しあわせ » jlpt3

New JLPT – more information

ロバート — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:57:12 +0000

I found some more information about the new JLPT exams starting in 2010.

Firstly it seems not every exam centre will have twice yearly exams. It looks as if only centres in Japan,China and Korea will definitely offer it twice a year. SOAS in London seems to be keeping to December only. It’ll be worth checking with your nearest centre. It may also help them gauge interest and encourage them to offer it biannually. Hopefully the Japan Foundation will update its listings soon.

More interestingly, although official workbooks won’t appear until 2012 according to the official JLPT site, Bonjinsha already has a few textbooks available for the new JLPT specifications. They aren’t part of the full listing on Bonjinsha’s site. However I did find them under their (unweildy) Japanese title 新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版と問題例集 (New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook: An Executive Summary, and Sample Questions).

Finally, although this isn’t exactly new, Ireland now has it’s own JLPT exam centre at DCU. Although they have the typically rubbish websites common to a lot of universities.

JLPT Changes from 2010

ロバート — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:53:47 +0000

I saw an announcement about the changes over on JLPTStudy.com.
From 2010 the JLPT is going to be held twice a year. A new level is going to be inserted between present level 3 and 2, making 5 levels in all, and Level 1 is going to get even harder somehow.

I quite welcome that the test can be sat at 2 different times. The July date puts it more in line with European academic cycles. The best part is the new level 3. I was feeling lacklustre about starting towards Level 2 because the jump was so high. I was looking at at least 2 maybe 3 years work I think. I’m still looking at that amount of work it seems for a test in 2010 but now it seems more achievable if I work towards the new level 3. I wonder how long it will take to find out the exam syllabus in terms of kanji, vocabulary lists and grammar points.
So it looks like I’ll stit JLPT3 again in 2010, except now it’s N3
The pdf annoucing the changes is linked on JEES’s home page.
–update 13Sep08–
Here’s a direct link to a pdf in English of the June Progress Report on the changes.

試験を受かった！

ロバート — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:31:07 +0000

やった！

d=====(￣∇￣*)bｲｴｰｲd(*￣∇￣)=====b

I passed JLPT3 with 70%, a comfortable pass.
That listening score is low, but not bad considering I don’t think I really understood anything. But I would really have preferred to pass that section as well.
I must do some work on it.
JLPT2 next…
…decade sometime. It’s a huge leap.

JLPT3 Roundup

ロバート — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:37:31 +0000

With JLPT over for this year, and my blog hits about to drastically decrease (why were so many people googling for test papers a day or two before, wasn’t it a bit late?) I just want to pass on my recommendations while they’re still fresh.

1. Start early. Do small amounts. Revise.
Start today. You can probably read the grammar in a week or so but to absorb it and practice it and become comfortable with it takes time. Hopefully you want to do more than just pass JLPT. The little and often approach will help you actually be able to use what you learn.

Cramming really doesn’t work. The official line is it takes 300 classroom hours to reach Level 3. I would presume at least a similar amount of class preparation time. 2 years work maybe. It has taken me 4 years part-time study and I reckon I only have around 200 classroom hours logged.

Revise. You forget what you learn unless you revise it to get it into long-term memory. It’s surprising how fast you can forget things as well.

2. Recommended Books
I found the following books the most helpful
JLPT3 Kanji by Examples
JLPT3 Grammar Exercises
JLPT3 Revision book by Bonjinsha
JLPT Mock Test Level 3

These books were the ones I used most. After that it’s a case of do as many JLPT3 style quizzes as possible.

3. Learn then Practice
It seems a bit obvious but it’s better to learn the grammar and then run practice tests. I have done it the other way and I think as a consequence I don’t fully understand the grammar. I think it would have been better to get a grasp of the grammar then refine it by doing practice questions.
However for vocabulary I preferred to learn it in the context of questions or just by reading rather than trying to learn lists of words.

