Hi - am trying to set some goals after much stop-starting with Japanese over the years. I’d like to take JLPT3 in Australia at some stage, am guessing perhaps end of next year if the world is a better place by then.
Looking at the comparison table for Wanikani/JLPT - would it be fair to say around level 30-35 is a decent marker for JLPT 3? Obviously I assume there’ll be specific Kanji/vocab that won’t have been covered but as it seems to be plenty of Kanji by that point and maybe 3500 vocab I figured this would be in the zone with whatever else was required?
I’ll be finished Genki I by end of the year and will move on to 2 and give myself six months I guess with that? Have recently started doing 1-2 Italki sessions a week. Around two Wanikani levels a month would be a reasonable sweet spot for me, so I’d like to think LVL 40 is possible in around a year or so from now. Was waiting until I hit level 20 to get into reading (so November sometime I’d say).
What else do people here recommend - generally and to get myself to that point? At this moment time is on my side as I’m not working and can regularly put in 3-4 hours a day. That could change but I’d be hopeful of at least 15-20 hours a week under most circumstances.
I would consider myself, all things considered, perhaps on the slightly slower end of the learning scale, so bear that in mind!
I did N3 around level 35 and after finishing Minna no Nihongo books 1&2+ a year and a half of classroom learning ~8h a week and some advanced classes and self study mixed in. Reading speed is something that takes practice, but as long as you’re solid on grammar and vocab should be doable. Do not underestimate listening.
Also, do a practice test. On jlptsensei.com you can do one for each level for free. I would do an N5 test when you finidh genki 1 so you can get a feel for the questions, and to see how far genki has helped you along. Then do N4 at the end of book 2. N3 a month or two before the test (maybe before you sign up, even).
I’m hardly the norm, but I think I just listened to a bunch of Japanese content . NHK Web Easy lets you listen to the text. There are also listening apps by Minna no Nihongo, companions to their two beginner textbooks. You can find those in the playstore under 聴解タスク 1&2.
I purchased the complete set of Shin Kanzen Master for N4 and N3 along with the complete set of Japanese Grammar Dictionaries (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced). Like you, I’m also doing iTalki for conversation practice. I’m always consuming some form of Japanese media, but I don’t use them as a primary means of skills development right now. I restarted WK so I know a bit more Kanji that my current level suggests. I think I reached at least 27 before I hibernated my account years ago.
I really like Shin Kanzen Master as the exercises and questions are in 100% Japanese, and they tend to throw questions at you that require you to understand the nuance of the sentence & grammar being tested.
. NHK Web Easy lets you listen to the text. There are also listening apps by Minna no Nihongo, companions to their two beginner textbooks. You can find those in the playstore under 聴解タスク 1&2.