Joint Mock JLPT to substitute for cancelled 4th of July JLPT [who is interested?]

Japanese Language
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You can find the event home thread here

→ Please vote in the polls below to show whether you are interested in participating! I am currently working on the thread in which everything will actually be organized. Here you will be able to officially ‘sign up’ (i.e., add your name to a list).

Hi everyone!

Due to corona, many JLPT testing locations have cancelled the July edition of the JLPT. @Scylie and I were discussing the organization of a mock JLPT test (every level) on July 4th to substitute for the cancelled test. It would basically be the same thing as taking the actual JLPT, except you would stay at home and not get a certificate (sadly)… One upside is that you can take multiple levels, if you want.

I personally really benefit from having a clear goal, and I think it’d be really nice if we could motivate each other and discuss our progress! We could also share study materials and studying strategies. The poll below also asks you to indicate whether you’d be interested in studying together. Of course, this option is also available to those who are able to take the actual JLPT. Studying together is definitely not necessary, it is completely fine to only join the mock test on July 4th.

In practice, we would probably use the mock test on the websites of jlptsensei.com or the JLPT website. So if you are interested in joining, you should probably not use the one we choose to practice. Afterwards we could all calculate our scores and see whether we would have passed.

This topic is just to see if anyone would be interested in joining!

TLDR: joint mock test JLPT on July 4th to substitute for cancelled JLPT + maybe studying together (probably just on wanikani forums), yes or no?

Would you like to join the July 4th joint mock JLPT?
  • Yes, and I am interested in studying together (through wanikani forums)
  • Yes, but I am not interested in studying together (through wanikani forums)
  • I will take the actual JLPT, but am interested in studying together (through wanikani forums)
  • No, but I am interested in studying together (through wanikani forums)
  • No
  • Not sure

0 voters

If you are interested in joining, which level would you like to take? (multiple levels possible)
  • N5
  • N4
  • N3
  • N2
  • N1
  • Not sure

0 voters

This is just an idea that has not actually been worked out, so questions and suggestions are very welcome!

Update March 3rd:

  • jlpt-sensei/jlpt mock exam on July 4th, at the time the actual JLPT is at in your country (guideline, in reality you’re free to take the test whenever you want, but after July 4th we may start discussing questions and answers!)

  • Attempt to calculate weights to give an indication for scores
    note: this is not how the JLPT calculates its scores, as they use answering patterns (i.e., questions that are answered correctly by many people are marked as ‘easy’ and weigh less). Therefore, this is just an indication and not what your actual score would be like.

  • Studying together in an unstructured thread with (1) weekly or monthly check-in polls (progress, strengths, etc.), (2) freedom to ask any questions you want, (3) freedom to share progress/strategies/anything you might want

  • Feel free to create your own thread with subgroups for more intensive studying if preferred

  • possible to join/drop out at any time

The main thread will be created at the latest at March 8th, so feel free to leave any comments/questions/suggestions you may have!

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:eyes:
(I selected a tentative no for the studying together part because I don’t really use textbooks and the like so I don’t really know how that would work -
But if we’re talking about something like sharing progress and stuff like that, that sounds nice :smile: )

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YES it’s good that you mention this, I also don’t use textbooks and have no idea what exactly this would look like, but I imagine we could have a thread where we can just update each other. Then depending on how you like to study, you could post there more often with updates, or you could just share strategies etc.

So the ‘studying together’ option is still very open!

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While I’d guesstimate my current level to be somewhere around N4-ish, I’m still polishing some N5 stuff. So I’ll only definitely put me down for N5. Might add N4 too, but I’ll not commit to that yet, as I don’t know if I can take on that workload for the next few months.

Looking forward to this anyway! :smile_cat:

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This is a great idea :slight_smile:
I think I’m somewhere between N5 and N4 level at the moment, so I was hoping to take the N5 in July, and then the N4 in December, but the July test has been cancelled here in the UK.

Might try to do both as mocks with you guys and see how it goes to help me decide which test to go for in December now!

Like a few others have already said, I’m not really following a structured plan, but I’m definitely interested in studying together in some way or other!

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I like this idea! :+1:
Whether I’ll join you or not depends on a few things, so I can only give a maybe. I am interested though!

