Should I go for the 2-kyuu or 3-kyuu?

[tada]

One of the big reasons I'm taking the JLPT is for certification purposes. I'm signed up for the 2-kyuu at the moment, but am contemplating downgrading to 3-kyuu.

For me, the 3-kyuu would be trivially easy. But I hear 3-kyuu and 4-kyuu certification is worth almost nothing. But at least it would be worth more than nothing, which is what I'd have if I fail the 2-kyuu.

On the last JLPT2 mock test I took (months ago), I got 198/400 points, so passing is looking very shaky. But on the other hand, it would look much more impressive.

 

[Charles Barkley]

Is it possible to downgrade? I have never heard of anyone doing this, so if you haven't expressly heard from the company administering the test that this is ok, you probably won't even have the option.

If the mock you took was one of the ones from the past few years and you took it under test like conditions, you would only need to score 11% better or so. If you have improved in the past few months since you took the test and devote the next month to getting all of the grammar points down pat and taking practice tests, you could have a shot at passing level 2.

What would you hope to use the certification for? No one is really aware of the test outside of Japan, but that's the only place 3 or 4 would probably prove useful, as it would be something you could put under awards to vouch for otherwise unresume-able language skills (if you are already employed in Japan, some companies will give bonuses for passing each level, so in those cases passing even 3 or 4 could be useful, but I don't remember that being the case for you).

Level 2 can be useful for certain things (in particular for language schools, admission to certain postgrad programs in the sciences, becoming a CIR etc). I have heard some people say it can be useful for translation, some saying not. For any jobs requiring business level japanese, 2kyuu doesn't cut it.

 

[tada]

Is it possible to downgrade? I have never heard of anyone doing this, so if you haven't expressly heard from the company administering the test that this is ok, you probably won't even have the option.

You can, but you forfeit any difference in the costs if it's less expensive.

I'll probably downgrade to 3-kyuu though, since 2-kyuu wouldn't that much better anywhere, and would be a lot harder.

Mayhaps I'll take the kanji kentei as well; kanji are by far my strongest point in Japanese.

 

[hirashin]

You can, but you forfeit any difference in the costs if it's less expensive.

I'll probably downgrade to 3-kyuu though, since 2-kyuu wouldn't that much better anywhere, and would be a lot harder.

Mayhaps I'll take the kanji kentei as well; kanji are by far my strongest point in Japanese.

Konnichiwa, Tada san.

You are good at Kanji? Wow! I think it is very hard for many foreign people to learn a lot of Kanji. You are an exception. Which kyuu of the Kanji kentei are you going to take?

Hirashin

 

[tada]

Konnichiwa, Tada san.
You are good at Kanji? Wow! I think it is very hard for many foreign people to learn a lot of Kanji. You are an exception. Which kyuu of the Kanji kentei are you going to take?
Hirashin

Probably either the 6-kyuu or 5-kyuu.

 

[Charles Barkley]

Yup, foreigners suck at Kanji...except the 10's of thousands from china. And everyone else who puts in any kind of effort trying to learn the language...

甘く見ないでください、hirashinさん。

tada: have you tried the kanji kentei books/practice tests before? Though they really start getting harder after that, 5/6級 would be quite difficult, even if you know how to write all of the kanji within the scope of the test, simply because of the sheer number of vocab. I put all my kanji effort into learning to read them, so a test like that that requires writing them by hand would eat me alive, but even people who don't neglect writing kanji are tested greatly by the kankens.

If you could pass either of those levels, I imagine your vocab, which is one of 2kyuu's main challenges, would be sufficient to pass. Then it would just be a matter of shoring up (i.e., memorizing) the grammar, which you still have time to do. I got down pat all of the 2kyuu grammar (was averaging 85% on practice tests by the end) in about 2 months, which was tough work but doable if you focus on doing that and practice tests. In a little more than a month, you could get through a lot...

 

[tada]

In the ～万人の漢検 games for the DS, I can comfortably do 10-8, and 7 some of the time, so 6 and 5 would be a fair challenge.

But yeah, before playing these games, I had no idea 黒 could also be read こく. And I can't count how many times I know a kanji's reading in a compound, but not as its own word, or vice-versa. One usually appears way more often than the other. I see expressions like 現在地、出現、現実 all the time but rarely see 現れる.

 

[dreamer]

Another thing though...starting from 2010 the JLPT will have 5 levels or so I was told. The only information that \i know as of now is that there is going to be an intermediate level added between 3 and 2.
Therefore if you take the 3 kyuu now it is likely to be considered a 4 kyuu next year while a 2 kyuu will stay as it is.

 

[tada]

Another thing though...starting from 2010 the JLPT will have 5 levels or so I was told. The only information that \i know as of now is that there is going to be an intermediate level added between 3 and 2.
Therefore if you take the 3 kyuu now it is likely to be considered a 4 kyuu next year while a 2 kyuu will stay as it is.

If only they had that intermediate level now... that would be perfect.

Unfortunately I haven't really had time to study, nor can I really bring myself to do it; my brain is spent. I've had mountains of homework this week (There were two days in a row where I spent over 20 hours on homework... not fun), and I have three midterms ahead in the next week, and I'm sure I won't get to rest after that either.

Meh. If I can't find a job out of college, I'll have nothing but time to study Japanese.

 

[Charles Barkley]

If only they had that intermediate level now... that would be perfect.

Unfortunately I haven't really had time to study, nor can I really bring myself to do it; my brain is spent. I've had mountains of homework this week (There were two days in a row where I spent over 20 hours on homework... not fun), and I have three midterms ahead in the next week, and I'm sure I won't get to rest after that either.

Meh. If I can't find a job out of college, I'll have nothing but time to study Japanese.

