This is a long post about me taking and passing the JLPT N1 for the first time. I will talk about: my scores, section by section; what I did during my six-month preparation for N1, what was useful and what was useless; why I am going to sit the test once more in December and how I am going to study for it. But first, some context: The JLPT and me I took and passed the JLPT N2 twice in 2017. The following year, I took a break from the JLPT, and I am back now in 2019 for a new JLPT challenge. My idea was to sit the JLPT N1 in December 2019, but I also took the test in July as a warm-up exercise… and I passed! It is interesting to note that the scores I had for N1 this time are very similar to my results of July 2017, when I took N2 for the first time: 2017 = JLPT N2 2019 = JLPT N1 Test 1July Language Knowledge: 34/60Reading: 60/60Listening: 38/60 Language Knowledge: 36/60Reading: 48/60Listening: 37/60 Test 2December …

Since January 2019, I am studying to pass the JLPT N1. My goal is to pass the test in December, but I also took the test of July to gain some practice. It was helpful, but it also gave me a sense of achievement, and it is hard to get back to the JLPT preparation now! After the test of July, I went on holiday, but it has been several days since I came back, and I still haven’t done anything for the JLPT or my blog. This post is long due! I have tried to identify what makes it difficult for me to go back to studying for the JLPT when I usually don’t have to struggle to study Japanese. First of all, waiting for the results (of the JLPT of July) is frustrating. It is hard to get back to the preparation of the JLPT without knowing where I should put my efforts. On the other hand, the results won’t come out before the end of August, so waiting would mean losing a precious month. In January, when I started …

I have taken the JLPT N1 on July 7th (2019) for the first time, and I was not very surprised by my performance… I think that I might pass, but I also feel that I need the remaining months until December to increase my vocabulary and progress in listening. Report on the July test Vocabulary/Grammar I found that the vocabulary part was not as hard as the drills I have been doing recently. I think that the Korean textbooks and drills that I use tend to be very demanding so that students are well prepared. During the real test on Sunday, I was surprised to see that the vocabulary part was not that hard. I don’t mean that I answered everything right, of course, there were a lot of words that I didn’t know, and I picked several answers randomly. But I also felt that a little more work on vocabulary will be sufficient to ensure a good mark in that section. The most surprising part of the whole test was the grammar section. I felt …