I haven’t commented much on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (or Nihongo nouryouku shiken) I took last December, which is ironic, considering that my preparation for it caused me to temporarily put this site on hiatus last Fall. And truth be told, although it was only a scant two months ago that I was one of over 100,000 Japanese learners worldwide that took the test across its 4 levels, it already seems like a distant memory.
But the distant memory popped its head up today, when I received (finally!) via the post notification from the AIEJ (Association of International Education, Japan) about how I did. In short, I PASSED! (Sorry for screaming). Now, mind you, I only took the Level 3 test, which depending on how you look at it is either third level down from the top, or second level up for the bottom (there are only 4 levels in all). So no great shakes. But it’s a start, and considering that in actuality the test was quite a bit above the Japanese proficiency level I was at when I applied to take it 3 months prior, I’m proud of how I did.
I also passed by a respectable margin, which makes me happy. For Level 3, one need only get 60% or higher to pass, and I felt that just squeaking by with a low-60’s percentage would be a bit disappointing, so I was pleased to score 81% overall. As I expected, the Listening section was my poorest section, although even there I managed to pass. (Not surprisingly, I did best in the Kanji and Vocabulary section — 90%).
As with most tests of this type, how well one can speak Japanese in real-life situations is not tested, so I’m not kidding myself that I’m in any way, shape, or form proficient in this all-important regard. But I do feel that putting in the work I needed to in order to get to this level has given me a great foundation from which to build myself up conversationally, and for this reason I would recommend the test to any Japanese learner, even at Levels 3 and 4.
Where to from here? Well, Level 2 looms large and intimidatingly on the horizon, though I’m beginning to accept the fact that it’s highly unlikely I’ll be ready for this year’s test in 10 short months time (it’s quite a jump from 3 to 2 — for example, one needs to know roughly 1,000 kanji characters for Level 2, as opposed to only 300 or so for Level 3). 10 years time is probably a more reasonable expectation. Either way, I will get there however, someday.
ADDENDUM: Here are some useful links for anyone interested in taking the test in the future:
Association of International Education, Japan JLPT page
Japan Foundation site for the JLPT
The JapanesePage.com’s “About the JLPT” page
Ed Jacob’s Japanese Language Proficiency Test First and Second Grade Study Guide
Joe’s JLPT Page
Meguro Language Center’s JLPT free downloadables page
Congrats on your test. I only hope to be able to take and pass that test myself… for right now trying to learn Japanese is frustrating me to no end. But I encourage you to endure because I’m sure the rewards will be more than worth it.
Congrats and good luck for Level 2. My wife has been insisting I take the level 3 or 4 test for some time now, but I continue to resist – fear.
One good site you could add to your list is Mary Noguchi’s Kanji Clinic at “http://www.kanjiclinic.com/” This is the online version of her column which appears every third Monday in The Japan Times. The readers response section is great for seeing what strategies others have adopted in their struggle for Kanji mastery.
I can lay claim to knowing only about 700 Kanji at the moment, but it’s suprising how far just a small amount can take you.
Congratulations! And I passed level 4 so am feeling very pleased with myself. Though, as you rightly noted, it still hasn’t made me able to deal with day-to-day life in any way. arg – back to it!
Kevin–
frustration, oh boy, have I been there before, many times (and I will be there again, many times…tonight, for all I know). Learning a language, especially as an adult, is such an incredible mountain to climb, that there are bound to be many times one wants to give up. This is why I first started studying Japanese 20 years ago yet am only at Level 3!
Peter, 700 kanji?! Forget 3 or 4, you should try for Level 2. But you’re right about how far that goes, I may only know around 400 but in terms of actual vocabulary and kanji compounds, I know a lot more. Thanks for adding the link about Kanjisite, I’m familiar with the the site and the columns in Japan Times (the Monday JT is the only one I buy, because of it’s (sadly, now shrunken) Nihongo section), but others might not be.
Lisa, congratulations on passing Level 4. There are some who say that Levels 3 and 4 are not worth taking, but I disagree. Sure, we might not be able to find employment with them, nor carry on a casual conversation, but I think these tests (or more accurately, what one needs to know in order to pass these tests) are very important, and from a psychological point of view (ie. Keven’s frustration), passing these hurdles, small as they might be in the overall scheme of things, does wonders for one’s confidence and motivation to forge ahead.
I might also add, somewhat unrelatedly, that taking the tests is also a great way to experience some of the Japanese “test culture” that permeates so much of the lives of Japanese people. When I would complain to my wife, “look at these questions (on sample test), they’re only meant to trick you”, her reaction was, “yeah, all tests here are like that”. In essence, tests are created and administered to weed out people, rather than to select the best….One of my Japanese instructors who works for the Japan Foundation told me that the kanji portion of the JLPT is particularly rife with trick questions because otherwise, it would be too easy for Chinese-speakers, who make up the majority of the test-takers, to pass.
Having passed 1 and 2 (please don’t think i’m bragging – it still barely gets me to village idiot status in Japanese society),700 kanji would definitely put you in spitting distance of level 2 – you may be tested on 1000+ kanji but you only need to get 60%+ of them right.
i actually overstudied for 2, because it seemed so intimidating for some reason. I spent a solid year cramming for it, then found the test to be almost routine. In my experience, the tests really are so rehashed from old papers that you can know to within 4% or so what your actual score will be.
So my advice is: get the official guides early, and work towards them as exclusively as possible (i.e. don’t waste time learning stuff you don’t need for the test just ’cause it’s fun).