4. Listening is hardest, Grammar and Vocabulary most important, Kanji least important
Listening accounts for 25% of the test and it’s by far the most difficult part. Just look at the statistics that the Japan Foundation compile. The written papers you can approach at your own pace and change answers. However with listening it’s very much a hit and miss affair. If you don’t get it or your attention wanders you’re done for. It’s also the hardest to practice for. There just aren’t as many listening resources. I wish I had spent more time on listening. If I pass JLPT3 it’ll be because my other skills are good enough to carry me.
I just don’t know what advice to give on listening. Listen to as much Japanese as you can. JapanesePod101 is a good source. Study the previous years recordings. When you run out of them do the level 4 listening tests as well.

Grammar and Reading accounts for 50% of the marks. If you don’t know grammar you might not be able to figure out what’s going on at all. If you don’t have vocabulary you might be able to work out grammar questions but overall you’ll be a bit lost. Grammar will take the longest to learn and absorb so start there.

Kanji only account for 12.5% at most.
There are 284 Kanji on JLPT3 including the 108 from JLPT4. However it is possible for some other kanji to be included.
In the main body of the test not many kanji are used. The main skill needed is to be able to read kanji not write them. There is such concentration on Kanji for JLPT on the Internet that I think is in excess to their importance to the test. It’s easy to get sidetracked doing kanji at the expense of grammar and vocab.

5. Make a timetable
Have some sort of plan and timetable to guide where you’re going.
I would suggest working backwards.

–The day before
Brush up the main topics. Re-read the passages in JLPT3 Kanji by Examples to refresh your memory of the kanji. Revise the main points of the major topics. Passive and Causitive, Keigo perhaps. Maybe do a final test paper. Get some sleep, don’t worry.

–In the weeks leading up to the test
Do a previous years exam paper per week. Not necessarily all 3 sections at once but I would do them against the clock. Then study your mistakes to boost your score. It’s a good idea to record your scores in any tests to chart your progress.

–1 month before
do Mock Test 2 from JLPT Mock Test Level 3. Hopefully you’ll notice an improvement from test 1, also hopefully you’ll get a good passing score. It’s nice to go into the test scoring a comfortable 70% plus on the mock tests.

–October
Closing date for applications.

–2 to 3 months before
Do the test in JLPT3 Revision book by Bonjinsha. And work through the book to strengthen your weak points and revise what you’ve learnt.

–August
Do mock Test 1 from JLPT Mock Test Level 3. Hopefully you can score at least 50% overall, better still at least 60%. Read its advice on your weak points.
Make the decision to sit the exam and pay your money!
In the UK SOAS administers the test.

–June
If your kanji are strong consider doing the Kanken Kanji Aptitude Test. Level 9 will test 240 of the JLPT3 kanji. Level 10 adds a further 200 Kanji but only 70 of them are on the JLPT3 syllabus. This test is much harder than JLPT I think. But it might be a good mid-term aim in studying for JLPT.

–May
deadline for Kanken Kanji Aptitude test at SOAS

–6 to 8 months before
Start on those kanji. I really recommend JLPT3 Kanji by Examples for this. Also use a flashcard program. Read as much as you can with books like these graded readers. This will also increase your reading speed and comprehension.

– 8 months before
Work on vocabulary. There are over 700 words to learn. some you’ll already know and use, many you won’t know (and may never use). You’ll need to break them down into manageable chunks and constantly revise them. Even a manageable 10 new words a day will take a while to learn and remember. Also try to actively use them in writing and speaking. I suggest you use a flashcard program like Anki or iFlash.

