These are the books that I'm going to use for my N3 Preparation:


I'm planning to finish the first 5 books in 3 months
The next 4 in 2 months
And the next 3 in a month
In addition to that, I'm doing KO2001 until the first of May
After that I might start RtK2 and Core6000

I think that after mastering all the books above, I can pass N3 easily

On the practical side, I can already conduct some conversations and get a general idea about anything I read
I think that after finishing those books and courses, I'll be able to have a fair understanding of anything I need, in addition to understanding most of what is being said around me, and being able to conduct a more sophisticated dialog

Even though I'm going to concentrate on the BJT test this November, I've also decided to go for N1 in December.

I'm building my war chest and working out a 5 month study plan right now.

I'm very probably going to Japan in September, by that time can I still apply for the JLPT and take it in Japan?

Already studied all the grammar (though I'll start using another book to review now) and still half way to finish the 1kyuu vocab list.

You can probably sign up. I believe the registration window closes at the end of September.

kitakitsune Wrote:You can probably sign up. I believe the registration window closes at the end of September.

This is true. At least, it was this way last year. I registered for the test around September 25th. I wouldn't cut it that close if you're really set on taking it though.

It won't be a problem any way. Since by that time I'll probably be really busy with the beggining of classes and getting to know my colleagues and the area...anyway, I can take it in summer or December 2013 in Portugal.

Just a quick question: once taken the JLPT stays valid for life-time, right? It's not like the TOEIC that has to be re-taken after 2 years (if I recall correctly) to be still valid.

Can you improve your score btw if you take the same exam twice/multiple times and get a higher score?

Tori-kun Wrote:Just a quick question: once taken the JLPT stays valid for life-time, right? It's not like the TOEIC that has to be re-taken after 2 years (if I recall correctly) to be still valid.

Can you improve your score btw if you take the same exam twice/multiple times and get a higher score?

Yes and yes. However, there aren't many reasons you would want to take the JLPT again once you pass.

Well, JLPT stays valid for a lifetime, but if you are applying for a Job or something I guess it would be better to have a certificate which shows that you have taken the exam recently and passed it rather than, say, 5 to 6 years ago.

The JLPT is pretty much only useful when you're first starting out applying for jobs that will use your Japanese ability. Once you've got some years experience under your belt it becomes a lot like your degree from university. Jobs are going to require it, but they're not going to ask you too much about it.

JLPT is mostly used as a way to screen and toss résumés in the first round. Even if you have the certification most places will want you to to submit some sort of translation test of their own or a writing sample.

It's not really a license or a high level certification in the way you might be thinking. It's assumed most people starting out will have the highest level of the JLPT, and then as well some years experience attaining a higher level on top of that.

Do you guys recommend any word lists that exist online so I can throw what I don't know into Anki? I've never taken the JLPT but in Illinois it's only once a year in December. That being said I'm just going to try and take JLPT 2 because I'm dumb and want to fail. Guess I better study hard until then.

TheVinster Wrote:Do you guys recommend any word lists that exist online so I can throw what I don't know into Anki? I've never taken the JLPT but in Illinois it's only once a year in December. That being said I'm just going to try and take JLPT 2 because I'm dumb and want to fail. Guess I better study hard until then.

I've heard of people using word lists from this site:

http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt2/vocab/

Unless you plan on adding everything to Anki, it might be better to sort that list according to frequency and study the most frequent words first.

Thanks that looks familiar to what I've seen posted on these forums before. I already have a vocab deck going so I'll just spend my summer trying to input everything and studying that deck while learning additional stuff from the news articles and miscellaneous things I do. Hopefully I'm feeling more confident about my Japanese ability by the end of summer.

N4 on Sunday. Doubt I`ll pass. I just can`t bring myself to study at all. Need a new method.

N1, again, on Sunday, haha. I think I'll pass this time.

Good luck.

Don't forget to bring a wrist watch. I had to take the test in a classroom without a clock!

partner55083777 Wrote:Good luck.

Don't forget to bring a wrist watch. I had to take the test in a classroom without a clock!

At my test in December they covered the clocks with pieces of paper. It's so ridiculous. They're super paranoid about cheating, I think. So they don't want anyone to have an excuse to look at anything but the paper right in front of them.

REMINDER! BRING A WRISTWATCH! THERE MOST LIKELY WON'T BE A CLOCK AT YOUR LOCATION!

Not even Kanji Kentei does that. The JLPT organization is just super inept and ridiculous. That's what it comes down to. That's why we have to wait 2 months for the results of a machine-graded multiple choice test, couldn't sign up online until this year, had to deal with a buggy online sign up process, don't get notified of our location until like 2 weeks before the test, etc.

