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Who's taking the JLPT this year?

Which level are you taking?

  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .

JimmySeal

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Anyone taking it? I'll be taking the 1Q. If I took it right now, I'd fail, but I think I'll be ready in 5 months.
 
I'd probably be ready for 2Q this year, but I'm going to put things off until I get back, and see where I am next year.
 
Took the 1Q last year. If you have the right books, the grammar and listening section shouldn't be a problem. The kanji section might be a little troubling for westerners. The reading part is the worst, but with sufficient practice of past exams, it shouldn't be hard to see the patterns in the answers. Normally you can eliminate 1 or 2 obvious wrong choices right away.

Gonna take october's Jetro test though.
 
I took the 3Q last year. Will take the 2Q this year. Eventhough I won't pass, I hope to be motivated to study a few hours a week just because I am signing up for the test. A looming test is a good motivator.
 
nhk9 said:
The reading part is the worst, but with sufficient practice of past exams.....
Click to expand...

Why is it that JLPT takers always seem to do every sort of studying/preparation they can except building up reading skills by actually reading lots of Japanese materials?

Anybody who can pass 2Q should be able to read quite a few things without too much difficulty and....follow me here....should be reading for personal enjoyment already anyway.

I just can't understand why all the 1Q aspirants I encounter seem to uniformly come forth with the same lamentations regarding reading.

And I have to bite my tongue when I see people I know have passed 1Q ask for info which can very easily be found using Japanese Google.
 
For those who aren't taking the test, is there a particular reason for that - like an alternate test, disinterest or what?

I've only heard of the JLPT. Are there any other tests worth considering - how do they compare and what differences are there?
 
Supervin said:
For those who aren't taking the test, is there a particular reason for that - like an alternate test, disinterest or what?
Click to expand...

Put me down for "disinterest".
 

Well, besides the JLPT, which is an international offical test, u can take japanese lessons and have tests too...(which are given out by the teacher of cuz
 
KeLW said:
Well, besides the JLPT, which is an international official test, u can take Japanese lessons and have tests too...(which are given out by the teacher of cuz
Click to expand...
Yes, but those don't give bragging rights, which often seems to be a prime concern among JLPT/英検 takers.
 
I think most folks understand that the JLPT, while it looks good on a resume, etc., is not a very good gauge of one's Japanese skill. I have heard that J-Test, is actually better in that regard. I'm planning to try it out after I finish ２級, but we shall see. Anyone already taken the J-Test?
RE: Mikecash --reading Japanese isn't all that fun. At least for me. Try and try as I might, I find it much more interesting to read something in my native tongue. Even as my reading speed and comprehension grow.
十人十色かなぁ～
 

The trick is to find something you're interested in and which isn't available in translation.....and to stick with it and not use dictionaries or other reference materials.

For example, I have an interest in all aspects of the criminal justice system and have found and read quite a number of Japanese books which contain a wealth of information on the Japanese criminal justice system which is not readily available in English. For fiction, I mostly read the travel-detective genre of novels, almost exclusively those by the very prolific Uchida Yasuo.

At first, I'll admit it was hard going and reading just a dozen or so pages was about all I could handle at a stretch. The more I stuck with it the easier it got. I got to a point at one time where I managed to finish a novel (about 350 pages or so) in two days.
 
I think that 2Q is still a bit early to be reading lots of prose as a means of studying, by which I mean that one can pass the 2Q before they posess the ability to read a lot of Japanese. Nevertheless, reading was the hardest and most strenuous part for me on the test, but that was partly because it was the last section and I was tired and delirious from the first two and from not enough sleep (the test book was blurry).

I think that anyone who doesn't use reading to prepare for the 1Q is wasting time. Reading is the hallmark of someone who can use a language intelligently. For the time being, and probably from now on, 文庫本 are my primary means of Japanese study. I think that if more Japanese teachers of English read in English every once in a while, they'd speak English a whole lot more naturally.