–12 months before
Begin!
Make your plans. give over at least one day or night a week to work on this. More as you get nearer to the exam or when you have the time. Break down the work you have to do. By October you should only be revising not learning the core subject matter.
If you can, find a study partner. If you can, find a Japanese tandem partner. Join a class, even if it’s not covering JLPT3 exactly. A teacher will help you and the weekly appointment can keep you on track. (In London I can recommend the Big Headed Man Language Club! although you’ll need to do most of the JLPT3 material yourself Chika-san will give advice and answer questions.)
Listen to jPod101.
Start with grammar, this can be the bedrock of what you do and will also give you practice in vocabulary and kanji depending on the books you use.

——–

So anyway hopefully I’ve passed this year and I might think of JLPT2 in 3 years time or so. I do feel I have to consolidate my JLPT3 material first (my plan strayed a bit!). I especially have to improve my listening (and speaking). But who knows there’s a real possibility I’ll have to re-do JLPT3 next year.

–update 03Apr08–
I passed by the way.
I’ve included the Kanken kanji aptitude test in the suggested timetable. Although I’m only doing it this year I think it would be a good early waypoint in studying for JLPT. Also although it’s a year long schedule, perhaps it might take longer.

30% off at JapanesePod101

ロバート — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:26:57 +0000

In the run-up to JLPT JapanesePod101.com is offering 30% off any 1 month subscription until the end of November. (follow the link above for the coupon code). As they charge in US dollars if your money is UK£ or Euros, and maybe even yen or Canadian Dollars, you get an excellent exchange rate as well.
The offer is doubly good as you’ll also have access to the back catalog of pdfs and exclusive sound files (I think).
I’m constantly amazed at the amount of material these guys generate. They’re a small operation running out of a small office working very long and hard Japanese hours. The output is top quality too. And they give most of it away! They deserve support for their efforts. Try a subscription today!

London JLPT closing date

ロバート — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:35:34 +0000

The application period for this years JLPT in London closes at 6pm on Friday. So if you haven’t applied yet you’ll probably need to apply in person. It costs £55 and you’ll need 2 passport sized photographs as well (actually a little bit smaller).

There’s always next year though.

Basic Kanji 320

ロバート — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:22:18 +0000

Basic Kanji 320 Corresponding to JLPT Level 3 Meguro Language Center

Well it does exactly what it says on the cover. The bulk of this book are the 284 kanji needed for JLPT3, plus an extra 36 kanji that might also be tested. (The wording on the MLC site suggested to me that they were prediciting 36 kanji out of the 284 that might appear on this years test. Alas that is not the case. )

The kanji are laid out in what is now a very predicable pattern. The kanji with stroke order, onyomi, kunyomi, English meaning, compounds that appear in JLPT3 and an example sentence.
Maybe it’s the only way it can be done but it’s hardly innovative. You end up with a list to be learnt by heart which is fairly difficult.

I can’t quite figure out the logic of the arrangement of kanji. I don’t think it’s even a case of 1 to 120 being Level4 plus MLCs extras with the last 36 kanji of the 320 being the extra ones. It would have been nice if the kanji were actually marked as to official JLPT level. There is an index of onyomi and kunyomi; I’m not sure how useful it is but it’s good that it’s there.

As a separate item you get 31 test sheets of 20 questions. The “writing” test is the usual multiple choice but the reading is harder as you have to give a correct reading rather than just choose one and more than one kanji is tested per sentence.
You score yourself by deducting 1 for each mistake rather than adding up correct answers. I’m unsure how accurate a picture this gives; a better scoring method would be 5 marks per question so you can see if you are actually getting over 60% correct. Unfortunately these tests are on groups of kanji; albeit increasingly larger groups are tested. I think to bring it all together a couple of full tests would have been good.

Lastly there is a sheet of the kanji tested in past exams. This can be downloaded from MLC’s site however and again I don’t know how useful this information is.

The book is self-published by MLC so in effect it’s a bound photocopy. This is ok except were there is black text on a dark grey background. I don’t think the method of denoting stroke order by using numbers on a single character is a good way of doing this. It would be beter to have a stroke by stroke series of diagrams or omit it entirely. Stroke order isn’t necessary for JLPT.

