In this second post of the speed blogging series Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level, humour me as I extend the cycling metaphor a little further. On any day on tour, you study the map, you assess the prevailing conditions and prepare accordingly. You want to use up every last ounce of energy before you hit the line at the end of day, while still making sure that you've set aside enough for the nasty category 3 climb just before the end. Today we'll study the terrain and discuss what to expect on test day.
Cycle tour of French Alps - Mountain Road Descent by velodenz, on Flickr
There should be no surprises to you as far as the format and the content of the test is concerned when you finally get to the testing centre. You should already know the test is broken into three sections: Writing-Vocabulary; Listening; Reading-Grammar. With points allocated to them respectively: 100; 100; 200, for a total of 400 points.
Did you know however that there are 4 different types of questions in the Writing-Vocabulary section? Or that the two different styles of question in the Listening section are answered differently on the answer sheet? Don't let this be a surprise to you.
Study the test, not just the Japanese.
The New JLPT Official Guidebook with Executive Summary and Sample Tests for N1/N2/N3 and N4/N5 have answer sheets, use them. Get to know the terrain intimately, and under test conditions. Use a stopwatch and time yourself when doing past tests. There is a rhythm you need to get into, especially in the third part of the test where there is barely enough time to finish let alone review. Understand how you strike this rhythm.
The New JLPT Official Guidebook with Executive Summary and Sample Tests for N1/N2/N3 and N4/N5 have answer sheets, use them. Get to know the terrain intimately, and under test conditions. Use a stopwatch and time yourself when doing past tests. There is a rhythm you need to get into, especially in the third part of the test where there is barely enough time to finish let alone review. Understand how you strike this rhythm.
You'll be able to anticipate questions on the final exam, if you've done similar questions in practice week in, week out. If these five steps to ace the JLPT are your elaborate and systematic plan of action, then how you answer each question is just a well practised manoeuvre you put in place during the test. Anticipation is key, if you don't want to be drawing blanks on test Sunday.
Do a practice test, find out where you lack, because in the next post we focus on your weak points.
Update: Early in December 2009 the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) released further detail about the New Japanese Language Proficiency Test for 2010.
I go into more detail about test taking strategies in the online video seminar 5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level on eduFire. Subscribers to the Rainbowhill Language Lab newsletter get great study tips throughout the year. If you need some good tips on preparing for the JLPT, please read on.
- Take the first step to Ace the JLPT - Know yourself
- Take the second step to Ace the JLPT - Know the terrain
- Take the third step to Ace the JLPT - Train your weaknesses
- Take the fourth step to Ace the JLPT - Race your strengths
- Take the fifth step to Ace the JLPT - Stay fresh
5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level is a Free Online Seminar at eduFire
