JLPT in London 2008

[hairlet]

This thread has been inspired by the JLPT New York thread...

Anyone taking the JLPT in London this year? If so, at what level?

I'm jumping straight into JLPT 3. I've managed to find past papers, and MP3s on the 'net... its quite difficult. But its worth a go!

[Bronze]

Hi Hairlet!

Yeah, I plan to be taking the JLPT in London this year. Not actually signed up yet though. I was thinking I'd do level 4 just to be safe/easy rather than rushing/hard. But I'll see how the next month goes ^_^

[hairlet]

Cool.

Whereabouts are you based? I live around Manchester.

Also, any idea how much it costs? The revelant website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/languagecentre/awards/jlpt/) doesn't seem to tell you...

[Taurus]

I was half thinking of aiming for JLPT 3 this year, but I really haven't had time to learn any Japanese for much of this year. I guess I've left it too late now. I'm not sure I see the point in taking JLPT 4...

[His_Royal_Mudge]

It does if you click on the FAQ section... it says £60 for all levels It also says £60 on my application form so I guess that's that.

@Taurus: why not get some past 4kyuu papers? Cheaper than the test itself and you can see how well you're doing without committing to the actual test.

who's up for a post test congratulatory/commiserative drink?

[Taurus]

Yeah, that's why I don't think I really want to pay £60: judging by past papers and sample questions online, I think I'd pass JLPT4 pretty easily. I'd rather step up to the JLPT3, but this year might be a bit soon considering the amount of time I'll be able to devote to my studies etc.

[Javizy]

It does if you click on the FAQ section... it says £60 for all levels It also says £60 on my application form so I guess that's that.

@Taurus: why not get some past 4kyuu papers? Cheaper than the test itself and you can see how well you're doing without committing to the actual test.

who's up for a post test congratulatory/commiserative drink?

Do you have any papers you could send me, or links to sites? I had difficulty finding them before. I've been studying for about 18 months, but I've got no idea how I'd fare at the lower level JLPT.

[Taurus]

Do you have any papers you could send me, or links to sites? I had difficulty finding them before. I've been studying for about 18 months, but I've got no idea how I'd fare at the lower level JLPT.

I think this thread has a few links to past papers that you can buy (the books that I link to in that thread come with CDs for the audio part of the test, too).

I'm sure there's a link to a website that has sample questions, too, but I can't seem to find it. Actually, I can. It's here (you need to click 'online teaching', then 'weekly tests' from the menu on the left).

[Bronze]

I'm sure you'd fare well enough. It depends slightly on what you've studied - I'm probably at a level 3 standard, but different to what the test has actually set. E.g. I have the required amount of words in my vocabulary, just the wrong ones.

I'm based in London and Exeter. Outskirts of south west london being my home, Exeter being where I go to university. Haven't checked dates well enough to know where I'll be at the time of the test though.

And it would be cool for JPod people to meet up/drink. As I sure won't be knowing anyone else there!

[Javizy]

Do you have any papers you could send me, or links to sites? I had difficulty finding them before. I've been studying for about 18 months, but I've got no idea how I'd fare at the lower level JLPT.

I think this thread has a few links to past papers that you can buy (the books that I link to in that thread come with CDs for the audio part of the test, too).

I'm sure there's a link to a website that has sample questions, too, but I can't seem to find it. Actually, I can. It's here (you need to click 'online teaching', then 'weekly tests' from the menu on the left).

Thanks for the links. I tried the Level 4 placement test and got 60/60, but most of it was stuff covered in newbie lessons. I think my study has been lacking this kind of thing; it might help me find areas that I need to work on. Thanks again.

[Taurus]

From the two or three official past papers that I've done, those placement tests seem fairly accurate in terms of the difficulty.

[hairlet]

A drink after the exam sounds grand. I'll probably have to catch a train back to Manchester at about 7ish, but should be plenty of time to socialise.

[hairlet]

By the way, I managed to find past papers AND audio files going back to 2001. PM me and I can email them to you (they're in PDF and .mp3 formats)

[Javizy]

I tried the placement Level 3 and got 59/60, and scraped a pass on the Level 2. I found about 10 or more grammar points I need to look up, which is good. Other than that, vocabulary is the big issue.

I think I could probably go for Level 2 next year if I wanted, but judging from that test it's so far away from real Japanese that, as a qualification, it seems pretty pointless. Since you can test yourself on the lower levels with past papers and stuff, I think I'll just go for Level 1 in a few years or something.

[Taurus]

I think I could probably go for Level 2 next year if I wanted, but judging from that test it's so far away from real Japanese that, as a qualification, it seems pretty pointless.

I don't know about pointless. I think the JLPT levels are good goals to aim for, to help motivate study.

But you're right - I think that unless you've got JLPT 1, it's not a very useful qualification in terms of employment etc., and I think its usefulness is slightly hindered by the timing of the exam. I'm in a similar boat as you: I feel that I could pass level 4 easily so I don't see the point of taking it in December, because by then I hope to have moved on with my studies.