Hey Goobie Woobies. I made a similar thread a few weeks ago, but I’ve got a specific question this time. I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but I’m still gonna need someone to crush my hopes into the dirt so I stay realistic.
I’d like to attempt the JLPT N4 this year. I haven’t ever attempted 5, but honestly, I don’t see the point in driving all the way to DC for something like that. My main question is this: Do I have enough time to prepare for N4? It’s not yet June, but I haven’t finished even the first Genki textbook yet. I’ve signed up for Bunpro and am trying to fight my through the massive amount of accumulated reviews I’ve stockpiled since linking my WK account. I’ve also been taking notes on the cure dolly videos here and there, when I can. In addition to that, I’m making more of an effort to get some listening practice in at my job, by playing the YUYUの日本語Podcast while I’m running parts.
This summer, I’ve got one 12 credit hour machining class from 8AM to 12PM tuesday, wednesday, thursday. I work my job at a breakfast restaurant from 8:30 to 2:30 on Saturdays and Sundays, and till 1:00 on Mondays. I also work 3:00-11:00PM monday tuesday, wednesday at the factory. So I have a very full schedule. Can I no-humanity-all-grind and make it in time for the test at the end of the year? Do I need to readjust my expectations? Do you have any additional resources you’d like to recommend to me? I feel like I shouldn’t start trying to talk to japanese people yet until I can complete N4. Is this a mistake? Should I do more reading? Do you have any advice?
I might not reply to this thread but I’m sure I’ll read all/most of the replies. Thank you for taking the time to help me even out my anxieties. I love you. bye bye
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When did you start learning Japanese?
I will Not Take the JLPT but I have some books for preparing for it and will soon Test my Japanese. Maybe you could do the Same.
Do you specifically learn for the Test?
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Let’s maths it through.
Looking here, people might need to study for 900 - 1500 hours before taking the N4. If I count correctly, we’ve got 26 weeks between now and when the exam is, so that’ll be 35-58 hours per week.
I have been told that the theoretical maximum time of studying is four hours per day, and that a normal person should not expect themselves to reach that every day. Let’s pretend that you’re superhuman, 4 hours of study every day gives you 28 in a week. Still not enough for that estimated minimum of 35.
So, it doesn’t look promising. I couldn’t do it, but maybe someone else could. Are you a someone who could? I don’t know you well enough to say.
Oh, and I’ve no clue if that’s meant to be total, or just the hours after passing N5.
I’d recommend doing a mock exam and/or some exam style questions. They’re very formulaic and it’s good to know what to expect. The listening in particular, they don’t replay it so you really have to be full focus at all times.
The JLPT doesn’t test your speaking ability, it is not a good measure of when to start speaking. I am not good at speaking either, so I don’t know when is good to start talking.
Yes, always. (Unless your brain is melting, then take a break and a cry that your body isn’t superhuman even though you’ve been wishing really hard that it is.)
Good luck, whatever you decide.
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So I think it’s definitely doable based on my vague sense of how quickly I got through N4 (hell there are people who manage N1 in like a year somehow), but you sound so busy I’d sort of doubt it’d work out that well. I mostly just want to add, are you sure you care about the N4? No test other than the N2 and N1 seems all that worthwhile as a certificate to my understanding, and outside using them as credentials… you kind of only take the test if you really want to. It’s not very fun to take, costs money and it’s out of the way for most people, and serves only as a benchmark of where you are, though not even a particularly great one.
You can talk any time you want. You’re not going to know enough to draw on to communicate beyond a pretty limited pool, but I’m not convinced when you start matters that much. It MAY be most efficient to wait to start output when you’ve studied for longer… but that seems to be more of an intuitive theory some people have than anything I’ve seen hard evidence on so far, and if it’s true, N4 is still such a beginner level in the overall scope that I mean well past then. I chose to wait and not start working on it until recently, where I’m by JLPT standards N1, cause I find it unpleasant to struggle through being bad at speaking. There are people who are far lower level at understanding who I know and I would call them better at speaking because they just have the comfort getting what they do know to come out of their mouth, while I’m still stuck in my head tripping over myself at this stage. You can really just focus on what means more to you and it’ll work out if you keep going.
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Thank you for taking the time to math it out for me. You’re my hero.
Man, if that ain’t a bitter pill to swallow, though…
Thank you, brother. I’ll pray for you.
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