Hey guys, need some advice. What books andmethods would you recommend for JLPT Level 1 studying. I'm taking it this December at a University near me. I'm looking for general advice and stories about people who have taken. Any advice would be helpful.

Lastly, any general advice on improving speaking and writing skills(both written and typing). You may have noticed I've asked this question before but this time I'm looking for ways that people improved it through non-traditional methods (outside of class and so forth). Link any threads that you might find useful. I'm going to gather useful advice and devise a small plan(making fun towards me) and start on it soon. I'm starting to go at a different direction with Japanese then I did when I started. It's more towards practical stuff than immerse stuff.

I used the sou-matome grammar book. It was pretty cool.
The best book I used to prepare for the actual test was this one:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%...245&sr=8-1

It's basically two mock-JLPT N1 tests, identical to the real test.
I did the first test a month before the JLPT, used it to find my weaknesses, then took the last mock-test the day before the JLPT. I passed on my first try

i took N2, and am prepping for N1 this year.

my advice based on last year's failures...
-grab a grammar book, a reading book, and a listening book. ignore the kanji and vocabulary books.
-SRS the example sentences for grammar. SRS any passages in reading you don't understand. SRS cloze delete the grammar test questions; they should be similar in format to the actual test.
-for the listening book just follow along. you need to get used to the question style.

when you finish those books, take practice exams and SRS any questions you get wrong.

if you want to improve speaking skills, speak to people. if you want to improve writing skills, write on lang-8. if you're at the level you claim to be, you should know by now that there isn't any magic bullet and it's just straight grinding from here on out.

If you've never taken the JLPT before, I recommend you take one or two mock tests (make sure it's the new form test and not the older form of the test). While this won't dramatically increase your score or anything, it will be helpful.

Zorlee Wrote:I used the sou-matome grammar book. It was pretty cool.
The best book I used to prepare for the actual test was this one:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%...245&sr=8-1

It's basically two mock-JLPT N1 tests, identical to the real test.
I did the first test a month before the JLPT, used it to find my weaknesses, then took the last mock-test the day before the JLPT. I passed on my first try

Definitely should be useful but I wish it was a digital version. I would literally be able to make SRS cards out of it but then again, there is nothing wrong with using a book.
It's definitely time I start buying more books

kainzero Wrote:i took N2, and am prepping for N1 this year.

my advice based on last year's failures...
-grab a grammar book, a reading book, and a listening book. ignore the kanji and vocabulary books.
-SRS the example sentences for grammar. SRS any passages in reading you don't understand. SRS cloze delete the grammar test questions; they should be similar in format to the actual test.
-for the listening book just follow along. you need to get used to the question style.

when you finish those books, take practice exams and SRS any questions you get wrong.

if you want to improve speaking skills, speak to people. if you want to improve writing skills, write on lang-8. if you're at the level you claim to be, you should know by now that there isn't any magic bullet and it's just straight grinding from here on out.

That's good advice and I will start implementing that soon (this Thursday).
As for speaking and writing that obviously makes sense but for some odd reason my mind keeps telling me "Find ways to make it work for yourself". I keep forgetting that all I did to get better at reading and listening is to do the same thing: keep reading and listening. Thanks for the advice guys, it's helping me out.

partner55083777 Wrote:If you've never taken the JLPT before, I recommend you take one or two mock tests (make sure it's the new form test and not the older form of the test). While this won't dramatically increase your score or anything, it will be helpful.

I took a mock test about a year ago but it was a simulation test that changes depending on how you answer. I got 76% I think (forgot what I exactly I got, since it was a year ago). I heard that there isn't a real mock test for this JLPT test since it only got released recently.

ta12121 Wrote:I heard that there isn't a real mock test for this JLPT test since it only got released recently.

When I looked in bookstores last November (2011), I wasn't able to find any of the past tests (for instance, tests from 2010 or 2009), but there are companies selling books that just contain mock tests. In Japanese, it's 模擬試験.

The publishers of these mock test books are not backed by the agency/foundation that makes the real tests, so the mock tests are bound to be slightly different from the real test. The question format will be the same, but the difficulty may be slightly different. Also, there is really no way to score yourself on a mock test because of how the real test is scored.

