fully understand. (btw, I've seen some folks talking about learning 50-100 words a day and 15k in a year, etc. and I'm sorry, but it's BS.

I've never seen anyone say anything about adding 50-100 words a day to active vocabulary, but it's not hard at all to add 10,000 words in under a year to one's passive vocabulary.

I'm actually looking forward to the JLPT now, N1 is going down! This past month of quasi-AJATT has really helped.

Application deadline in Japan is tomorrow...

julianjalapeno Wrote:(btw, I've seen some folks talking about learning 50-100 words a day and 15k in a year, etc. and I'm sorry, but it's BS. Big difference between being able to recognize a word in anki and being able to use it in a sentence).

It's a case of different definitions of "learned". I plowed through the JLPT2 vocab list at a rate of 50-100 a day because i wanted to get it finished asap (a case of doing it before my motivation ran out). It took months for those words to actually sink in to the point where i'd reliably understand them in context. And a huge chuck of those words i can't use in a sentence.

There are a ton of words i have no interest in being able to form a sentence with, i just want to be able to not trip up on them when reading.

Hmm, just over a month till the July test, I feel I've gotten better, but haven't really got time to focus on Japanese this year. Stupid university/work...

Is anyone going to the mock test next month?

They randomly choose registered test-takers (in Japan only?) to take a practice test thats about 60% the length of the real test a couple weeks before the real one. I did it last year for the N2 and thought it was good practice since its the same test atmosphere just without the stress, plus they pay you for your time. It sucks that they send the results of the test a few weeks after the real one, but thats my only gripe. Last year I got a surprising 100% on the vocab/kanji/grammar section, which is a feat I`ve yet to replicate in either the real test or practice exams. I expect to do nowhere near as well with the N1.

Just got the last update from SOAS in London for the Summer N2 there. Weekend Tube closures = fun. I'm glad they sent the information, though. That would have been a nasty surprise for me.

I sort of lucked out-- my hotel is right on the Piccadilly Line, and it's not closed for the weekend of the 3rd... but a lot of lines are closed on the next weekend, when I'll still be there.

Oh well, back to studying.

CarolinaCG Wrote:Other than this I've been reading the news and shadowing 2kyuu unicom grammar book and a shadowing book.

What news do you read, where, what kind of articles?

How do you read and learn from it?

Thanks.

I was drinking with some friend and when I got home I read the happy news

rich_f Wrote:Weekend Tube closures

You've gotta be kidding XD

jettyke Wrote:

CarolinaCG Wrote:Other than this I've been reading the news and shadowing 2kyuu unicom grammar book and a shadowing book.

What news do you read, where, what kind of articles?

How do you read and learn from it?

Thanks.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/

I randomly select one article and study it (unless its boring).

I listen to the video until I understand everything and then select a few sentences, add them to anki and record the audio to anki.

Summer vacations are approaching, I aim to study everyday 1 article at least.


I have to make a plan of my study...soon. Can't wait for the vacations! I'm so eager to learn more and faster!

Does anyone know where one can see a list of test sites in Japan?

I just had a look at the December 2010 N1 test and it kills me that no matter how many JLPT test-prep books I read or past tests I take or words I find on my own just reading books, I still find words on these tests I`ve never seen before. Its not even that theyre so obscure, but the test makers seem to know what I dont know. I have never seen めきめき on any vocab list or test book, even though I felt like I have a pretty good grasp of 擬音語・擬態語.

Chriminetly.

Getting to around the two-week point before the July 3rd test. Anybody else feeling the pressure yet?

The frustrating is part is trying to get ready to fly to the UK to take the test. Never been there, so I don't know my way around. I've been to Japan before, and I wish I had taken the test there, but, oh well.

Most Americans would probably look at me weird for saying this, but it would have been a lot easier for me to take the test in Japan. Trying to get ready to go to the UK has been one hassle after another, which has devoured time I could be using to study. Devoured, I say!

As just one example: apparently, I am the first person to ever travel to the UK with medication, based on the responses I got from many stunned government employees when I asked them the most basic of questions. Even the Home Office, which is responsible for drug law enforcement, claimed not to know *anything* about the rules about bringing prescription medication into the country, *even though they have a list of guidelines for bringing prescription medication into the country on their website.* So frustrating, it made me want to chew my own head off. I wound up wasting 3 days and I never did get a straight answer. Bah.

So at some point, maybe I'll be able to get back to studying. I hope.