Obviously, someone here has taken at least one of these, and probably many of you just got your results from the 2010 JLPT. If so - How did you people do?? I hadn't taken a JLPT test since I failed 2Kyuu back in 2006, so my Japanese was getting a bit rusty. Still, I went in December and took the test in Mexico City, and then had some of the awesomest Japanese "barbecue" food ever made. Today, I found out I passed N3! 32/60 in reading, 32/60 in vocabulary, and 60/60 in listening. All that anime and gaming paid off! So? What are your JLPT scores? What tests have you taken so far?
I took level 1. Overall? 99/180. Passing is 100/180. I passed the L1 in 2006, so not too bothered. I studied for this one zero minutes.
I feel your pain, man. I was like... less than 20 points away from passing 2Kyuu that same year. That really sucked A friend of mine barely passed 1Kyuu that time, too. 1Kyuu is epic, I tell you that.
Thing with the JLPT's is that since the latest revision, you have to pass each section instead of just getting enough points overall to pass, making it harder for a lot of students who lack the kanji skills. I'm aiming for level 1 in 2012, but it is gonna take a lot of studying..
Level 1. Level 1 is scary as fuck. I'm taking Level 2 this year, and that's it. No more upper levels for a while, at least after I've been to Japan. Which I never have. Fuck the third world economy and their lack of appreciation for academic work. And yes, the new scoring system is fucking scary, but the passing points are set really low per section - I think, not really sure, but this diagram here, and the paper I got yesterday, have the same info: Still, I could get less than that in N2 because of the fucking Kanji. Fuck, that's what kills me generally, the fucking Kanji. I have dictionaries, books, Anki (which is great for learning), and fuck me, I've even tried Subliminal Learning (downloaded from a "subliminal Japanese" torrent). Yet I don't fucking retain Kanji, no matter how many workbooks I fill, no matter how many times I read and re-read. I have less than a year to fix this. I have to study my fucking ass off. I have these awesome documents that list all the grammar and Kanji for each test, both cumulatively and independently. Should any other one here be taking JLPT this year, maybe we should support each other and exchange ideas to pass.
I passed N1 in the December session. Score: 147/180. Had passed the old L1 5 years ago and went for a "refresh". Also fees are really low here, less than 20 EUR, which was another incentive. While the passing score is lower now compared to the old format, I found it more difficult or rather more tiring as there is a clear focus shift to reading - I have the impression that 70% are just texts (all kinds of texts) and near the end it's getting tough to stay concentrated. The old one had much more grammar and I wouldn't have passed it if I hadn't studied for it. Now the grammar part is only 5 questions or so. Listening is definitely harder though. No more short bits and no more questions written on the handouts. You actually have to take notes, wait to hear the question and then choose the right answer. I used this book for grammar study: http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/479802564X/ Now, after the test I'd say that for N1 it's more important to read (newspaper) and listen (news, TV) on a regular basis than study with a textbook. Edit: Forgot to add that I also used some nice DS software which is fun and really helped for Kanji: Nazotte oboeru - otona no kanji renshuu - kanzenban (or the other versions)
My favourite, easiest parts, are Grammar and Listening - which you find to be the hardest. Now, Kanji is what kills me. Still, Kanji sonomama rakubiki jiten on DS helped me a lot, and so did a lot of "reading" games. Also, imported PS2 games. Galaxy Angel and similar "dating" sims where you can see the Kanji written and hear the character's voice reading it really help remembering Kanji and expressions and whatnot. N1 is way beyond my reach right now, though. I'm doing N2 this year, or at least I'll try. Thanks for the book link, too. There has to be an N2 version. I used to have an 2Kyuu grammar, which I plan to use for N2.
"Passing" is very relative. You only need 19 in each of the three sections which should be a cakewalk for anyone that really wants to pass. If you got 19 in one section, that means you need collectively 81 more points in the other two. I think it would be harder to fail one section and still make over 100 points. Very impressive score. Nice fee structure, too. So did you put a lot of time into it this time around? I passed L1 I think 4 years prior... Dec 2006 if memory serves. I slaved for that one.
Does anyone know where to download listening exercises (or even better, pass listening tests) for the N2?
I had an address with some samples. http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt2/ This is what I've studied from. I like their "cumulative" lists. I actually studied for N3 with the N5-N2 cumulative vocabulary list (I had taken 2kyuu back in 2006, and failed by a small margin).
Thanks. I actually took the N3 in December and failed by a small margin (a couple of points in each section), but listening continues to be my weak point and I'm not really sure how to go about improving (other than the obvious i.e. listen to more stuff, watch TV etc.). I've still not decided if I want to retake the N3 in June (university lectures start up today, so I'll have plenty of language work to be getting on with), but I should try and study for it anyway.
Listen to a lot of Japanese stuff. That's the ticket. I got 60/60 in the listening section of N3, and I'm quite certain I would have fared similarly in N2 (though I probably would have failed because of the fucking Kanji). I listen to Japanese stuff, be it anime, games or music, all day. Try it. Also, try the software called "Anki" - There is a set of audio flashcards for a lot of grammar and structure that will help you greatly.
Thanks. I use Anki and iKnow (formerly Smart.fm) regularly, and I actually study Japanese at university so I don't have a lack of exposure to Japanese... it's mainly the listening that I keep tripping up on. Do you know if it's possible to download the previous JLPT N2/2-Kyuu listening tests as audio files?
Official ones? No. They do not make them available ever. In fact, you don't know which answers you got right or wrong.
Ah, that's not too surprising. We use old JLPT 2-kyuu tests in class, so I assumed they were public domain. Does anyone know if there are any tests that are in a similar format? I basically just want to practice with the format as much as I can (especially the latter half of the test where you can't rely on the images on the test paper). I'm probably going to take the N3 in July. Most people I know are taking the N2, and I probably could pass the written portion of the N2... but I'm less confident about the listening. If I'm going to be paying ~5000 yen, I'd like to have a decent chance of passing and getting my money's worth.
Ah, it should go there, probably. I don't know, I found it a bit too "off-topic" to start it over there. But yeah, it should probably be moved.
