July 4th: Post with instructions on how to take the test
TLDR:
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This is the home-thread for the July 4th joint JLPT mock exam community event. We will use the JLPTsensei mock exam, which is the same as the official 2012 exam on the JLPT website, so don’t use this for practice.
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If you want to join, simply sign up for a level in the post below this one. All you have to do is click the edit button, copy the last row of the table of the level you want to join, and edit your information in. Watch out for edit-conflicts! Only one person can edit a wiki at a time. Important: you can join or quit at any time!
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This thread is used to study together casually as well, but feel free to create other threads (do link them below the subheading “link to other threads”!). Of course, also for those who are taking the actual JLPT, or not taking the JLPT at all!
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We will attempt to calculate results, but note that this is not how the official JLPT calculates their results! POST HERE
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Everything is up for discussion, do not hesitate to leave any suggestions or thoughts so we can all get the most out of this event!
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For semi-structured listening practice, see this post
The Idea
For those who want more than just the TLDR
Hi everyone!
You may have seen this thread float around the past few days, and possibly even confused it with the poll thread due to unfortunate naming choices. However, that thread was only there to gauge interest in a potential mock exam event to substitute for the actual JLPT, after discussion with @Scylie. A LOT of people responded to the polls there, so here is the actual, more worked out (though still work in progress) event!
This thread will function as the home-thread for the JLPT mock test community event on July 4th. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the JLPT is cancelled or inaccessible in many countries. I hope that this unofficial community event can serve as a substitute for everyone who is unable to take the JLPT this July.
Some of you may recognize the idea from @tls’ thread from last year! I was not active at the time and did not participate, but those who participated said it was a really nice experience and a great motivational boost. I have always found the JLPT is a great way to motivate myself and measure my progress. And it might be even nicer to motivate and help each other by studying together until the test.
Important: this event is intended to be quite casual, with this home-thread just to ensure a shared base. From here on, it is completely up to you how you would like to participate. You are naturally also free to create extra threads or come up with your own ideas on how we can all get the most out of this event. To ensure everyone can edit in their ideas, this post, and the next two posts, will be made wikis. If you are unable to edit wiki’s due to your forum’s membership status, please ask someone else to edit for you.
So what will the event look like?
The Test
When? > Sunday July 4th (any time)
The actual JLPT is set on Sunday July 4th, so the goal is that everyone tries to take the test on that day. As many pointed out in the first thread, people are very busy and may not be able to make it at a certain time. For that reason, there is no ‘live session’ or set time planned for now (but do not hesitate to organize this yourself!). This means you are free to take it anytime you want, or even on a different day. One thing to keep in mind: once July 4th is over in all countries, we might want to start discussing questions and answers on the mock exam. Therefore, aim to take the exam on the 4th of July, or earlier if this is not possible. If you do decide to take it later, then watch out that you do not get spoiled in this thread!
Which test? > The mock test on JLPTsensei’s website
This is not 100% sure yet, but since last year’s event used the one on the JLPT website and they may want to use it again this year in December, it makes sense to do the other one now. Of course, we are still stuck with that some people might have already taken one of those and want to do the other now. Do leave a comment if you have any suggestions!
NOTE: This test is the same as the official 2012 exam on the JLPT website, so do not use this for practice! Thank you @tls for checking this, and @Scylie for making sure this is mentioned in this post.
How do I join? > Sign up for your level(s) of choice in the second post in this thread
Unlike the actual JLPT, there is no reason for you to limit yourself to only one level. If you are unsure about whether to take the N5 or N4, why not take both?
It is not necessary, but by signing up below we can all get an idea of who is participating and which levels are being taken. In reality, you can just decide to take the mock test on July 4th, on the day itself. That’s the nice part about the event not being official, no one here will check whether you actually signed up or not, participation is just for yourself.
How do we calculate results? > estimation, but not the official, weighted method of the JLPT
In last year’s event, @rwesterhof came up with a way of estimating results for the N5. We are hoping to do this again for all levels of the mock exam we take on July 4th.
However, it is important to note that this is not how the actual JLPT organization calculates the results. Instead, they use a weighted method based on everyone’s answering patterns, by weighing ‘difficult’ questions more than ‘easy’ questions. For an explanation, see this page on the JLPT website, or this post by tls for an example.
Studying together
From the first thread, it became clear that many people are interested in studying together in some way. However, some people pointed out they are not using any books or strict schedule for studying. Others do use stricter schedules, or do not want to participate in studying together at all. There are options for everyone:
For those who do not want to study together
No problem! Do sign up below so we know who are participating, but do not feel obligated to react in the thread at any point.
For those who want to study together casually
Based on the first thread, it became clear that there are quite a lot of people who study more casually. Taking that and many ideas and recommendations into consideration, we concluded it would be best to create one main thread (this thread!).
(Based on @banditraider’s suggestions) In this thread everyone can…
- Share studying strategies and progress
For example, you can share your favorite prep books or websites, experiences taking the JLPT, or update on your progress. Anything goes, it is up to you.
- Ask questions
Are you struggling with an N4 grammar point? Do not hesitate to ask here. Also feel free to ask others about their JLPT experiences. Again, anything goes.
- Respond to bi-weekly check-ins (polls!) on your progress
I (NathaLire) will post these bi-weekly check-ins with polls regarding your progress, strengths, weaknesses, and anything else we might think of along the way. These will then be linked at the bottom of this post, so you can easily find the current and past check-ins.
For those who want to study together more intensely
Of course, there are also people who would like to stick to a stricter schedule. In this case, feel free to create another thread that sticks to stricter schedules. Please link the thread below the subheading “links to other threads”, so everyone can easily find it and participate!
Some examples of possible side threads that were mentioned before:
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Mock-Mock exam (by @bdumtzz). A mock test before the July 4th mock test, to see where you stand. This could be done by collecting exercises from japanesetest4you, or another website.
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Strict-schedule studying group (suggested by many). Some of you might want to start a smaller study group with people taking the same level, or having a similar study schedule. Do not hesitate to set this kind of thread up! You can ask who is interested in this thread.
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Live mock exam session (suggested by @tls). This was also done in the event last year. There may be people who are interested in taking the exam together. Again, do not hesitate to set up another thread to organize this!
If you make a second thread, please link them below the subheading “links to other threads”!
TLDR: the only structure in studying together is that we use this thread and have bi-weekly check-ins. Apart from that, you are free to create any thread you want to study more intensively. You are also free to only participate in the mock exam on July 4th. Do not hesitate to share any ideas you may have for studying together in another way, even if they do not require another thread! Find an overview of the check-ins below.
Overview of CHECK-INs
Click for overview
Links to other threads + important posts
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Semi-structured listening practice:
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[add your thread]
Do not hesitate to sign up for multiple levels. All columns are optional!
I have hope.
