Hi! I recently took the N2 exam and I am now considering whether pursuing N1 is right for me.
A bit about my Japanese journey so far. I studied Japanese mainly by joining online group and 1 to 1 lessons and also on my own for around 4 years using various textbooks. I travel to Japan every year because I have family there. I was good at speaking and having casual conversations but I could not read much or watch tv without subtitles.
Last year I reached a point where I realised I needed to make a push to break through into the intermediate stage, so I set myself the goal of studying for N2 and I joined a formal weekly class dedicated to this. I think I have made incredible progress in the Kanji/Vocabulary/Grammar department to the point where I can now enjoy reading and watching tv. My speaking has also improved as a result.
However now I am thinking, since I can already read and watch tv without issues, should I just do that on my own in order to keep improving my Japanese, or is it necessary that I set the goal of taking the N1 exam even though I don't need it for anything? Also worth mentioning that I interact with some Japanese people weekly so I have chances to practice speaking outside of any classroom. I guess the way I am thinking about it is that N2 was necessary because without that level, I could not consume native content. But now I can, so is N1 necessary to improve or should I just consume native content from now on.
I know it is a very personal decision in the end but I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts about this.
Thank you
by diego_reddit