I wasn't super bent out of shape about it until I took Kanji Kentei, and I saw how easy and painless it could be if they just chose to do things properly.

@erlog: 賛成！

Can't stand the way the JLPT is administered... it makes my head hurt. From the way the test is offered (pass/fail? seriously? So I can study for 12 months and it can come to -0-? Dumb. As. Hell.) to how you apply (good luck with that), to where it's *not* offered in the summer (good luck with that, N.America!), how it's scored (it's not a test, it's a competition), it just gives me a headache.

Not that the BJT is any better. Oh, you can take it in the N.America... in Hawai'i. -_- Yeah, good luck with that, too. Might as well just take it in Japan for that kind of money.

[Zgarbas]

Wait, I don't get your issue with the pass/fail thing. You have an issue with there being a failing grade for the exam? It wouldn't be much of an exam if everyone would pass it =/.

And it's not the JLPT's fault about the summer thing, there need to be enough people asking for it and a centre willing to organize the exam and ask for it in the first place... if anything it's your area's fault for not showing enough interest. The only exam centre in my country is 500km away, December only; but I kinda get it, since even then there's not a great deal of people attending, and having to organize it in more places/two times a year just wouldn't be worth the costs.

rich_f Wrote:@erlog: 賛成！

Can't stand the way the JLPT is administered... it makes my head hurt. From the way the test is offered (pass/fail? seriously? So I can study for 12 months and it can come to -0-? Dumb. As. Hell.) to how you apply (good luck with that), to where it's *not* offered in the summer (good luck with that, N.America!), how it's scored (it's not a test, it's a competition), it just gives me a headache.

-as JLPT is just a resume booster, you can put your score on your resume even if you fail. what you can get mad at is the companies who only accept pass/fail.
-i applied and got an instant reply and confirmation.
-only listening/reading is scored on a curve, whereas the vocab/grammar/kanji is flat. a perfect score on the vocab/grammar/kanji is more than half required for a passing score.

n2 on sunday. I'm not sure I'll pass but i made this decision long time ago, too late for changing lvl. So what after JLPT? I mean, N1.

Hint666 Wrote:n2 on sunday. I'm not sure I'll pass but i made this decision long time ago, too late for changing lvl. So what after JLPT? I mean, N1.

After you finish N1....you can begin to learn Japanese. That sounds like a comedy answer, but everyone I know who has gotten to that high of a level pretty much says exactly that. I feel that way myself right now. N1 is a basic level of functional Japanese. Understanding creative material or material in certain domains you're interested in will still be difficult.

It's up to you what to do after you pass N1. My personal plan is to keep taking it to see if I can improve my score over time through lots of reading from real native sources. I've been reading a lot of drill books and short form material to practice for the test. I really want to read novels and magazines without feeling guilty for not "studying".

I feel like if I'm not answering comprehension-checking questions after something then I don't really know whether or not I've understood it. I feel like I've understood it, but I feel like I understand lots of things even when I don't.

If you're in Japan there's a whole host of kentei's you can take like Kanji Kentei, BJT, Nihongo Kentei, etc. Outside of Japan I'm not really certain.

there's a lot of books i wanna read but studying for JLPT is in the way, haha.

erlog Wrote:After you finish N1....you can begin to learn Japanese.

This is bad phrasing. You're trying to emphasize the fact that there is still a lot to learn after you reach N1 level, but why choose to do it by demeaning the years of study it takes to get to N1?

There's gotta be a better way to say this.

Tzadeck Wrote:

erlog Wrote:After you finish N1....you can begin to learn Japanese.

This is bad phrasing. You're trying to emphasize the fact that there is still a lot to learn after you reach N1 level, but why choose to do it by demeaning the years of study it takes to get to N1?

There's gotta be a better way to say this.

That's why I said it was kind of a "comedy answer," and then explained exactly what I meant by it.

Honestly, I don't really care about demeaning years of study. I studied for years too. I'm not going to lie to people about what a high level of Japanese JLPT N1 is. It's not a very high level. That's a fact. The amount of vocabulary is pretty high, but the actual level of reading required is about the same as a highly-motivated Japanese middle-schooler. The listening comprehension is a joke compared to anything from a native source.

If you want to call that a high level then you're free to, but I'm not going to lie. I accepted those lies for years, and it was only after I saw through them that I started making real progress with my Japanese.

JLPT N1 is a stepping stone towards fluency. It is not a destination.