So I recently passed JLPT N2 with a score of 128 41/41/46. Although I didn’t smash it, it was a comfortable pass and I felt the difficulty level was pretty appropriate given my Japanese knowledge.
I’m now preparing to JLPT N1 at some point, and my original intention was if I passed JLPT N2 in July 2023, then I’d look to take JLPT N1 in July 2024, giving me a year. I want a realistic time frame to study, prepare and give myself the best chance of passing in one go. It’s not cheap so I don’t want to take an “experimental” approach to taking the test. I want to feel like I’ve got a good chance of passing in one shot.
So my question is (especially for those who have passed both JLPT N2 and N1) how much time is realistically needed to go from JLPT N2 to N1? I’ve seen varying cases where some guy on TikTok passed JLPT N2 (with lower scores than me) then passed JLPT N1 5 months later, which I’m sure must be really rare. Then I’ve read cases where people have passed JLPT N2 and then even after 1 year+ are still failing. So I get it very much varies between people.
I already know all of the JLPT N1 grammar expressions and people say it’s the reading in N1 that’s the hardest. However, I have the Shin Kanzen Master N1 reading textbook which is basically just full of practise/past N1 reading questions and I’m getting pretty much everything correct. Personally, I don’t think N1 reading feels much harder than N2 reading. My biggest concern would be vocab/grammar as I still need to learn quite a bit, but in the 3/4 months between now and December I could cover a lot. I also looked at the July 2023 N1 vocab section, guessed a lot of questions using my kanji knowledge and got most right. Listening is my weakest skill though my N2 mark doesn’t suggest that. Ideally I wanted to spend some time in Japan before taking N1 so I can “train” my ear and improve listening.
If I want to take N1 this December, I’d need to register tomorrow. I think I’ve pretty much made up my mind and think I won’t go for it, but wanted to get thoughts from people if they think going from passing N2 now to taking and passing N1 this December is possible or just not very realistic? Motivation is high now, hence why I’m keen but like I said I want to give myself the best chance possible of passing in one sitting.
Thanks!
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6 comments
Omedeto!)
A bit jealous, as I only have N3 scent and a long-long run ahead..
The complaints I’ve heard about the N1 reading section isn’t the difficulty but the time given in which to do it. A lot of people end up running out of time and that’s why they fail, because they don’t have the time to answer all the questions. Maybe try a practise test while timing yourself and see if you can get everything done in the time allowed.
Impossible for anyone else to tell you that. Assuming they put in the hours, then 1 year of study between N2 and N1 is achievable for most people I think. But what “putting in the hours” means from person to person is likely to vary a lot depending on current level and aptitude.
Do you even have much to lose if you try and fail? That would be the strongest possible evidence of what you need to work on. I never took N2 but I found N1 easier than I had built it up in my head.
I passed N2 then passed N1 a year later. That was way back when the test was offered only once a year, in December. For both tests, I only really started studying a few months in advance, like in September, so if the test was offered twice yearly back then I probably could have done it. I didn’t have amazing scores, but a pass is a pass.
I didn’t feel like I didn’t have enough time for the reading, but I’m also pretty good at taking tests in general. For example, for the reading, you should never read the entire essay from start to finish. Read the questions first, then skim for the answer in the text. I learned that when I was taking the PSAT in high school. In the JLPT, the general area where the answer is is usually marked, so they make it pretty easy to look for the answer.
i just passed N1 in july 2023! if you practice enough, listening and reading would be fine but vocab is mostly impossible for me because i thought i knew enough kanji but i was dumb. just practice your reading, read or watch news everyday etc and look for the meaning if you see the kanji you don’t know. i was lucky enough to pass without studying at all (but i’m a uni student in japan) and it all thanks to the class i took in japanese. i would say a year is pretty enough for some people to pass n1 from n2.