Hiya, I am sure I am not the only one cramming last minute. Combining a full-time job as well as self-studying has been a bit too much these last months. However I did sign up for it so I will still give it a try – but what should I focus on this last month? I am about half-way-through each N2 新完全マスター book, which one should I prioritize? Thanks 🙏🥺
5 comments
the vocab 新完全 should give you the most bang for your buck. Take a peek at grammar too, but if you live and work in Japan you’d probably get more out of the vocab because those can be esoteric, and a lot of them show up in the readings. Besides that, I would just listen to online course reviews like 日本語の森 on Youtube on your commute. Good luck and 頑張って！
I did the 日本語パワードリル books before N3 and N2 tests (in addition to keep studying and revising). These are quite hard, I always had below sufficient scores, but then passed the tests with good scores.
I would divide your time between:
1) **using an SRS app** (like Anki or Memrise) to memorize as much **vocab** (and their readings) as possible
2) **doing every past paper you can possibly find** (timed and under exam conditions) to minimize the chances of you failing for reasons not related to your actual Japanese ability. Also this helps you to identify your weak spots (you might not be as good as you thought you were in a particular area).
3) **watching the N2 grammar marathon video** on the 日本語の森 Youtube channel (seconding someone else’s recommendation)
Also, remember you only need to comfortably pass each section and the exam overall, nobody is giving you extra points for getting a high score.
(*source: already passed N2 and N1*)
Aside from 新完全マスター, I also used 完全模試 and 直前対策ドリル for the mock paper (to familiarize with the exam format and get used to the time constraints) and to help with some last-minute memorizations.
When I crammed for it in the last two weekends a couple years ago, the 新にほんご500問 book is probably what pulled me over the line. Lots of sample questions spanning everything, and short explanations for the answers. Besides that, have a strategy for the 読解 sections, and hopefully your listening skill is decent.
Good luck!