JLPT: Passing the muster
Posted: May 10, 2009 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Japanese, JLPT, Language | 3 Comments »It’s been about 2 months since I took the first mock JLPT test from this helpful book, so this weekend I felt it was time to try again. As mentioned in the previous post, I failed the first mock test, especially in listening (chōkai 聴解), reading comprehension (dokkai 読解) and vocabulary (goi 語彙).
In the previous 2 months, I have spent everyday studying, memorizing, listening to Japanese and practicing trying to improve these areas, so yesterday, while Mommy went shopping and Baby was asleep, I pulled out the mock test book and took test #2. Immediately, I noticed that the test was easier than last time. In the listening section, I noticed the biggest difference. Some questions I still didn’t understand because I didn’t understand a keyword, but for many questions, I could understand the dialogue much more easily. In some cases, I could understand the entire dialogue perfectly!
Reading comprehension also improved a lot. Because I’ve been practicing a lot reading stories from White Rabbit Press (the Graded Reader Series), the reading sections were much easier. On the other hand, some sections like vocabulary were still hard, despite studying frequently. I knew the words, but sections that test usage were just as hard as before.
So how did I do?
Like the real JLPT test, you need a 60% passing score, and the mock test uses similar scoring. I don’t know about the real test, but in the mock test, 240 out of 400 is a passing score. I was pleased to see that I passed with a score of 277 (69%). Listening and vocabulary were just under 60%, while the other three sections (kanji, reading, grammar) were all well over. Even though I still didn’t do that well in listening, I improved my score. In one section I had 3 out of 13 questions right in the first test, but this time the score was 8 out of 13.
So, practice really made a difference. It took time, and I couldn’t rush things, but daily practice has made the difference. I told my wife about this and her reply was jishin kowai (自信怖い). She was teasing me by saying that my confidence was scary. In other words, I am being over-confident. This was just a mock test, and I still have 6 months until the real test.
Scoring 70% means that 30% (almost 1 out of 3) of the questions were wrong. So, I still make lots of mistakes. I still feel like I did too much guessing in some sections. Also, I am not sure how the difficulty of the mock test compares with the real test, even though it confirms to test guidelines. I have also purchased a nice set of 3 past JLPT tests (2004-2006), so I will try the first of these in July, or two months from now. If I do this every two months, I should be ready for the real thing.
…and then on to JLPT level 2! 
Update: The mock test book does use the same scoring system as JLPT, so if the difficulty is the same, then I should be able to pass. 
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
Sounds good!!!
70% and six months in hand. I doubt you’ll have problems passing.
My advice is concentrate on your weak point where you are more likely to pick up extra points. (diminishing returns and all that)
I found that general reading helped a lot just in processing the questions quickly to allow me to answer them.
The mock test book’s test is of the same kind as the actual test.
I’d also look at the marks distribution and allocate your time accordingly when doing the test.
Hopefully this will increase your enthusiasm that seemed to be flagging in an earlier post.
Thanks a lot Robert! I was excited to get your input on this since you’ve been there before.
Yeah, my biggest weakness, surprisingly enough, is vocabulary. I really thought I’d do better since I studied vocab a lot, but when it came to actual word usage (and those tricky “find a similar sentence” questions), I flailed around a lot in confusion. I think I’ve memorized the meanings well enough, but application of those words is another matter I guess. Keigo messed me up too, but I haven’t spent much time on that, so you’re right in that I should keep practicing. Listening of course is a life-time practice, so I will keep up the work there.
I started the Bojinsha mock test (covered on yoru blog) yesterday and it confirmed that vocab was an issue, though I think their opening test is just way too easy. Nevertheless I like the exercises afterwards, so I will keep trying.
Yeah, it help revive my enthusiasm, though at the same time, I already see my mind mentally slacking off because of my “good enough score”. Can’t be idle with such things.
Cheers!