Let’s get ready for the JLPT in 2026! 
Talk here about N5, N4, N3, N2 and N1! All levels welcome 
Check out the discussion here too:
And here are the threads for each level of the JLPT!
The N1 Thread ・ The N2 Thread ・ The N3 Thread ・ The N4 Thread ・ The N5 Thread
Probably finally going for N1 this year. Decently certain in December so I can just coast and don’t have to cram any textbooks.
All depending on if I can keep juggling japanese with the rest of my life long enough.
Are you planning on taking the JLPT in July 2026?
What level? (July 2026)
Are you planning on taking the JLPT in December 2026?
What level? (Dec 2026)
Yes I’ll be taking it in December. But I won’t decide whether it’ll be N1 or N2.
I can definitely pass N2, not sure if I’ll pass N1. To be decided in July/August.
But I’m studying with the assumption that I might do either.
December’s my only option. This is the first year I’m seriously considering it. Early 2025 (like, end of January) I took one of those full practice tests that’s just an older year’s test under proper timing and etc for the N1 and, assuming equal question weight, passed comfortably enough. So I’m reasonably confident. But it’s a 3 or more hour drive and all the bad conditions that come with doing it for real so I need to feel confident that I can pass on a particularly bad day rather than on a normal/good one when I felt the energy to try. Will probably be fine, that’s in total almost 2 years from the practice time, but yeah.
I don’t actually need the test, just think it’d be fun to say I’ve done it for its own sake 
Thus I’ve never actually directly studied for it at all, these are just the results of a lot of reading and listening, which is pretty nice 
I missed the deadline this year for the December test due to unforseen banking problems but this year I am Determined to aim for the July test.
i think i’m gonna attempt N2 in December :). having N3 as a motivator was great at kicking my butt into gear this fall, so hopefully at level 60 i will have also achieved nirvana “The ability to understand everyday situations and a variety of circumstances to a certain degree”
I’m hoping to do N1 in December, this summer I’m trying to do an intensive program to get my Japanese good enough to do my academic research in (I’m doing a PhD in modern Korean history, learning Japanese to be able to enrich my own work and so I can work in the colonial archives). So, by this time next year I’m thinking N1 should be feasible? But I have no idea, hoping to see everyone’s study and exam plans and get inspired!
It’s definitely a reach goal considering my current level, but I’m aiming to take N2 in December if I can get to a place where I’m consistently doing well on practice tests. Toronto only has the winter exam dates, and I want to take the opportunity while I have it rather than wait an extra year when I could get the qualification sooner; if all goes well, 2027 will be N1. I don’t need JLPT for any particular purpose per se but I happen to be floundering in one of the worst job markets Canada has had lately so I’ll take what I can get…
I want to try for this too in December but it depends on how my speaking progresses since its trash right now. I plan to pick up the Nihongo no Mori textbook for this level at the end of January even if I dont take the test. Will you be using a textbook?
In my last trip to Japan I already stocked up on all textbooks I’ll need. I’ll probably take a quick look into SKM N2 as a refresher. Then start with tryN1 for an overview what is in N1 and move on to SKM N1. Before the test do 3 rounds through the 新にほんご500問 book and one or two mock tests. I have various books ,so depending on where I feel lacking I might alternate more to the listening or reading books.
Honestly I’m confident I could cram the listening and grammar sections in roughly a month. I’m also not scared by the reading speed. I think the biggest hurdle for me is the amount of vocab that can appear. I still have sizeable gaps and it just takes time…
I’m good at these types of tests, the N3 I took was 176/180 and the N2 172/180. So when I actually sign up for the tests I’m pretty certain I’ll pass.
Here in Hungary, both 2025 exams were canceled because of a previous data breach scandal. Hopefully the exams will resume next year, but it’s still being discussed who the new organizer will be. The language school where I learn is also one of the candidates, I’m rooting for them!
I passed N2 in Dec 2023, so next up is N1 for me. I’m confident about the reading part, but the listening seems to be tough. I need to get back into watching anime and/or start listening to podcasts.
If I failed N1 in December, I might consider taking it again in July. In the Netherlands they hold the exam only once a year, and I’m not sure at all that I want to travel again next December.
The problem is that it is too soon. My weakest point is vocab, and I’m not sure that 6 months would be enough. Also, it would be nice to pass it with 140+ points, which sounds unrealistic to me in such a short time. And I really doubt that I’ll ever retake N1 if I pass with the lower score
I am planning to take N3 in December - I’d better get to it, as the leap in difficulty between N4 and N3 seems rather big.
IMO it’s not as big as you may think. If you consistently put in work, I think it’s achievable in 6 months (this coming from a hard-headed person), but 1 year will have you properly there, and you can also work on speaking.
It’s interesting that so far “No” is the most popular answer for doing the JLPT in July 2026, but “Maybe” is the most popular answer for December 2026!
Oh, wow, I read about it last year, but I would have thought this has been sorted by now.
My plan for 2026 is to take the N3 in December. I did the N4 this year, and the first two sections were fine, but the listening kicked my backside. The plan is to carry on as before, but do a lot more listening.
Some countries only offer it once a year, so maybe that’s December?
Yeah, I think that’s it.
Just an odd coincidence that many only offer it in December not July?
I’m still in the early beginner stages of my studies, being only a little under halfway through the textbook I’m going through (Tobira Beginning) with barely 3 months of daily self-studying under my belt.
But if I keep up my current pace, I should finish said textbook and be in the ballpark of N5 by April; a few months to spare until July.
The problem is, they’ve never held the JLPT in my particular state, meaning I’d have to travel to another if I wanted to take it. And since I don’t have much in the way of travel funds, doing that just to get N5 certified is a bit much.
So I’ll be treating N4 as my big milestone instead. And I can’t imagine reaching that goal before July. Even December is a big ol’ “maybe”. I guess it will depend on what life throws at me next year.