I took N1 near 蒲田駅 (Kamata-eki) yesterday. It was my first JLPT and I've been studying Japanese AJATT style for just over 3 years + one year of just a college course. I found the 言語知識 section to be much more challenging than I had expected.

I also found myself second guessing things. For example, even though my first instinct for 手際 was to read it as てぎわ, I saw the answers, seconds guessed myself, and chose しゅさい.

読解 was pretty easy. Some of the answers were worded so similarly that it really was difficult to guess which one was correct, but I think I did well.

聴解 was probably the easiest part. The only one I couldn't understand part of was the 2nd to last one. I took good notes while the guy at the shop was talking about the flowers, but when the woman was giving her conditions, I panicked and couldn't organize what she was saying and write at the same time, so I'm not sure if I got it right or not.

By the way, my proctors were really serious about not taking notes on the 受験票. Is that usually okay to do?

I'm anxious to see my results, but I'm afraid the 言語知識 did me in and I'll have to take it again next year. It's funny, I thought the 言語知識 would be the easier part, too!

sethg Wrote:By the way, my proctors were really serious about not taking notes on the 受験票. Is that usually okay to do?

I think it's generally frowned upon, because they don't want anyone taking material information about the test outside of the rooms. It's why they collect the booklets at the end.

N1 was a bit harder than expected. I didn't divide my time between the reading questions so well, since I fretted a bit too much about a few of them that had two similar answers.

Also, I usually do well on the listening questions but I had a hard time on some of the choose-the-response ones. Partly because the guy next to me was wearing the loudest clothing ever. It was a very plastic-y jacket thing that made that sort of swish-swish-swish sound whenever he moved at all. Not enough to cover the sound, obviously, but enough to be annoyingly distracting.

By the way, when will copies of this year's test start popping up? I'm really anxious to look up a certain word. It was on the reading about Fast Food and it had a footnote explaining it's meaning, but I had never seen the first kanji before. It was a 2 character word.... it meant something like ここでは、すぐに出来そうなこと or something. Does anyone remember it?

sethg Wrote:By the way, when will copies of this year's test start popping up? I'm really anxious to look up a certain word. It was on the reading about Fast Food and it had a footnote explaining it's meaning, but I had never seen the first kanji before. It was a 2 character word.... it meant something like ここでは、すぐに出来そうなこと or something. Does anyone remember it?

I have to say this was the one problem i didnt have. There wasnt a single kanji on there i couldn't read. Don't remember the word, sorry.

I felt good about everything overall, i think i passed though not necessarily well. I will say this: reading novels helped tremendously. おっくう ＆　由緒　were two words i saw for the first time not two days ago! Wasnt sure about 規模 but it showed up in context in the fast food passGe so that was a nice "cheat" hehe

HisshouBuraiKen Wrote:

sethg Wrote:By the way, when will copies of this year's test start popping up? I'm really anxious to look up a certain word. It was on the reading about Fast Food and it had a footnote explaining it's meaning, but I had never seen the first kanji before. It was a 2 character word.... it meant something like ここでは、すぐに出来そうなこと or something. Does anyone remember it?

I have to say this was the one problem i didnt have. There wasnt a single kanji on there i couldn't read. Don't remember the word, sorry.

I felt good about everything overall, i think i passed though not necessarily well. I will say this: reading novels helped tremendously. おっくう ＆　由緒　were two words i saw for the first time not two days ago!

Well looks like I'm not getting a point for 由緒...I'll never forget its reading now though.

Pretty sure I bombed the whole thing (N2 here). First of all... why can't we have mechanical pencils? Are we living in the stone age? Anyway I ran out of time and filled in 6 or 7 random answers in the reading section. An entire page just for 3 questions for each passage was a bit insane in my opinion but maybe that just means I need to read more. The listening section was also ridiculous and I often space out during such robotic conversations so I found myself staring at a chair trying incredibly hard to concentrate.

