The results for the JLPT came in the mail yesterday. I passed 2kyuu!
My score was 258 out of 400 (240 is passing). I just barely passed, but I’ll take it.
My scores were:
Vocab/Kanji – 74/100
Listening – 56 / 200
Reading/Grammar – 128 / 200
My overall score is about what I was expecting based on all the practice tests I did, but the scores for the individual sections were a little different. On all the practice tests, I would consistently get about 85% on the Vocab/Kanji, 75% on the listening, and 55% on Reading/Grammar. However, on the actual tests I made a few careless mistakes on vocab and I also ran out of time and left a couple questions blank, and my listening score took a hit because I had trouble hearing the questions over the noise of the 300 people in the classroom turning the pages of the test booklet in unison. But my reading score was helped out by a few lucky guesses.
I took the test after studying Japanese for 3.5 years, although my first two years of study were not very productive. Starting out, I didn’t really know how to study Japanese well. If I could start again knowing what I do now, I probably could learn everything from those first two years in 6 months. So I’d guess that I passed 2kyuu with about 2 years worth of efficient study.
Since I took the test in December, I haven’t had much motivation to study, but soon I’m going to start commuting to Tokyo for my new job, so I’ll have about 2 hours on the train each day. If I can use that time to study, I might be able to make good progress towards 1kyuu. I think a good goal might be to try for taking the 1kyuu in Summer of 2010.
sneaky
Good job
w00t!
Now more than ever you should really concentrate on Japanese speaking skills. Reading will continue to come and writing with it, but I’ve always found that speaking can just stay stuck if you’re not really out there and genki about practice.
Interestingly enough my Japanese continues to get better, at least to my ear. I also understand more TV and conversations than I did since I left. Makes me think I should really hunker down and just learn this fucking language already. I have a feeling I could be really really good at it if I’d just get off my ass.
Ya at least from my experience, if you do a burst of intensive study, you could probably see really nice, quick results.
Of course continuously studying day after day is probably the fastest and best way to progress…but intense periods of study after slacking off are probably the most satisfying and productive. Even when you are not actively studying, you are still picking up stuff…random words you off TV, new grammar you hear in conversation, etc. So then when you ramp up the studying, there is a lot of stuff already half-learned ready to be consolidated and firmly implanted in your brain, . (For example, learning the kanji for all the random words you picked up from TV).
Good job! I’m still waiting for the result. I think I’ll get it in the mail soon.
My listening skill is pretty bad, maybe because I don’t get a chance to communicate with Japanese that often.