The other issue is it’s very hard to buy unless you are resident in Japan. They will only take payment as a bank transfer and only deliver to a Japanese address. I got a friend of mine to buy it for me. I think it would be better as a paid for pdf which can be paid for by credit card. Maybe they are concerned with piracy but there’s nothing to stop anyone scanning and uploading the paper version.

All in all I don’t think I’d recommend this. The kanji listing you can get at sites such as the JLPT Kanji project or the JLPT Study Page. The test sheets are the best feature but finding mock tests elsewhere isn’t too difficult.

If you are looking for a book to learn JLPT3 kanji I think JLPT3 Kanji by Examples is much better.

55 Reading Comprehension Tests for JLPT3

ロバート — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 07:45:14 +0000

北嶋千鶴子（著者）North Island Company

I actually bought this as part of my 100万字 challenge. (At time of writing not at all on target at about 2.5万字）Finding suitable texts is quite a challenge. This one seemed to kill two birds with one stone. I could have reading practice and at the same time have reading comprehension practice for JLPT. The easier and quicker I can read the easier the JLPT will be I think.

The book wasn’t specifically written for JLPT but the author felt it was at such a level to be useful. There are 15 short 25 medium and 15 long passages. Nothing is longer than a single page. There are more kanji used than there are in JLPT test papers I think. None of the kanji have furigana but that’s actually quite useful. Each passage has between 1 and 4 short JLPT style multiple choice questions. The reason for any correct or incorrect answers is left as an exercise for the student.

The material isn’t exactly exciting but is reasonably interesting, including many Japanese related topics. There are also a number of graphs and picture questions that could be useful practice for the type of questions that come up on the listening section of the JLPT test.

JLPT3 Grammar Mock Test Papers

ロバート — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:07:12 +0000

日本語能力試験　直前対策　文法３級 (国書刊行会）

This is a companion volume to JLPT3 Kanji and Vocabulary Cram Session.

Again there are 15 mock tests interspersed with short sections of grammar. Again it is all in Japanese so the grammar explanations require a bit of work. There are also explanations for all the answers. However, as they are all in Japanese, they might not be simple to understand; although the extra practice might be useful.

The book is from before the changes made to the test 2 years ago. However the nature of the grammar questions haven’t changed. The only difference I can see is that section IV has an extra question. What the book doesn’t have is any questions for the 読解 reading comprehension part of the third paper.

As usual try to do these tests against the clock. Suggested times are: Section I ー13分; Section II ー14分; Section III ー8分; Section IV ー5分 . 40分 in total, leaving 30分 for the last two reading comprehension sections.

JLPT 3 Kanji and Vocabulary Tests

ロバート — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:51:33 +0000

日本語能力試験　直前対策　文字・語彙３級 (国書刊行会）

I decided that 直前対策 translates best as “cram session”.

This is another interesting little A5 sized book for JLPT3. It covers the first paper that tests vocabulary and kanji. It does this by giving you 15 mock tests. Intersperesed among these tests are vocabulary lists. No english. No explanations. But lot’s of practice. Lot’s of exposure to the words you need to know.

The tests are standard stuff.
The only slightly dissapointing note is they seem to be modelled on the test before the changes made 2 years ago. This means that there could be about 20 or so kanji omitted and the form of the questions in the end sections are slightly different.

In the actual test there are 5 questions in section IV where you are given a sentence then have to choose a sentence with a similar meaning from the four presented. In section V there are 5 questions where you are given a word and have to pick the sentence where that word is used correctly.
In this book there are 10 questions of the type found in Section IV and no section V.

That said this is still a useful book so you can concentrate on a particular part of the test. The word lists are useful as they are broken down by type and grouped by theme. This is much easier to memorise than a list of unrelated words.

As usual try to do these tests against the clock. 35 mins each. Then check your wrong and guessed answers. Check unknown words. Check what the sentences mean.