I’m considering taking N3 again. I would wait a whole year for December again. The time I’m going to spend in Japan this summer might greatly help me.
I just did N3 on the 4th, and I’m feeling like I bombed pretty hard… The vocab and grammar parts were no issue, but reading started to cause troubles for me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish in time, so I had to just guess things I didn’t understand for the reading part in order to focus on what I could understand and answer all questions.
When listening rolled around it was a blood bath… Not only did I screw up my answer sheet and had to redo the first section in the middle of an exercise but I was also just having trouble understanding from the get go. About halfway through I got back into it and was able to confidently answer a couple questions, but the pace was such that you basically had to answer the question during the listening, 0 time to reflect after the listening exercise… So i quickly derailed again and was just guessing answers for the listening section. It was terrible and I felt really really upset about it. If i had done a bit better I think I would have felt more confident about passing but… Yeah…
We were just discussing this on the 2022 thread - the lack of kanji for a lot of questions actually makes it more difficult than anything! A few people got caught for a reading comprehension where the word used throughout the whole passage wasn’t familiar, but had it been in kanji, might have been more managable.
But you have plenty of time to be doing practise questions in the meantime, and sometimes the context around the sentence will help too!
I’m thinking of taking the N2 in Leiden this year. I’ve never done the JLPT before because I don’t really need it for anything and it didn’t seem worth travelling through a pandemic for, but now that I’ve reached the notorious intermediate plateau I could really use a quantifiable ‘see, you are progressing!’
I’ll have enough time to do all the N2 Tango cards by the end of June, but the Bunpro situation is pretty dire (I let the reviews pile up to 130+, so last week I finally went through them and reset a bunch of grammar points to get it back down to a normal level; RIP 60 N3 grammar points ). I’d like to pretend I’ll slowly go through SKM over the next six months, but who am I kidding, it’ll probably be a whole lot of panic cramming in June lol
I am strongly considering doing the N4 in July after I did the N5 a few days ago. I don´t know if I passed, I don´t have a bad feeling, but I also never have good feelings about tests. Regardless, trying for N4 will be good practice, even if my N5 attempt was unsuccessfull.
I´m unsure if I could actually be ready for the N4 in July but I would like to try and it will keep me from being lazy. Depending on how it goes I would either repeat N4 in december or try and focus on N3 in 2024.
(Also, the July dates actually work better for me, since the december test will probably always be at or just around my birthday)
Me and the word 包丁 from the N3 2 years ago. I am happy I passed but that reading prompt almost sank me. I was like “wrapped… street? Oh maybe this about some special street in Japan.”
I think I did pretty good on the N2, I know I screwed up on one of the kanji prefix questions, and maybe a few of the reading questions, but everything else I think I got correct (I hope this comment doesn’t come bite my behind later lol).
If I get a high enough grade I’ll probably try for N1 on december next year.
The N3 is probably the last one you feel like you’re making big progress in your Japanese. Lots of really fundamental ways to express ideas. I miss that time in some ways. Now I am just floating around hoping I am improving xD
I think you will need parts of Quartet 2 for the N3. I love both Genki, Quartet and Tobira. Also, tje Bunpro site helps you to make textbook content to JLPT level.
I’m definitely taking the N2 next year. Whether I take it in July or December will depend on how fast I can progress. Considering I went from N5+ to N3 in about a year, I’m confident I can quickly progress to N2. But I also want to pace myself and take time to thoroughly understand everything and not rush for the exam. For example, my listening skills are lagging far behind and I want to practice more native reading content, as well as speaking (even though it’s not tested - side note, it is completely ridiculous that speaking is not tested in the exam, when you compare to other international language certificates). Anyway, I’ll probably take N2 in December, but use July as a halfway goal-point to see how far I can get by then.
Thank you! Looks like here in Japan the application opens up around a week after the results are out, so I’m good.
Other way round sounds so bad… Why can’t they think of the applicants who took the previous exam?
Apply for N1! Though it’s not the best advice coming from me, because I didn’t prepare at all for this last one. But if you can afford the exam fee and if there is a test site near you, then why not?
(Btw my test site this time was within walking distance to my apartment, the JLPT gods blessed me.)
I totally feel you, I should practice my active skills but getting the N1 still bugs me… Even though I don’t need it for anything (I have enough points now for the PR.)
Thank you! I tried Bunpro but it wasn’t really for me. Instead I’m thinking might buy a grammar prep book after I’ve finished the first volume to see what I lack, and workwith those points in that book and Quartet 2
I’m hoping I’ll be able to take the N4 in July. I haven’t done the N5, but I would say I feel like I’m confident that I’d be able to study the N4 grammar in time for it.
I will feel like I’ve really gotten a hold of the language if I manage to pass the N4, even if it is on the easy end of the scale. I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come with learning Japanese, and it’s so exciting being able to understand random sentences I see online or picking out more words in the videos/podcast I listen to.
I won’t be taking any tests in December because I will have my uni exams as my priority.
but I was also just having trouble understanding from the get go. About halfway through I got back into it and was able to confidently answer a couple questions, but the pace was such that you basically had to answer the question during the listening, 0 time to reflect after the listening exercise… So i quickly derailed again and was just guessing answers for the listening section. It was terrible and I felt really really upset about it. If i had done a bit better I think I would have felt more confident about passing but… Yeah…
). I’d like to pretend I’ll slowly go through SKM over the next six months, but who am I kidding, it’ll probably be a whole lot of panic cramming in June lol