I took the test in Chicago myself but the crowd pretty much seemed to be as expected. In other words there were lots of weird looking girls with hair way longer than it should ever be, guys with B.O. issues, and a laughable seriousness to the whole test taking process. They enforce so many ancient and questionable rules (such as the aforementioned pencil thing) but when it comes down to it this test is optional and I'm choosing to take it so why would I cheat? Also it takes until February to get the results! It's a damn scantron, you could give me my results almost immediately!

TheVinster Wrote:and a laughable seriousness to the whole test taking process

We had a girl freak out in my room, haha. In Japan you get a lot of Koreans and Chinese that take the test, and are often under a lot of pressure to do well. Often they need it to keep or get a job, or use the test to prove to themselves/their teachers/their parents that their study abroad was worth while. So a lot of people are pretty serious about it.

Anyway, after the 言語知識 section she wasn't quite finished and she was frantically putting down random answers. The proctor told her to stop, but she didn't and started freaking out partly in Japanese and partly in what sounded like Chinese. He gave her a yellow card, but she still wouldn't stop and he grabbed the paper from her. It was pretty intense actually--she was really upset.

I've often wondered just how much bureaucratic stuff goes on behind the scenes to get these tests marked and vetted. After all, it is just a scantron test after all. Similar English proficiency tests have turnaround times of within a week, whereas us poor JLPT takers have to wait months. Is this Japanese bureaucracy at its finest?

That said, there are over half a million JLPT test takers -- just based off sheer numbers it doesn't look like an an easy task logistically to co-ordinate getting all the test papers from various countries back to Japan and marked.

TheVinster Wrote:Pretty sure I bombed the whole thing (N2 here). First of all... why can't we have mechanical pencils? Are we living in the stone age? Anyway I ran out of time and filled in 6 or 7 random answers in the reading section. An entire page just for 3 questions for each passage was a bit insane in my opinion but maybe that just means I need to read more. The listening section was also ridiculous and I often space out during such robotic conversations so I found myself staring at a chair trying incredibly hard to concentrate.

LOL. I think we had mirror experiences. I also ran out of time on reading. I assumed this would be the easiest part, since I read news, articles and stories every day. You have to have FAST comprehension to get through the pages and pages of Japanese they hurl at you. I realized when I had 20 minutes left and was only on page 22 of the 31-page xam booklet that I was probably hosed.

Honestly, I'm feeling more motivated to listen to/read Japanese now that the test is over. Having the test as a general goal helped me stay motivated in the earlier months, but has really been a drag on my studies in the past few weeks as the test grew closer.

Same for me. I got a PS3 on Black Friday so all I've been doing is playing Uncharted and barely studying Japanese for the past few days. I ordered ニノ国 so I'll be using that to study as far as games go. I was just so demotivated after finishing the Summer Wars novel that I mainly kept up with my Anki reviews and did a few pages of the 聴解 booklet every day. Quite a turnaround compared to when I was reading Summer Wars.

And Tzadeck I understand the seriousness it has on some people, and I can respect a test that enforces certain standards, but the way everything was explained from the initial letter I got in the mail with my voucher to the explanation by the woman proctoring it just had a sense of heaviness surrounding it. You probably know what I mean but I don't know if I can describe it.

TheVinster Wrote:I took the test in Chicago myself but the crowd pretty much seemed to be as expected. In other words there were lots of weird looking girls with hair way longer than it should ever be, guys with B.O. issues, and a laughable seriousness to the whole test taking process.

That is hilarious. I actually had the opposite experience in Atlanta, most people I met had jobs that used japanese or would inthe near future (an interpreter, a future manager for Costco in Japan, anime and manga translator i.e. me), or were just taking it for fun (girl with japanese, also me)

Tzadeck Wrote:We had a girl freak out in my room, haha. In Japan you get a lot of Koreans and Chinese that take the test, and are often under a lot of pressure to do well. Often they need it to keep or get a job, or use the test to prove to themselves/their teachers/their parents that their study abroad was worth while. So a lot of people are pretty serious about it.

