If you want to further your education in one of the world’s best universities in Japan you will be required to pass the Japanese Languages Proficiency Test or JLPT.
The JLPT is a test that assesses how confident and capable a non Japanese native speaker is in written and spoken Japanese,. The JLPT assesses a person ability to confidently speak and also read and write in Japanese.
The JLPT is held globally every year in the month of December. There are four stages that you need to pass, starting at level 4 being the easiest and moving upto level 1 the most challenging. In order to pass levels 2 through 4 you must get a 60% mark, however level one requires a 70% mark. Make sure that you don’t take the JLPT too lightly as many do and are sadly dissapointed when they fail. In 2007 under 70% of the applicants passed level 4, and under 30% for level one
Content
The questions are mulitple choice and there are Kanji, Japanese grammar, expressions and also vocabulary. The grammar section will rewquire you to know how Japanese nouns and verbs and particles work. Although this may sound obvious, please be aware that the JLPT is written in Japanese writing scripts and not English.
At level 4 you will need to know 100 Kanji Symbols and at level 1 this increases to 1000. The amount of vocabularly you need to learn also increases.
Test Breakdown
Essentially the JLPT at all levels 1-4 is broken down into three major sections, being:
- Writing and Vocabulary
- Listening Comprehension
- Grammar
Obvioulsy the expectations at each level goes up the higher the level you are attempting. At the most basic level, being 4, you are required to know 100 Kanji symbols, 800 words, write basic sentences and converse at a beginner level in Japanese.
Where do you go to sit the JLPT?
As long as a school or University in your city is approved by the Japan Educational Exchanges Services then they can administer the JLPT. For those of you who are actually living in Japan then you will need to contact the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) who administer the test.
Advice On How To Pass
The first thing I want to point out is that the JLPT requires study and discipline to pass. JEES state that for level 4 a student ideally should have done 150 hours study.
Find a study method that suites you are start learning the Kanji and vocabulary lists that are required. You may want to look into online study courses as well.
Summary
Well the main point to take from this artcicle is that the JLPT is not the most simple test but by no means out of anyone’s reach who put in the right preparation. Japan has some of the best Universities in the World and passing the JLPT is the door to getting excepted by a non native Japanese speaker.
If you are however wanting to speak conversational Japanese for a hobby or you are travelling to Japan then I highly recommend that you consider taking an online course, as they will save you a lot of money and time. You can find out more information about the best online Japanese course here: Rocket Japanese Review.
All the best with you studies,
Sayoonara!
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