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Okay cool, that sounds good. I’ll go change my answer then :smile:

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yeah I’d be up for this! I’ve currently covered N5 and some N4 so N5 is probably the more realistic goal but I might take an N4 practice test too to see how far off I am from it :slight_smile:

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I think this sounds like fun, and a good way to stay on track.

I put that I wasn’t interested in studying together because I’m not sure what that would look like. Maybe we create our own ‘simple questions’ thread where we can all ask for clarification or help on things we’re not understanding?

Maybe have a bi-weekly or monthly check-in somehow to keep up engagement? Could just be a poll asking ‘are you still studying, how confident are you, what is your strong point/weak point right now, etc.’ Or it could be it’s own thread where we all share what we’ve been working on and how we’ve been/how we’re feeling about our progress.

Just some thoughts.

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I really like the idea of doing a mock test all together!
I wasn’t planning to take any real JLPT in July and I’m still not sure whether I should go for N3 in December or wait a bit more, so I may use this test to help me make that decision.

I voted no for studying together because my way of studying is quite messy and I’m not sure I could stick to it, but I would definitely keep an eye on whatever thread you make.

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That’s an amazing idea! I didn’t really expect to take the JLPT since I assumed they’d cancel them again (and they did) so a mock exam sounds great.
I’m currently working through Genki, though I’m also supplementing with other things. I think I definitey should do the N5 mock test but maybe I’m motivated to try for N4 - that really depends on my progress though.

I think it would be nice to have a check up every now and then on how our studies are going, and for those people that follow a structured plan we could share what our plan looks like or where we’re currently at etc.

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Last December the community event (in which I took a mock N5) really gave me a study boost. So… I’ve put myself down for N4, but I have to be honest, my listening skills are not up to N4 (they weren’t even at the N5 level). So it’s a tentative one for me. I’ll gladly join the study, but may flake out on taking the actual practice exam.

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Cool idea. Last year in December we had a WK community event taking the JLPT 2018. So in case you have any questions or need help feel free to let me know :slightly_smiling_face:

I took a very brief glance over the N5 vocabulary and grammar section and it looks like the JLPT Sensei Mock test (N5) is not the JLPT 2018. So durtles who took part in the community event and want to retry the same level can still do that, I think.

As for study buddies I’d like to recommend the The JLPT 2021 thread as well.

Unfortunately this is not possible do to the novelization of the test structure. Instead of a weights based system the test results will based on the individual answering pattern.

But last year @rwesterhof senpai did an amazing job calculating some weight assignments for 2018 N5. Maybe you guys feel like doing something similar for the upcoming mock test (or maybe after…) to get an indication if you’d have passed or not.

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I’ve been meaning to take a mock N4, after taking a mock N5 a few weeks ago and doing … ok. Curious how much I’d fail N4 by.

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This sounds so awesome! JLPT has been cancelled where I live for both the July and Winter test, so I won’t be able to do it until next year. Sure, I wouldn’t get a certificate, but it would be pretty cool to be able to do this and feel accomplished anyway!

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Thank you all for the responses, I’m super excited :smiley: A lot of people seem to be interested, so let’s start thinking out the details. I’ve tried to summarize some of your suggestions below. Please feel free to share any comments or ideas you have! Since this would be a community event, it would be ideal if we could all decide together. Nothing is set, but based on the responses I would try to set up the ‘main’ thread after the coming weekend (March 8th).

The exam on July 4th

First of all, I’m really glad @rwesterhof and @tls responded, I had no idea you did a similar thing last year (I took a wanikani break at the time). Thank you for checking the jlpt sensei test, as that definitely rules out the 2018 JLPT as the mock exam we would take, to ensure people who participated last year can participate again. Your (@tls) thread seems a lot more thought through than what I have so far, so that’s already super helpful. Were there any things in particular you found useful or effective last year?

For now, I think the following ‘rules’ make sense:

  • Mock exam on July 4th, at the time the actual JLPT would’ve been taken in your country (?)
  • Use the mock test on jlptsensei.com
  • Result weight calculation for all levels based on what @rwesterhof did last year, so we can also try to get at least some estimation of whether we would have passed or not

Of course these are still 100% open to change, so please do let me know if you think something else might work better. I looked at how @rwesterhof calculated the weights, and I remember doing something similar with the JLPT in 2019 after seeing the results. I would definitely like to try calculating this for all levels of the test on jlptsensei, but I’d really appreciate it if you would help me.

