Taking First N4 Exam in December, Any Advice?

Japanese Language Questions
1

Hey all,

Been using Wanikani for about a year and a half now. I feel pretty confident in all of the N5/N4 level kanji and have been working through Genki I (halfway now) and soon Genki II to help shore up any lapses in grammar and vocabulary.

Luckily, I’m taking it in the US, so I don’t need to fill out as much complicated paperwork for it, but any advice N4 testers wish they would have had? I have not taken in the N5 before, so I’m sort of banking on the fact that my learning trajectory will take me where I need to be in the next 3 months (including a trip to Japan for fun).

Thanks ahead of time for all the advice (even if it’s I’ve made a huge mistake :expressionless: )

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2

I think you will be fine!

It’s good to check the test format - since you are going for N4, you can try the N5 sample to observe the format and then N4 for format and difficulty:

https://www.jlpt.jp/e/samples/forlearners.html

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Thank you, I like the idea of practicing the easier N5 to get the hang of the format and then the N4s closer to the examination date to help shore up any weak points I may have.

4

You can buy some full sample tests, or there are some references if you search this community.
The sample ones I linked are very short: I think they take about 20 minutes each.

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5

I highly recommend doing an official practice test.

For example here’s the book on amazon:
日本語能力試験公式問題集 第二集 N4

Since it’s a one time use book I’m sure you can get it used somewhere.

When doing the test make sure to use a timer and limit yourself just like they would during the exam.

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6

I purchased an example N5 and N4 test. I plan to take the N5 about two months out and the N4 test less than a month out.

Between reviewing Genki I+II textbooks over the next few months and going through Bunpro’s N4+N5 grammar and vocab, I’m hoping I will at least know everything I need to demonstrate proficiency.

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