JLPT or "How to measure your Japanese proficiency"

JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test (or 日本語能力試験 Nihongo nouryouku shiken), the standardized Japanese proficiency measurement exam for non native-speakers.

I have decided to take this test to see my level of Japanese, but the COVID-19 ruined my plans for the previous year. This year I have eight months left to prepare for the test, which will be held in December (I hope).

So before taking the test, I have to know everything about it. 

 

General

The first JLPT test was held in 1984 and since then was revised at 2010, so be careful with the materials you are facing to prepare for the test. Make sure the are relevant and up to date. 

The test held once or twice a year (July and December) in 62 countries. The list of test sites and contact information is here.

 

Format

The test has five levels of difficulty N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 (1N - the toughest, N5 - the easiest) and divided to two sections:

Reading - To measure the knowledge level, the examinees answer questions about Kanji, vocabulary and grammar.

Listening - To check the language comprehension, examinees listen to a dialog and answer the written questions that follow after. 

 

Note: All the questions are multiple choice questions.

Note: The exams have no order. For example, you don't have to take N5 if your level of Japanese is N4.

 

Scoring

An impotent part of the exam is scoring, and it's not as straight forward as it might seem. The calculation of the test scores is not based solely on number of correct answers, but scaled basing on IRT. In short, the answering patterns are scored and not the individual questions. For more detailed explanation, visit this page.

A passing score for the exam is not so simple either. Every section of the exam has its passing mark, which is different for every exam level. The exam also has an overall passing mark for all the exam sections combined. This method prevents from examinees who score poorly for one of the sections, to pass the exam. Which is logical, I assume, but very stressing.

 

 

I will be examining every test level more closely in other posts, but you can read more in this guide.