So I passed N2 with like 150/180, and was pretty happy, took the N1 a year later, and failed by 8 points, and was kinda bummed(the test I failed was the Dec, 2021 test), then this year I got hired at a regular “seishain” and will be doing the vast amount of my work in Japanese, so I have no plans to ever take that test again, because it’s expensive, and it takes fucking forever, and no longer need it for work.
But my wife (who’s Japanese) and some of my Japanese friends keep trying to pressure me to take it again.
I personally feel like this is just Japanese people and their whole love of “certificates” but I don’t know.
Any other lifers out there who just said fuck it, I don’t need this thing.
34 comments
My company discourages me to take JLPT certs after N3 😂 As it will help me jump ship. They say flattering words like “your nihongo is already at N2 level, there’s no need for a piece of paper to prove it”
These are the same people who had an N3 requirement for a promotion lmao.
When I am ~60 points short to pass the test
I’m old enough to be exempted from exams for life. My brain and bladder can’t deal with that crap no more.
N1 is not very useful. I took it because I wanted to improve my Japanese and needed a goal. If you want to take it for yourself go for it, studying is never a waste of time. If you want to take it gor job searching or visa application, you don’t have to.
Tell them no and end it 😂
I personally got it, but it’s honestly such a useless certificate beyond getting your foot in the door and maybe like an extra 2k a month or so of 資格手当. Feel free to take it at some point if you ever feel like taking it as a personal goal, but you’re better off studying for other things here, which will help your Japanese way more than focusing on the JLPT ever will anyway.
My goal for strictly personal gain was to get n2 and I did (took me 2 tries).
No one will ask you for a certificate unless it’s something specific – like if you want to try to get PR from the highly skilled scheme, as it awards you points.
Employers will gauge your Japanese level by talking to you, and some HR/recruiters like to use it as a guideline on job postings but I still haven’t heard of anyone required to show their certification.
Having said that, I want to try for N1 in 1-2 years because it’s a goal that keeps me constantly studying and that improves my language skills overall.
It’s useless, i have N1, took it in uni to get out of japanese classes at my host uni during exchange. I didn’t find it expensive though as it was way cheaper than the IELTS test my home uni forced us to take.
Nobody asks for it in job interviews, it might be on my CV but they still make you show your japanese ability in other ways, and most japanese bosses don’t even know what the test is about. One shacho interviewer asked me to explain what it was because he hadn’t heard of it.
I use it to fill in the 資格 section in my japanese cv as i have literally nothing other than the jlpt and ielts (not even a driving license)
Failed N3 twice, each time by a few points, last time two years ago. I use Japanese everyday and continue to study regularly, but can’t quite work up the will to try again.
Never bothered with any of that stuff. Is it really necessary ?
Have also noticed most Japanese people have no idea what it is. They know 日本語検定 so if you say JLPT ikkyu they may think you mean the other test.
Prepared for N2 pretty confidently, but got cancelled due to covid twice. Can’t be bothered getting back up to speed now as I don’t need the certificate for my work.
Edit: Oh yea and I have fuck all free time since moving to Japan so I don’t wanna spend what little time I have doing something I don’t want to do.
I’m half Japanese and didn’t need to take any JLPT and took it just in case. Found a job at N2, then spent a few years not studying, then finally decided it was time to just up and do N1, so I got it. If your work is mainly in Japanese like mine is, don’t worry about studying for the N1, go live life and work your job for a few years and then crack open a Kanzen Master book as a quick refresher of the JLPT format and go take N1. You’ll probably pass. Heck, I even considered taking the BJT, but ended up not doing it after going through a textbook and realizing work pretty much had me covered.
Not really useful unless you will apply for another job position and the other guy with literally the same experience and N1 will take it. Not likely to happen but it’s always nice to have if you have willingness to study.
Need? Well, you only need it if there’s a situation that requires it, and if you aren’t ever going to be in such a situation, then you don’t need it.
Another question is whether learning the Japanese that you would need to learn in order to pass the test would make your life better, regardless of the test certificate itself.
I took and passed Level 3 and got lazy to take the 2nd one.
Never taken JLPT.
Only people who have asked are foreign recruiters.
15+ years working in Japanese companies.
