Ooo I think there’s a current book club about SpyXFamily in the threads right now! That would be a good one to hop into.
The closest I get is watching anime with my partner on his Japanese netflix account and most don’t have English subtitles so I read the Japanese and listen hard, and then pause if it’s too much. I can’t usually do more than one episode at a time because he likes things like Chainsaw Man (me too which I read in English so that’s fine kinda, but the language used is very intense difficult Japanese at times [and then super silly casual unusual Japanese that I cannot parse at all from Denji])
Using BLEACH to get into reading actually might not be that bad… I haven’t seen it in years…
I will apply for N1 the moment I get the results of my previous exam (which is a definite fail). My plan is to do the mock tests and previous years’ tests, and create anki decks for the grammar questions.
Good luck in getting in! In my place the applications open waaaay before the results are out, so it’s always a bit of a gamble. Hope it opens a bit later than that in your place, so you can make a more informed decision
For me, I took N2 and feel pretty ok with it (except for the listening), but I already passed it last summer so I’m not gonna take it again. Mayyyybeeee I might aim for N1 next December. That depends on how motivated I get with studying vocab (and doing listening practice, but in my case that’s the same thing).
I’ll be applying for the N2 in 2023.
I think my N3 went kind of well, though you can never be too sure. Regardless I’ll probably opt for the N2 than retaking the N3 if I happened to fail it.
I’d go and try the N4 before, the reading and listening section requires a little more overall language knowledge, aka quite a bit of immersion outside of traditional textbook studying, so maybe leave that for the December test then.
I was thinking about taking N1 if I passed the test this time around, but I’m not sure what it would do for me besides provide another distraction from improving my speech. My company isn’t asking me to take it, nor am I planning to switch jobs any time soon. At one point I thought that getting N1 was an important milestone for me but now I’m starting to question that.
Had the same exact thought before. I don’t really need JLPT in my line of work. I had just wanted to study for fun and to make my living experience in Japan easier. But the 2022 threads hyped me up.
To answer the questions, yes, I plan to take JLPT but I’m thinking of skipping N5 and trying for N4 in July. According to Bunpro, I’m already “adept” at half the N5 grammar points plus a few N4 grammar points following the Minna no Nihongo path. I think I may be able to do all the grammar points for N4 by July, but even if I fail it’ll be good practice. Welcome any thoughts from folks who’ve done this before. I may be getting ahead of myself.
Where? According to the JLPT website, nearest testing site where I am now is in Osaka so likely there!
How? Grind through WK, Bunpro, take lessons two to three times a week. Nothing different from what I’m doing now. Keep myself accountable by posting on my study log. And then may be practice tests 3 months before the July and review review review.
You should I’d love to take N1 again and maybe aim for a perfect score!
Well, let’s see how I did on my repeat N2 last weekend first… hoping for at least 175/180.
Yeah. I don’t need it at all but I enjoy talking the test. Gives you a sense of something to reach for. But like I said in my previous post I am gonna refuse buying any prep books other than reading and maybe grammar depending on the reading difficulty for the n2 this time and just hope to pass.
I’m so excited to do my first JLPT exam this July! It’s really interesting to read how all of you feel about it.
I’d be really happy to meet some WaniKani members irl, too :)
Does anybody else here write the test in Germany? I’ll probably do the N4 which in the december 2022 round was just conducted in Stuttgart (and not in Düsseldorf or Hamburg), right? Maybe they’ll widen the possibilities a bit more and conduct the same test in multiple locations this time around.
Just a heads up – when I took the N4 this weekend, I had signed up thinking it would be in Osaka but it actually wound up being in Kobe. Granted, the distance between the two really isn’t bad (particularly if you take the Limited Express), but just something to be aware of.
(Of course, it’s entirely possible I misunderstood where the website told me the test would be, too.)
(Also also, if we both wind up at the same test center maybe we could say hi the day of?)
To me the gap between N4 and N3 is scary! I just did the N4 and I already don’t know do I feel like I’d be ready by next December for N3 since they only run it in December in Ireland (especially since the N4 listening has me traumatised). My friend passed N3 this year and I know I’m nowhere near her level yet so I just don’t feel I’d be ready.
Its a really big jump isn’t it!
I was originally going to take the N4 in December 2021, but couldn’t because of Covid, so my goal for 2022 was to take the N4 test in July, and if I passed then maybe the N3 in December as a stretch goal.
But as soon as I started properly looking at N3 stuff I decided that was a horrible idea and that I should aim for July 2023 instead! But now that its the end of the year, July also feels worryingly close…
Good luck to both of us with our N3 studies, I’m sure we’ll both get there!
Probably the N1 again in July, and in Paris again. I didn’t know we already had the dates, though I guess the fact that they tend to pick the first Sunday of July and Dec each year makes that easy to guess.
I’m still going to finish my grammar book, but I think I’ll really focus on reading for 2023. Probably gonna spend a lot more time on written and spoken news. Need to get used to that writing style and the words they use.
The only condition for my signing up from this point onwards: this time, I have to be certain I can get full marks. If I’m not certain, I’m not registering. Would be a waste of money otherwise, in my opinion, because I already have a certificate from 2022. To do so, ideally, I would comfortably reach a level way above the N1 by July 2023, which would also be the 5th anniversary of the beginning of my Japanese journey. Can I do it? I’m a little less sure, but I hope so… I managed for French within the same time frame, after all. (Obvious difference here: French is related to English, especially in the sciences, so a lot of technical knowledge transfers. Japanese… not so much, and that remains true even if I look for Japanese-Chinese links.)
I think coming out of the pandemic it’s also just been harder to dedicate time to study as the world opens up. I noticed a big difference between the time I had in November last year versus this year to knuckle down and study. Last year I was home pretty much all the time and was able to study a lot for N5 but this year my weekends filled up with other plans so quickly! So between that and the next level seeming quite a jump, it makes me not quite sure I’ll get there by the end of next year.
But yes we will get there at our own pace and make our sensei proud
Will be taking the test for the first time next July. Going for N4 and I am in Japan. Also want to do N3 in December but that really depends on how far I get with my grammar, reading and listening by that time. I’m excited to actually be able to participate in these posts for once!!!
Thanks for letting me know! But Kobe would be even better for me cause it’s closer! Hahaha. I hope they have a Kobe testing site again! And sure, i’d be happy to say hello!
Already feeling nervous and I haven’t even signed up yet!
I just tried the Vocabulary practice test for N4 and while I passed pretty well, I didn’t realize just how much hiragana is involved. Kanji actually helps with my memory of words in a sentence and now I am a bit scared.
I’d love to take N1 again and maybe aim for a perfect score!
