Might take N4 this year.
I don’t have my N5, never tried JLPT before. But I’m pretty confident I could pass 5… thinking it’ll help motivate me more to aim for the more challenging level.
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I did Shin Kanzen Master N3 Grammar and Reading (surprisingly good since it provides helpful tips for the actual exam). I did try Sao Matome N3 Grammar too for a bit.
Didn’t use something specific for listening. Random clips for N3 online. I did however regret not putting much focus on Vocabulary until the last week, thinking WK is enough (it is not). I tried tanos and I’ve heard Sao Matome Vocabulary is a good resource as well.
For Kanji, it was just till WK level 44 (as I am now).
Edit: Forgot to add but I skimmed through Nihongonomori videos for N3 before actually beginning my study.
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I passed N1, so on to N0 this y… Oh.
Well, then, I‘ll probably try and improve my score in July 
Even less pressure since I know I already passed 
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N4 this year, I will try in July but maybe won’t succeed till December. I’m good on the kanji and vocab, weak on the grammar and need to see where I am with listening and reading.
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You could always move on to tests that are intended for “beyond N1” like the BJT, or tests for natives like the Nihongo Kentei!
(er… well, if you’re in Japan, which I don’t know)
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N5 in July, then hopefully N4 in December!
Last year I had set the goal for N4 in December, but when I got very busy with work mid-year I gave up entirely. By then it was too late to register for N5 in December.
I could probably take N4 in July by working extra hard, but building on last year’s experience I’ll account for some extra busy + low motivation periods over the next few months. So it’s probably a better strategy for me to take it step by step.
Also it’ll be a nice excuse to go spend a week-end in London in July.
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Work on it as much as you can, studying for N4, and decide if you can make it at sign up time. Maybe do a practice test to determine which ond to sign up for
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Your post prompted me to check when I could get to level 16 without going at full speed. Looks like I could reasonable expect to be there by early june. Kanji is my one of main concerns, so I guess you’re right, we’ll see in march when registration comes.
I know N5 will feel easy for the most part, but I also know I’ll need a motivation boost. Let’s see !
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Most Kanji show up in Vocab on JLPT, and if you use the right study materials, you will have encountered many of them in your excercise books, with the added bonus of learning them in context. So even if you don’t get to the level on WK, most likely you will already know most of them, just through studying (unless you study in romaji, of course), just try to look past the furigana (I blacked them all out in my Minna no Nihongo, so I had no choice but to recognize the kanji, and that is basically all I used for grammar, up to chapter 41). But also, I was already level 28 or something, so WK level probably did help a lot, too.
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Do you find it easy to use Minna no nihongo by yourself? I use Genki right now but I also have minna no nihongo from a previous class I took at Uni, and I’m thinking about giving it a try for self-studying.
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I don’t use it by myself. I go to class and frequently ask the teacher for clarification (or someone else does it for me), or get things wrong in class and get corrected. Also the teacher developed a grammar companion in my native language that I have been using to study ahead of classes I took with him, since he teaches different levels on different days, and I basically just moved up the ranks, so to speak.
But I pretty much after reading through the grammar points in Dutch, just do the exercises in the book (writing them all out), check with the answer key in the back. Sometimes I make Dutch to Japanese sentence translation exercises to practice similar grammar usages.
We handle renshuu B exercises in class with closed books. The teacher types the Dutch sentence, and each student needs to compose the Japanese sentence by themselves, using the new grammar. Works really well
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Sounds great! I learn better in a classroom environment, but my schedule can’t allow that right now, unfortunately. I’ll try to join conversation groups instead, that should be more flexible.
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My goal for 2019 is to take N5. I’m total newbie in Japanese but I think this goal is reachable.
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I wish I could take the JLPT. That would really give me something to aim for, but there is no way my parents are driving me for 2 hours to sit a test.
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Take a train 
Also maybe if you show enough dedication, and pay (part) of the test yourself, they might consider it, at least.
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I was thinking about trying for N5 in July, but it looks like here in New Zealand the test only takes place in December… I suppose I’ll study hard until then… Maybe I’ll skip right to N4 depending on how my year goes. I can’t apply until August so I suppose I’ll take some practice tests then to see how I’m shaping up 
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I will try the N3 in July in Belgium. I took the N4 last year and succeeded, but I feel like right now I have too many things to study after my break… I’m already late! HAAAAAA. (Panic mode activated)
Gosh, can’t wait.
For me, the audition part was difficult because some audios were very long, and it was like… I understood and remembered everything… except the question. There was a situation with people offering a chair to someone, and all was great until I realised I didn’t know which person was speaking, and so couldn’t answer. There is that and the fact that there was a lot of details that may lost the person who is listening.
Wish you luck everyone!
(And sorry for my bad English)
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I’d like to try the JLPT, but I’d have to go all the way down to Stockholm to do so, which is… rather far. I’m also not completely sure on which level. I’m guessing there are sample questions or old exams or something I can check if I do end up deciding to take it though. If I don’t take it this year(and maybe even if I do), it’s very likely I will next year.
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Step 1: Move to Sthlm
Step 2: Be close to JLPT
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit
The test is held in my old classroom, it’s a cute little campus.
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