Kanzen N3 or Tobira

[lopicake]

I actually bought Kanzen N3 Grammar like a month before I took the N3. Barely even opened it, though, because I was still working through N4 grammar. My friend gifted me Tobira almost right after so I worked through that instead. Finished Tobira a few weeks ago and now I’m finally using Kanzen again.

Going through it, there is no way I would have stuck with this as my main resource from the get-go. The explanations are so short and dry. It’s only because I’m already familiar with the grammar points that it’s not a problem for now. But back then I’d be so lost.

That said, I think the test problems are invaluable and really are the reason I’m even bothering to go through it instead of jumping into N2 stuff. They really help me find my weaknesses and help differentiate the grammar points especially in the context of actual test-like questions.

I was also gifted Kanzen N1 & N2 Grammar + Reading so, even though they might not be my main mode of grammar learning, I might as well make the most of them.

[emmfullness]

Good to know! Did you pass N3?

[lopicake]

I did! But it was my Kanji that really boosted my score.

[emmfullness]

Ssswwwweeeeeettttt. That’s the level I hope to do next year and I’m not quite sure what to expect for myself yet. So you hadn’t completed Tobira before N3?

[hachiken]

I don’t have either (I’ve been using other resources for study) but I get the impression that Kanzen would be good for reviewing material you already know for the exam rather than learning it for the first time.

[lopicake]

Take all of this with a grain of salt because I barely passed and I’ve been living in Japan the past 2 years so naturally my listening skill is a bit better than average.

But yeah I didn’t even possess Tobira at the time. Hadn’t even got past half the grammar points in N4 even. But I was level 60 already. Kanji knowledge goes a looooong way both with vocab and reading.