Passing The JLPT

The JLPT is a test that seems to strike fear into the hearts and minds of anyone learning Japanese. November is the panic month when many applicants realise they won’t be ready for the test.  The first Sunday in December isn’t usually a happy one for most examinees.  On the test day, at least 10% of applicants don’t turn up. They give up even without trying one section. Then of the applicants who take the exam only about 45%  pass. Levels 1 and 2 are extremely diffcult with a pass rate of less than 40%.

The irony about the test is that for every single question you are given the answer. You are given the test and told to find the best answer for each question. For every question, the answer is right in front of you on the page. You just have to find it. And finding the answer ain’t easy. The test writers consistently do their best to confuse you.

As the JLPT is yet to have a section to test examinees’ speaking ability I have often thought and occassionally argued with native Japanese teachers that the JLPT doesn’t really test one’s proficiency in the language. It tests your knowledge of the language rather than your ability to communicate.  The JLPT really tests your knowledge of Japanese and deductive ability. That is,  your power to make a conclusion reached by logical reasoning on what you understand about Japanese. Your communicative ability is not really tested.

I am pretty sure that you know the JLPT is a multiple choice test.  In the test you are given four possible answers for every question. In most cases you will not be able to pick the correct answer confidently. As a result, you have to eliminate answers you know are wrong in order to find the right answer. It is quite possible to spend up 5 minutes trying answer just one question.

The main reason people fail the test is lack of test practice. I remember taking the test the first time and finding myself confused and overwhelmed with the questions. I didn’t know how to best answer them. I was jumping back and forth between questions.  All my study of kanji and grammar didn’t really help. In most questions, all answers seemed possible. So during the test I was in a constant state of doubt and confusion. I didn’t know how to go about finding the best one.

Rather than study for the test, students should practice taking the test as often as they can. Most students fail because they can’t get into a “deductive reasoning” mindset and as a result they run out of time.  Your best bet is to study and take the test under test conditions as many times as you can before the big day. This the best preparation you can do to pass the JLPT.