Anyway, after the 言語知識 section she wasn't quite finished and she was frantically putting down random answers. The proctor told her to stop, but she didn't and started freaking out partly in Japanese and partly in what sounded like Chinese. He gave her a yellow card, but she still wouldn't stop and he grabbed the paper from her. It was pretty intense actually--she was really upset.

That is also hilarious. A yellow card? Like in soccer? Awesome.

I found I had adequate time to get everything done with about 15 minutes to spare. I answered everything I knew immediately, eliminated obvious wrong answers for ones I didn't, then moved on to reading. Took that last 15 minutes to go back to the grammar stuff I skipped and either guessed or figured out the answer after the second look.

TheVinster Wrote:Pretty sure I bombed the whole thing (N2 here). First of all... why can't we have mechanical pencils? Are we living in the stone age? Anyway I ran out of time and filled in 6 or 7 random answers in the reading section. An entire page just for 3 questions for each passage was a bit insane in my opinion but maybe that just means I need to read more. The listening section was also ridiculous and I often space out during such robotic conversations so I found myself staring at a chair trying incredibly hard to concentrate.

I took the test in Chicago myself but the crowd pretty much seemed to be as expected. In other words there were lots of weird looking girls with hair way longer than it should ever be, guys with B.O. issues, and a laughable seriousness to the whole test taking process. They enforce so many ancient and questionable rules (such as the aforementioned pencil thing) but when it comes down to it this test is optional and I'm choosing to take it so why would I cheat? Also it takes until February to get the results! It's a damn scantron, you could give me my results almost immediately!

Here in Japan you can use mechanical pencils. That was all I had on my desk in fact.

I think the listening (N2 here too) is the easiest but maybe thats just cause I live in Japan. I've never been able to focus on the conversation intently to be able to understand it. I think it may be simply because doing so causes me to try and process everything bit by bit and not chunk by chunk. Best thing I found for my self on the listening was to just listen passively while I colored in open holes on the kanji directions (doodled basically).

One thing I did different this time though that helped in the beginning of the listening was translating. You have answers for the questions in the beginning sections. While the directions are being given and the example is being read. Read each answer and give it a quick memo on meaning; get a feel for what the answers are like, this will help when you get to the question and need to listen to it.

gaiaslastlaugh Wrote:LOL. I think we had mirror experiences. I also ran out of time on reading. I assumed this would be the easiest part, since I read news, articles and stories every day. You have to have FAST comprehension to get through the pages and pages of Japanese they hurl at you. I realized when I had 20 minutes left and was only on page 22 of the 31-page xam booklet that I was probably hosed.

First time I did the N2 I was caught off guard by the reading as well. In fact I missed passing the reading and there in the entire test, by 3 points. Next time, consider doing most of the vocab part first, since thats probably the easiest for everyone. That's free points right there. That section is about 27 questions I think? After that, jump to the back of the reading section and work some reading questions. I found the last N2 reading problem this time to be really easy. It was an excerpt from a refrig manual and the questions were relatively easy. Focus on reading problems where they highlight where you need to look. Usually they ask "What does this mean in this context?" Do those because usually you can figure the answer out by reading 1-2 sentences around the chunk. Leave any problem that asks "What is the author trying to say?" till the end and if you have time. Mark the question on the scantron though in case you run out of time and have to go back and fill in something random. Even better, if you feel you can eliminate 1-2 of the answers on those type of questions, make sure you cross them out in the test book as well so you know later which ones you decided earlier were no-gos. Don't spend more than 30 seconds doing this though.

Work some of the reading section and then jump back to the grammar section and work those problems from the front of the grammar.

Another tip. At the start of each question, look at your watch and write the time quickly next to the problem number. 1) This will help you keep track of how much time you have wasted on the problem. and 2) You will know how you are doing pace wise. Plus you want to have at least 5-10 minutes before time is up to go back to the ones you skipped.

HisshouBuraiKen Wrote:I will say this: reading novels helped tremendously.