Hey, is your avatar the guy from that car commercial who says:

あなたにちょうどいいくるま、今までにありましたか？

 

[Glenn]

Don't know about that, but your avatar is the guy who said "I'm a dumbass" because he was just reading off of a teleprompter and it was written on there. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[tada]

Hey, is your avatar the guy from that car commercial who says:

あなたにちょうどいいくるま、今までにありましたか？

I wouldn't know, I don't live in Japan.

I just know he's the main character in the movie adaptation of Densha Otoko.

 

[Ashikaga]

Hey, is your avatar the guy from that car commercial who says:

あなたにちょうどいいくるま、今までにありましたか？

The guy from those car ads is Sean Lennon, the son of John & Yoko.

 

[Charles Barkley]

そっくりだよな、tadaのアバターと。

 

[tada]

このスレが本当に脱線しちゃったよ。

日本語能力試験に関係が見えない。

 

[NewHero]

You are good at Kanji? Wow! I think it is very hard for many foreign people to learn a lot of Kanji. You are an exception.

LOL.

You are good at English? Wow! I think it is very hard for many Japanese people to learn a lot of English. You are an exception.

 

[dreamer]

LOL.

You are good at English? Wow! I think it is very hard for many Japanese people to learn a lot of English. You are an exception.

Now this is what I consider an immature reaction...

 

[Ashikaga]

Sooooo~~~ Has the OP decided which level exam to take?

 

[tada]

Sooooo~~~ Has the OP decided which level exam to take?

No, he has not. He also finds it a little annoying when others refer to him in the third person.

He thinks he'll switch to the 3-kyuu if he can, because he cannot see himself passing the 2-kyuu, nor needing that level of certification in the foreseeable future. He'll probably take an English teaching job or a job that doesn't require much if any Japanese, so getting any certification should be good.

 

[Ashikaga]

No, he has not. He also finds it a little annoying when others refer to him in the third person.

He thinks he'll switch to the 3-kyuu if he can, because he cannot see himself passing the 2-kyuu, nor needing that level of certification in the foreseeable future. He'll probably take an English teaching job or a job that doesn't require much if any Japanese, so getting any certification should be good.

ooohhhh~~ touchy... Good luck to the OP, I mean, to YOU ,tada!

 

[dreamer]

No, he has not. He also finds it a little annoying when others refer to him in the third person.

He thinks he'll switch to the 3-kyuu if he can, because he cannot see himself passing the 2-kyuu, nor needing that level of certification in the foreseeable future. He'll probably take an English teaching job or a job that doesn't require much if any Japanese, so getting any certification should be good.

I think you should reconsider for the following reasons:

1: it is pretty difficult to get a job as an english teacher (at least in Tokyo) if you do not have the qualifications. Even worse if you're trying to look for them from abroad.

2: There're tons of foreigners already in Japan (at least Tokyo and Osaka afaik) trying to find such jobs.

3:you'll have studied your degree for naught since it's pretty difficult to change field after starting...

4: You can still take the JLPT 2 this summer

5: Most jobs in Japan for foreigners require at least the 2 kyuu although a few ones require only a 3kyuu

This being said, good luck =)

 

[NewHero]

Why not seek work outside of the major cities? It will certainly give you the opportunity to practice more Japanese, as there will be less English speakers...

You can try to find an English job somewhere off the beaten path. Show up in Japan as a tourist and do some searching. Have a backup plan in case things don't turn out as you expect.

If you look hard and plan ahead, I think you should find something. Then you will find yourself in Japan (which is where you want to be right?)

From there, you can do some more classroom study if you desire. There are plenty of private Japanese schools spread throughout Japan (although most are in the major cities where there are more foreigners).

Teaching English is not the end of the world. You might find yourself enjoying it. You might like the kids. You might like your co-workers. And then when you give computer programming a chance, you might look back fondly at your time as a teacher. Either way, at least, you would have experienced something new. And experience is the greatest teacher of all.

 

[tada]

I think you should reconsider for the following reasons:

1: it is pretty difficult to get a job as an english teacher (at least in Tokyo) if you do not have the qualifications. Even worse if you're trying to look for them from abroad.

2: There're tons of foreigners already in Japan (at least Tokyo and Osaka afaik) trying to find such jobs.

3:you'll have studied your degree for naught since it's pretty difficult to change field after starting...

4: You can still take the JLPT 2 this summer

5: Most jobs in Japan for foreigners require at least the 2 kyuu although a few ones require only a 3kyuu

This being said, good luck =)

1. I thought the qualifications were just a 4-year degree, and knowing Japanese is a benefit rather than a requirement. Right now I currently have no official certification in Japanese, everything I put on my resume is objective. I'd say I have perhaps a 10% chance of passing 2-kyuu, and virtually 100% chance of passing 3-kyuu unless I break both my hands. I'd rather have some certification rather than none.

If you can't or aren't able to come, so be it, but I really think for someone who hasn't even graduated to think he can leap here in a short time, you are pushing the envelope a little too much.

3. Due to the "foot in the door" crap, I pretty much have to start teaching English. I don't have much other choice. I can see it being hard to change careers if you have years of experience in a field, but I don't. And if I did, I don't think I'd be nearly as worried about finding a job in Japan.

4. Only in Japan, and a few other countries in east Asia. Not anywhere very far from Japan. From what many people here have told me, there's no way I'll make it into Japan by July 2009.

5.

For any jobs requiring business level japanese, 2kyuu doesn't cut it.

From experience, I definitely agree with this statement.

 

[dreamer]

I think I should have been more precise about point 1&2.
Actually, from what I can see here, there are so many foreigners seeking english teaching positions that you some extra to make yourself look "more valuable", which in japanese terms is likely degrees related to the field of education.

 

[tada]

I'd much, much rather have more experience than having more degrees. I almost regret even getting one degree.