Studying together

So currently around 23 people are (sort of) interested in studying together. I thought about the option of splitting the group by level or preference for structure, but the groups might become really small. Therefore, I’m in favor of keeping the group together in one thread as much as possible.

I’m not sure what this would actually look like, and as @Scylie also mentioned, I imagine there are many who do not have a super structured way of studying (@lucylavelle, @Cassini, me included). They might benefit the most from an unstructured thread where everyone can just share their progress and strategies, or any questions, whenever they want. In this sense, I really like @banditraider’s ideas:

So basically, (1) (JLPT specific) ‘simple questions’ thread, (2) Regular (weekly/monthly) check-ins, consisting of different polls, (3) an unstructured thread where we share progress, etc. (which @sushi-fish also mentioned!)

I honestly think all of these suggestions are really nice. If we’re really only around 20 people, then I think we may be able to do all of this in just one thread (so ask questions, check-ins, progress sharing). I wouldn’t mind posting a monthly or weekly check-in post with some polls in that thread. It might be nice to look back at it to see how your weak and strong areas change + other questions we decide on.

On the other hand, there are people who might benefit more from a structured thread, where people regularly post goals and/or updates on their studying schedule. Another option is to separate these two groups, and create two threads, so a more casual studying thread (as described above) and a more intensive one. I would probably go for the more casual thread, but the people who want a more intensive thread could set this more structured thread up together.

That all considered, I think one casual thread is the most suitable. We could make the first post a wiki and have larger sign-up lists, so everyone can see who is trying out for the same level, etc. If there is lots of interest for a structured thread, then those who prefer that could definitely set it up alongside the main thread. These are just my thoughts, but I’m curious how you all feel about this as well.

Would you participate in the ‘main’ thread, where we share progress, have regular (monthly or weekly) check-ins, and ask questions?
  • Yes
  • Yes, but I would prefer also participating in/setting up an extra, more structured thread
  • No
  • I have a different idea! (Please comment)
0 voters

For those who weren’t sure yet if they could/would join (@ekuroe), of course, you can join or drop-out at any point in time!

TLDR:

  • jlpt-sensei mock exam on July 4th, at the time the actual JLPT is at in your country

  • Attempt to calculate weights to give an indication for scores

  • Studying together in a unstructured thread with (1) weekly or monthly check-in polls (progress, strengths, etc.), (2) freedom to ask any questions you want, (3) freedom to share progress/strategies/anything you might want

  • Feel free to create your own thread with subgroups for more intensive studying if preferred

  • possible to join/drop out at any time

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Does it?
Technically that only matters if there are people from last year who want to take the same level again. At the same time, it’s theoretically possible that someone already tried out the jlptsensei one on their own. I don’t really have a preference either way, but maybe that calls for another poll (like a “have you already taken one of these two tests at the level you want to try this time? if yes, which one” kind of thing)
Just to make sure o̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶l̶l̶s̶ :laughing:

If we’re not doing a live session or something, then I vote for whenever we want :stuck_out_tongue:
For example, I’d prefer to take mine in the morning because my apartment can get a bit noisy during the day, even if I lock myself in my room (…roommates…). I don’t think the time you start at really matters as long as everyone sets a timer for themselves :smile: And that way we don’t exclude anyone who might be busy at a specific time of day.

That would be cool!

Yes, please :eyes:

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First of all thanks for that amazing summary.

I personally feel perfectly fine with a more casual thread that allows us to check in as we go and have POLLS about our progress. I personally don’t need a super structured thread since my studying is based around my work schedule, and my work schedule changes weekly…
If it is needed then I think we could add some structure for the people that want it by having an optional weekly / biweekly progress-check up (for example with those checkboxes like I often see them in self-study threads) and if there’s still people that want even more structure a 2nd thread should be easily set up where they could post their exact shedules etc.

I really like that idea!

And I like that idea even more but since I’ve never taken a JLPT I don’t know how much work that takes to set up.

I agree to that, as long as we set a timer it doesn’t really matter at what exact time we take it and so no one gets excluded!

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to this and it’s given me a big motivation boost!

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How do you find this out? Would you be able to just look it up?

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I was able to look it up on my country’s page. If you go to the official JLPT website it’ll have a link for people taking it outside of Japan and then you can click on your country and a testing center and it should have like a schedule from the last time the test was offered!

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