Thumbsup!
Reading lots of novels is the secret weapon to the JLPT N1 for many reasons.
1. They use the grammar you're likely to come across on the test.
2. They use the words you're likely to come across on the test (minus the technical bits.. unless you're reading Sci-Fi, etc, I guess).
3. They are large volumes of natural language which, if you understand well enough, will make the N1 easy. One of my professors at Kobe U once told me that the JLPT N1 is designed to be around the level at which an average first year student in Japanese high school could pass easily. I'm not sure where this information comes from but he was an awesome teacher and I'm willing to believe it given how incredibly normal the material on the test was.

Afterwards is listening but I found it to be the easiest portion.. which I attribute to watching all of One Piece un-subbed in the spring break prior to taking the test (July 2011). Oh and I guess lots of other things too. News podcasts etc. But anyway thumbsup!

I had a hell of a time with the listening on N1 yesterday. I think a big part of it was that by the time I got to that section, my brain was half- dead from the first part. That, or I have more gaps in my vocab than I thought, because I usually have no trouble at all listening to the NHK news or stuff like Tokyo Local.

For the last listening question, I picked 2 and 1, too.

In DC, we had a great proctor. When the room was dead quiet before the test, she started asking us questions in Japanese to loosen us all up a bit. I'm think maybe she was on the faculty at Georgetown? Anyway, the mood didn't feel particularly heavy or anything, and the seating was a hell of a lot more comfortable than last year in Japan. God, that was miserable last year. No heating, and the seats were so tiny, my knees were in a lot of pain.

Well, I suppose I'll start working on my vocab some more again. There were some words I didn't get, but since I knocked out the reading portion first, I had enough time to bang through the grammar portion. I started with the fill in the blanks reading bit, then did the reading section, etc., because if I have to panic over time and rush, I'd rather do it in the grammar section, where the sentences and problems are shorter.

Good luck to everyone. Hers hoping we all pass.

Ugh, I missed 由緒、規模、AND 手際. 億劫 was easy enough, as it's a word I'm used to hearing from friends about homework and work I'm feeling less and less comfortable about my performance on the 言語知識 section.

I'm still dying to know what that word was in the Fast Food section. No one remember? It was one of the ones that had a memo to explain its meaning and, I believe, it had ふりがな as well. The first kanji was one I'd never seen. I thought the reading was せい, but looking in my dictionary, nothing similar to what I saw is popping up.

Also, minor nit: I was miffed that I bought an (admittedly cheap-ass) analog watch based on the test instructions, only to find there was indeed a clock in our room. Which isn't surprising; clocks are fairly standard in American primary and secondary classrooms.

I'm interested if the testers who took the test in Japan had clocks in their rooms, or not? Do Japanese classrooms typically not have clocks? (Honest question, I'm not being cheeky here.)

gaiaslastlaugh Wrote:I'm interested if the testers who took the test in Japan had clocks in their rooms, or not? Do Japanese classrooms typically not have clocks? (Honest question, I'm not being cheeky here.)

At the three buildings they give the test in at Kyoto University, there are no clocks in the rooms, but I have no idea if they take them down for the tests or not. I also remember taking N2 way back when somewhere near Fushimi-Inari, at a small college, and there were no clocks there either.

I've taught at four high schools in Japan, and all the home rooms had clocks. Some of the specialty rooms didn't though.

sethg Wrote:Ugh, I missed 由緒、規模、AND 手際. 億劫 was easy enough, as it's a word I'm used to hearing from friends about homework and work I'm feeling less and less comfortable about my performance on the 言語知識 section.

Hey, I recognize 規模. Yay for obsessive daily reading of NHK News!　億劫 is new to me. Does this have a different connotation than 面倒くさい?

gaiaslastlaugh Wrote:Also, minor nit: I was miffed that I bought an (admittedly cheap-ass) analog watch based on the test instructions, only to find there was indeed a clock in our room. Which isn't surprising; clocks are fairly standard in American primary and secondary classrooms.

I'm interested if the testers who took the test in Japan had clocks in their rooms, or not? Do Japanese classrooms typically not have clocks? (Honest question, I'm not being cheeky here.)

