Aguro

I’ve done 2 more JLPT mock tests and here are the results (note that I cut off any fractions):

The passing grade is 70%, not 75% as my last post said. I hope the real exam can be as good as my last mock exam

I’ll probably write about my test preparation later after I’ve done the test. I definitely won’t pass the test with a breeze, so the time I have now should be better spent for studying :).

Well, I tried doing the test using the written allocated time. I finished the 1st (character & vocabulary) and 2nd (listening) section on time, but got short of 10 numbers for the last (reading & grammar) section. The result was pretty bad:

• Character & vocabulary: 76.7/100 (76.7%)
• Listening: 72.4/100 (72.4%)
• Reading & grammar: 120.8/200 (60.4%)
• Combined: 269.9/400 (67.5%)

It is said that the passing grade for JLPT level 1 is around 75%. Does it mean that I need to have 75% score for each section, or only for the combined score? Well, whatever the criteria may be, I still need to work hard if I want to pass.

Some notes:

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Thanks to my JLPT study, today I’ve finished studying the last level 8 Jouyou kanji. With this, I’ve actually completed all the Jouyou kanji! The amount of Jouyou kanji is 1945, which is the year which Indonesia declared its independence! Yay!

The last kanji is 髄 which is used in words such as 骨髄 (kotsuzui, bone marrow) and 真髄 (shinzui, essence). It’s interesting that there is a Japanese cosmetics sold in Indonesia named しんずい (shinzui). If you can stand some gross images click here to see what a marrow looks like.

This is just only the beginning. There is so much in mastering a kanji: its multitude meanings and readings, and most importantly proficiency in using words containing the kanji. I’m still far from that. Well, but still each small milestone must be celebrated :).

I still have 100+ kanji to study for the JLPT, but perhaps I should try a mock test soon and see how well (or nasty) it would turn out…

I hate studying from a kanji list. I believe one’s study should be as personal as possible, and that’s why I advocate reading real materials and studying any kanji you find there.

However for the JLPT there is no choice but to study all kanji that will appear in the test. I have compiled the list of JLPT kanji, so the next task is to study them. But how?

Even among those kanji, I still make a simple prioritization. I will first learn all grade 8 Jouyou kanji. Next will be jinmeiyou kanji, or kanji authorized to be used in names (aka grade 9). The last will be the leftovers.

I have to learn 5 more grade 8 kanji, 109 new jinmeiyou kanji, and 4 leftovers, totaling 118 more kanji. With my special boosted JLPT rate of learning 6 new kanji per day, I should finish them in 20 days…

In taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, one thing you must master becomes evident: kanji. It is no use if you can speak and listen fluently but not able to read what’s written on the test paper. Moreover, the first section (character/vocabulary) go so far as to be a kanji quiz. Witness these first 3 questions from a level-4 test:

問1・来週　金曜日に　電話を　ください。
（1）．来週 １．らいしゅう ２．らんしゅう ３．こいしゅう ４．こんしゅう
（2）．金曜日 １．かようび ２．どようび ３．きんようび ４．もくようび
（3）．電話 １．でんご ２．でんわ ３．かいご ４． かいわ

The test essentially asks you, “how do you read this and this?” When you know the characters and the words, the answer is absurdly easy. All is not lost when you don’t have all the knowledge required since intelligent guessing can be attempted, but that’s for another topic.

The point is, if you have kanji mastery many questions will be reduced to a trivial recall. Normally I don’t recommend studying from artificial lists and instead encourage people to just read real materials and learn the kanji they find along the way. However for test takers, a kanji list would be beneficial, if not necessary.

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When I was in Jakarta some time ago, I took the chance to register for this year’s JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) level 1. The test will be held early December.

You pay Rp. 10,000 for the test guide (pictured above) and application form, plus Rp. 80,000 for the level 1 test.

The person asked me whether this was my first JLPT. When I said yes, he proceeded to ask which level I would like to take. When I said level 1, he needed to confirm me that level 1 was the hardest and I wasn’t trying to take the wrong one.

There are still 2 more months to the test. Let’s study!