I need help from people here that have given the exam. So my background is that I have been watching and listening to Japanese for 7 years now. I got to the point where I started even translating/subtitling clips from Japanese to English. I’ve never actually studied Japanese from a textbook or taken classes, but I grew my vocabulary with the help of Google Translate and Jisho.
Over the past 3 years or so, I’ve been using HelloTalk to speak with native Japanese people over voice/video calls and I’ve gotten fairly good at it. At least good enough to have hour-long conversations, though there are times where I can’t find the exact words to be able to explain more detailed stuff. I’d like to think that my speaking level is above N3 and maybe near N2 level.
I couldn’t read Japanese at first but now it’s gotten better and now I can recognize a lot of basic kanji and I use a Romaji to Japanese keyboard on my phone.
Obviously giving the JLPT exam and clearing it is a lot different than using Japanese on a practical level. I don’t know how the exam is formatted. But if I want to be able to use Japanese for employment purposes, which I haven’t until now, I need to give the JLPT exam.
The N4 exam from what I’ve heard has no real use on an official basis as it wouldn’t help you land any job. In that case, I feel like it’s better that I try to go for the N3 and fail than pass the N4.
Do you think one can pass the JLPT N3 in 3 months? Or is it just too hard if you’ve never given the exam and I should give the JLPT N4? My priority is just passing the exam.
P.S. I attempted a sample test for N3 on [this website](https://www.jlpt.jp/samples/forlearners.html). Here’s what I scored:
* 5/5 in vocabulary
* 2/7 in grammar/reading comprehension
* 4/5 in listening
Is that something I can improve upon and pass the N3 in 3 months with or is it better that I go for the N4?
by KANOMETAL