I don't think dictionaries are as detrimental to language acquisition as some people say they are, but I did find that once I stopped using a dictionary, I was able to read about 10 times faster, which a much smaller mental load, and my comprehension did not decrease all too much, so I agree that if you can manage it, without a dictionary is the way to go, even if you don't understand everything.
 
I think Glenn posted this link a while back. This page originally inspired me to ditch my dictionary:
http://www.english-learning.co.uk/voc.html#v1
I

Even though I avoid my dictionary for looking up words' meanings. I still write down kanji and compounds that I can't read and look up their pronunciation whenever I accumulate about 25 words. I feel that I need at least that much to hold onto the word in my head, and besides, how are you going to use a newly-learned word in conversation if you can't pronounce it?
 
Yea I would agree with you Seal. Reading the lanugage helps you alot. I read English alot and before I used to have a big russian accent. Now I have a russian/american/spanish/german accent. lol. Cuz im taking german and spanish at school. But im hoping i can start taking japanese this year also. Tho our school doesnt offer that class( sucks) i wanna buy software for it.
 
J-Test のことは聞いた事がないです。やっぱり挑戦してみるのはいいことですが、
日本で勉強していると、自分の日本語能力を評価するのが簡単でしょうね。
jljzen さんはLucky だね。
 
Good luck you guys! I started studying Japanese seriously last week, and hope I will keep it up ( I should).

I hope to be ready for the 4th test in a year... ( if that is possible)
 
I'm just wondering, why do people take the test below level 2? I know level 2 or above is useful for job applications (most jobs require proof that you're 2Q or above, as you know).

Is it just for fun?
 
kooo;391116 said:
I'm just wondering, why do people take the test below level 2? I know level 2 or above is useful for job applications (most jobs require proof that you're 2Q or above, as you know).
Click to expand...

I have applied at many Japanese companies, have always included 2Q among my qualifications on my 履歴書, and have yet to encounter a single person at any company who had ever even heard of the JLPT.
 
Mike Cash said:
I have applied at many Japanese companies, have always included 2Q among my qualifications on my 履歴書, and have yet to encounter a single person at any company who had ever even heard of the JLPT.
Click to expand...

Oh excuse me. It's just whenever I look at Gaijinpot and such sites I see classified ads that say things like "JLPT Level 2 or Higher Required" and I incorrectly assumed it was a common thing. :emoji_bow:
 
kooo said:
Oh excuse me. It's just whenever I look at Gaijinpot and such sites I see classified ads that say things like "JLPT Level 2 or Higher Required" and I incorrectly assumed it was a common thing.
Click to expand...

Those are companies that are seeking foreigners because they are foreigners. I've never applied to one of those places. The places I apply to it is an uphill battle even to get an interview because there is no aspect of my foreignness that is a an advantage to working for them.
 
kooo said:
I'm just wondering, why do people take the test below level 2? I know level 2 or above is useful for job applications (most jobs require proof that you're 2Q or above, as you know).
Is it just for fun?
Click to expand...
Man, stupid comments like this p!ss me off. People who have passed level 2 or 1 love to "question" those who are just getting into their studies. I guess it's some sort of superiority thing. I did level 4 last year and I'm glad I did. I'm doing level 3 this year and I'm glad I am. It just gives some sort of formalised recognition for all the hard work. Saying that it's a waste of time is like saying that exams for primary school students are a waste of time.
 
It isn't a superiority thing. It's an inferiority thing manifesting itself as a perception of a superiority thing. Generally, people who have gotten as far along as 2 or 1 have by-and-large gotten over the "Japanese-knowledge-as-a-contest" mentality and have also come to realize just how very much there is they don't know and aren't likely to ever know (the law of diminishing returns kicks in) and have some degree of humility about it. Beginners having the same false perception you have is a very common phenomenon and one which I have observed countless times.

Levels 3 and 4 (and 2, for that matter), are wastes of time. However, they are wastes of other people's time which don't inconvenience others in any way whatsoever and in which you are more than welcome to engage. Goodness knows, at some point in all our lives we end up doing something that appears a total waste of time to at least some segment of the rest of the planet.
 
So who IS taking the JLPT test this year? I'm going to do level 1, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
 
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