I got N3 as an ALT then because a Seishain ALT manager. Once I got that “golden ticket” I stopped
I gave up then passed N1 lmfao
Guess who’s being carried by that piece of paper
I passed the N2 with like 120ish points, then got a job, and then never studied for a JLPT again.
I have considered to just show up at an N1 just to see how it goes. It’s been 5 years since the N2, and at this point I am basically watching Korean dramas with Japanese subs. However, as long as the test is held on my precious weekend the opportunity cost doesn’t speak in favour of the JLPT.
Ha! I failed N1 by FOUR points back in like 2010 or something. I was only doing it for myself, just to see what I was capable of, not for work or anything. I’d spent so long studying, it was my second attempt and it was only one or two questions in the reading comprehension section that made me fail.
So I thought fuck it and just told everyone I passed 🤷♂️
When I entered a field where other certifications are more relevant, so I focused on those.
I have never taken an official test. Could care less. Don’t need it for work and have never felt a need to evaluate my Japanese more than if I understand what’s happening around me. Been doing fine for the last 15+ years.
I got N2 about a decade ago as a means to have something meaningful for my resume to “validate” my already obvious proficient speaking ability. Let’s be honest though, most Japanese employers (unless you’re in the translation business) have never even heard of the JLPT.
I toyed around with the idea of getting N1, but as I got older and worked in different fields (steel manufacturing, Fintech), I came to realize that the N1 would not help me professionally and would only be a personal goal.
Studying for the N1 would not help me in my day jobs between Metallurgy and Treasury. There comes a point where a foreign language becomes your own personal journey that doesn’t end at a certification. I learned that by preventing myself from “plateauing” I was always in a state of learning and flexing my language skills.
It’s very easy to get stuck in a rut because your daily routine has gotten comfortable. Constantly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is key to consistent improvement. Plus, I’ve always thought it was disingenuous someone could claim they “passed” an exam by getting 110/180 points (100 if it’s N2).
Dew it.
I find most japanese companies/people don’t really know what jlpt is, unless they have lots of foreigners employees/friends. They’re usually more impressive if you have Nihongo Kentei or Kanji Kentei.
It’s not that relevant for my work, but I liked the challenge of getting N1
I have N1. How many companies look for it? I have encountered none. Does it increase your pay a lot? Nope.
I have never taken it and work in a japanese only environment and it has never come up.
Of course it is beneficial but it’s not the be all and end all.
there is so much I can improve on and I’m not fluent but I don’t think it’s the only way to learn
I got N1 despite having no immediate need for it. Just wanted to get it so I could poo poo on the test without coming off like a poser
Your Japanese ability is what it is. Maybe your Japanese is good enough for the life you live. Maybe I just got lucky with my passing score. I’m still going to keep trying to improve either way, as I presume you are.
Idk but i’m like your wife. The reason i’m taking the test is because i think i might need it in the future but my japanese is going downhill.
Passed N2 2 years ago with around 120 score.
Passed the kokka shiken a year ago 96/125 score..
Last year took n1 guess what? Got 60.. Maybe ill try again this december.
Never taken it, never will. I’m lecturing at universities in Japanese, and my students have asked me if I’m ハーフ because I sound native. But I decided not to take it because my PhD advisor told me not to bother with it.
I took and passed the N2 in my second year, as it was my goal at the time. I took and passed N1 on a whim in my 6th year, just to gauge my Japanese ability. Never specifically studied towards either, as I felt if I wasn’t passing with raw Japanese ability, it wouldn’t mean much.
Humble brag aside, it did help. My last two jobs listed it as a specific requirement, as apparently N2 doesn’t cut it. If you’re stable and happy with your current job, I’d say it doesn’t matter. If you’re looking to move, it might be an idea to shoot for it.
Who likes to study and take tests? You listed some cons regarding it already. You have to pay for it, go to a special location nowhere near your home and drop everything for that day for the test. The certificate is also near worthless. I have never been asked for the thing. Can you imagine doing an entire interview in Japanese and then they ask you, “Do you have a JLPT certificate? No? Ahh.. well I’m sorry to say..”
The test also doesn’t check for speaking because you know speaking Japanese is objectively the most useless aspect of the language.