In my own experience, I found the mock tests to be relatively similar to the difficulty of the real tests. In the mock test, the listening was maybe a little easier than the real test.

Taking a mock test will not tell you if you are close to being able to pass the real test, but it will get you used to the question format.

edit: If you want to know whether or not you are close to being able to pass, take an old test from the old format. These can be graded on your own, so you can figure out whether you would have passed or not.

partner55083777 Wrote:

ta12121 Wrote:I heard that there isn't a real mock test for this JLPT test since it only got released recently.

When I looked in bookstores last November (2011), I wasn't able to find any of the past tests (for instance, tests from 2010 or 2009), but there are companies selling books that just contain mock tests. In Japanese, it's 模擬試験.

The publishers of these mock test books are not backed by the agency/foundation that makes the real tests, so the mock tests are bound to be slightly different from the real test. The question format will be the same, but the difficulty may be slightly different. Also, there is really no way to score yourself on a mock test because of how the real test is scored.

In my own experience, I found the mock tests to be relatively similar to the difficulty of the real tests. In the mock test, the listening was maybe a little easier than the real test.

Taking a mock test will not tell you if you are close to being able to pass the real test, but it will get you used to the question format.

edit: If you want to know whether or not you are close to being able to pass, take an old test from the old format. These can be graded on your own, so you can figure out whether you would have passed or not.

Makes sense to take mock tests and add those question-type formats to my SRS for study. I know there is a site that lists mock tests up till 2006 from the 1980's. Most people said it will comes down to your ability in Japanese(reading,vocabulary,grammar,listening) and the rest is studying.

One series that really helped me for N2 was the ドリル＆ドリル series of, well, drill books by Unicom. Actually, they're not just drills. The harder questions have thorough explanations of the answers in the back. Very useful.

Before I left Japan, I picked up the 文法 and 聴解・読解 books for N1. 聴解・読解 is in one volume. ISBN達:978-4-89689-479-0 (文法) and 978-4-89689-480-6 (聴解・読解)

And read, read, read as much as you can from all kinds of sources, not just prep books.

My problem was not being able to read and comprehend fast enough on the N1 to have enough time to answer the questions properly. I know in my heart of hearts that I need to read more newspapers and good literature... and add more vocab to my repertoire as well.

One last thing: there was a decent little chunk of 警護 and ビジネス日本語 in there as well. Not huge, but it adds up.

I'm debating if I'm going to take N1 or just keep plugging away. It depends a great deal on where I am this September, I guess.

rich_f Wrote:One series that really helped me for N2 was the ドリル＆ドリル series of, well, drill books by Unicom. Actually, they're not just drills. The harder questions have thorough explanations of the answers in the back. Very useful.

Before I left Japan, I picked up the 文法 and 聴解・読解 books for N1. 聴解・読解 is in one volume. ISBN達:978-4-89689-479-0 (文法) and 978-4-89689-480-6 (聴解・読解)

And read, read, read as much as you can from all kinds of sources, not just prep books.

My problem was not being able to read and comprehend fast enough on the N1 to have enough time to answer the questions properly. I know in my heart of hearts that I need to read more newspapers and good literature... and add more vocab to my repertoire as well.

One last thing: there was a decent little chunk of 警護 and ビジネス日本語 in there as well. Not huge, but it adds up.

I'm debating if I'm going to take N1 or just keep plugging away. It depends a great deal on where I am this September, I guess.

I'll probably buy 3 JLPT related books by the end of this month to study from. So reading and comprehension is key (not sure why but I do enjoy reading news because of all those kanji, yes sounds nerdy but whatever lol). Great advice guys and I'll definitely will be using it

mock tests are really good, best to do them timed and in test conditions. Drill books are good too. Good luck!

caivano Wrote:mock tests are really good, best to do them timed and in test conditions

I second that this is important!

Thirded. Go to a library or somewhere else with really uncomfortable seating, if you want to make it really "real." (When I took the N1 in Nagoya, I sat in the worst classroom seating ever. -_-)

One more tip: Bring a wrist watch with you to the test. The classroom I was in didn't have a clock, so it was really hard to know how much time to spend on the questions I had left.