No clocks where I took the test (at Tokyo's University of Electrocommunications). And they also didn't warn you when time was about to run out. This suprised me, because both in Brazil and in the official mock test here in Japan they did a few weeks ago, the proctors always warned us 5 minutes before.

franciscobc84 Wrote:

gaiaslastlaugh Wrote:Also, minor nit: I was miffed that I bought an (admittedly cheap-ass) analog watch based on the test instructions, only to find there was indeed a clock in our room. Which isn't surprising; clocks are fairly standard in American primary and secondary classrooms.

I'm interested if the testers who took the test in Japan had clocks in their rooms, or not? Do Japanese classrooms typically not have clocks? (Honest question, I'm not being cheeky here.)

No clocks where I took the test (at Tokyo's University of Electrocommunications). And they also didn't warn you when time was about to run out. This suprised me, because both in Brazil and in the official mock test here in Japan they did a few weeks ago, the proctors always warned us 5 minutes before.

Hmm, one test-taker in the room i took it in asked the instructor to let us know when we had ten minutes left in each section. i had a watch, too, so i don't remember if there was a clock in the room here in NY. AND i noticed there was no enforcement of the water only in label-less bottles only policy. i saw a guy drinking a mountain dew with the label on! what is society coming to?!

PS are there people who have never been to Japan, or never lived in Japan, who have passed N1?

I took N1 in New York over the weekend and my gameplan kinda fell apart. I was expecting the listening section to kinda carry my score since that's how it always worked on practice exams, but I felt completely off, like I was guessing a lot. Granted I sort of felt that way when I took 2kyuu a few years ago [turned out I got like 84/100], but I don't think this was the good kind of guessing... I'm hoping to scrape by with atleast 25 (grammar), 35 (reading), 40 (listening) type score, but I don't think that's likely anymore.

Either way, I plan to retake it again next year. Studying for this test accelerated my japanese soooo much. I've never learned/retained at a pace as fast as I had maintained over the last few months. I think next step in my gameplan is to stop using subtitles, just read more books (have only read one so far), and keep working on the KanjiBox app (which I highly recommend)... I will hold off on looking at posted versions of this test until after I get my score. I don't want to get myself worked up.

Side note: There was no clock in my room, so I'm glad I bought a watch at CVS the night before.

[Zgarbas]

i am not sure if the opinion of someone who wil have most likely failed the test counts but i second the reading novels part. even if i had issues with the questions themselves (part exam anxiety part me not used to trick questions) i had no issues with the actual reading the text part. i finished 20 minutes early because i read the texts really quickly... though of course answering questions about them proved more difficult than i'd thought ^^'. reading novels does wonders to your reading skills (shock, right?) even if you don"t fully comprehend them.

p.s. even if i may fail the N2 i feel as if i didn't. exam anxiety brings me down a lot and aside from that i was happy to see that i knew most of the vocab and grammar points and could browe the tezts easily. i think i am going to focus on listening and reading and aim for the n1 next year regardless of this year's results

deanmaka Wrote:I took N1 in New York over the weekend and my gameplan kinda fell apart. I was expecting the listening section to kinda carry my score since that's how it always worked on practice exams, but I felt completely off, like I was guessing a lot.

I also took N1 in NYC. By chance were you also in room 231? There were 3 japanese kids about high school age taking the test and talking to each other in fluent japanese :-O

My plan was the same as yours. I rocked the listening sections in practice tests and was hoping that to pull me over this time, but the combination of it being really hard and the sound having too much volume, bass, and room echo, I had a really hard time, especially on the quick response that I had previously been nailing.

Glad to hear that others also found the listening part hard.

Oh, btw guys, 規模 is in core 2000 ;-)

radical_tyro Wrote:By chance were you also in room 231? There were 3 japanese kids about high school age taking the test and talking to each other in fluent japanese :-O

I was in 224, so no loud japanese kids. It was a pretty diverse room actually. The only event was that one kid almost missed the Listening section and we sat around waiting for him for like 5 extra minutes. Guess he spent too much time in the cafeteria.

For the quick responses, I was getting virtually all of those correct on practice tests (no hesitation... just quickly eliminating the ones that obviously made no sense). =/