Are any of you interested in taking the JLPT (Japanese
Language Proficiency Examination)? If so, I’ll explain here how to apply,
prepare, and take the test. I took it yesterday, so while it’s fresh in my
mind, I figure I should write something useful.
First, you should know that the JLPT is held twice a year
worldwide, once in the summer (July) and once in winter (December). There are 5
levels with N5 being the easiest and N1 being the most difficult. Japanese companies
(inside or outside the country) looking to hire non-Japanese may require you to
take this test as proof of your Japanese abilities. If it’s a good or
prestigious company, they usually require you to have passed N1 or maybe N2. It
costs ¥5,500 to take the test.
Applying: I’m
going to tell you how I applied, although I think there is more than one way. I
first made an account on the JLPT website, it doesn’t take much time. The
application period usually lasts for a few weeks a few months before the test
date. Check the website for exact dates for the tests and application period. Once
the application period begins, you can apply online. You choose your method of
payment then. For those who live in Japan and are worried because they don’t
have a debit or credit card, it’s ok. You can pay at a convenience store.
Studying:
Obviously you must choose (before applying) which level you want to take. On
the JLPT website, there are sample questions and things you can look at to
determine what level suits you. If you are taking the JLPT just as a way to
test your skills or motivation to study, then choose whatever you think suits
you, but if you are taking the JLPT because you want to find a job with a
Japanese company, then maybe you shouldn’t waste your money taking anything
lower than N1 or N2. Just my opinion.
Once you’ve decided on a level, there are all sorts of study
methods available to you. I went to the bookstore and bought JLPT study books
(there are many brands…I suppose just choose what you like or look at reviews
in advance or something). Usually there will be books for each level dedicated
to each section of the test: Language Knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, and kanji), Reading Comprehension, and Listening
comprehension. Phone apps for studying kanji
can be really useful, and I also know people who recommend and use “Anki” online for studying kanji. Watching JLPT Youtube videos for
studying grammar points is also a good tool, I think. There are also private
tutors you can hire to help you study for the JLPT if you are that hardcore.
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| The books I used. |
Taking the Test:
You will get your test voucher in the mail not long before the test day. It
will have your information on it and the time and location of the test. You
must bring this in order to take the test. I think if you lose it, though,
there is a way for you to reregister at the test site. You don’t need any other
identification. My advice is to eat a big breakfast before leaving your home
and bring a drink and snack with you to eat during the short break. There isn’t
enough time for you to get lunch between test sections. No eating or drinking
is allowed during the test. Use the bathroom before the test (beware the very
long lines at the test site…particularly if you are a girl). You cannot leave
the room to use the toilet during the test. If you do, you are disqualified.
While taking the test, you are allowed to use HB mechanical or regular pencils.
You should bring an eraser, but it must be taken out of its paper casing. If
you are wearing a facemask, the proctors will ask you to show them the inside
to make sure you didn’t write anything. You are also allowed to wear a
wristwatch that doesn’t make noise. You can set the wristwatch on the desk if
you’d like. Any watches that make noise or small clocks are prohibited. There
might not be a clock in the test room (there was none in mine), so it think it’s
important to bring a watch so you can keep track of how much time you have left
on each test. They will make no announcements before time is up, they will
simply say out of nowhere, “The test is over. Put down your pencil now.”
The proctors are very strict. If they see you touch your
pencil at any time you shouldn’t they will yell at you or give you a “yellow
card” which means “warning.” Perhaps if you get two warnings, then you are
disqualified. If you get a red card, you are disqualified immediately. Perhaps
the main way this happens is if your cell phone makes any sort of noise. Cell
phones must be turned off completely, put in a paper envelope they provide, and
put in your bag under your desk (or just under your desk if you have no bag).
All instructions are in Japanese. Seats are assigned by your identification
number on your test voucher.
Other Information:
The test sites are very crowded. Go early. You might be surprised to find
yourself in a very long, crowded, slow-moving march of foreign people heading
to the test site. Trains to the test site will be crowded with hundreds of
people taking the test (at least in Japan). For a girl, it might take 20
minutes of waiting in line to use the toilet. I’m not saying you have to go
suuuper early, just don’t go with hardly any time to spare. Also, there is no
check in. Once everyone is in their seat at test time, the proctors come around
and compare your faces to the picture you provided when you applied. Everything is run strictly on time. You will
be disqualified if you are not in your seat at test time.
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| All the people gathering at the station after the test. This is a very rural station, actually. 98% of these people are non-Japanese. |
Also, knowing how the test is set up ahead of time is
important. The format of the questions, especially listening ones can be
confusing if you didn’t look into the types of questions beforehand. If you buy
JLPT textbooks, then they should have sample questions formatted like on the
actual test, but to be safe, also look at the JLPT sample questions online.
Part of successfully taking the test is knowing how to actually take it to
begin with. The very long reading comprehension questions and passages are at
the end and are exhausting, so when I take it again, I plan on tackling those
first instead of the short questions in the beginning that don’t require as
much brain power.
Also, please note that there is no speaking or writing
section on the test. All answers are multiple choice. Thank God!
Results: You will
be notified in the mail of your results a couple months after the test. If you
registered online, you are able to check your score a bit earlier though. The
sections and scoring are different depending on which level you took, but in a
nutshell, you need to get a certain base score in each section plus another
base score for the total. So N2, for example, has three sections: Listening (60
points), Reading (60 points), and Language Knowledge (60 points) for a total of
180 points. You must get at least 19 points in each section and a total score
of 90 or more. So even if you got 19 points in each section, you still wouldn’t
pass the test because 19 x 3 doesn’t add up to 90 or more. On the other hand,
you could have gotten a total of 90 points but with one of you section scores
being lower than 19. It that case, you also fail. Sorry if that explanation is
confusing.
Anyway, it was my first time to try the test. I went for N2.
I don’t know my results yet, but I’m like 90% sure I failed because I didn’t
study nearly as much as I should have. I’m no longer in that college student
mode. Life is busy and if I don’t make a specific time to study, I won’t. I
live in Japan and speak Japanese just fine. I’d consider myself relatively
fluent in speaking and listening. The listening section was pretty easy for me,
but I found myself literally just guessing at the reading comprehension and kanji questions. You really need to
prepare and know your kanji VERY well
before trying to take the JLPT. They purposefully give you tricky questions.
So anyone who wants to take the JLPT, I hope that helps, and
GOOD LUCK!
