Seven Strategies for passing the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Tests)
Here are some general tips for JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Tests)the with specific references to the N5 exam.
Build your vocabulary Divide vocabulary into topic areas such as everyday items in the house, common adjectives, family members, shopping/train station expressions. A look at the JLPT Can-do Self-Evaluation List | JLPT Japanese-Language Proficiency Test gives an indication of the theme of many of the questions.
One area needing concentrated practice will be kanji. But remember kanji and vocabulary are 2 different things, and both are important. For example, in one question, you might see the word for car, kuruma, in the kanji 車, in another question it might be displayed in the hiragana くるま.
I found actual flashcards easier to use than apps such as Memrise and Anki. Writing flashcards yourself can be more fun and productive than any game or app, and it doesn’t require any electricity.
Link your vocabulary Use your words in a short sentence. Take the word 上 UE (above/on) for example. 本は つくえの上 に あります (HON WA TSUKUE NO UE NI ARIMASU / The book is on the table). You can then switch 上 UE with related location words such as 下 SHITA (below / underneath).
Collecting opposites is useful as well. Take 明るい AKARUI (bright) for instance whose kanji is made up of the Sun and the Moon. The opposite word is 暗い KURAI (dark) made up of the kanji for Sun and sound.
AKARUI and KURAI connects to other common N5 words such as あかい (red) and あき (autumn - the red leaf season), KURO (black).
Awareness of how the adjectives and verbs conjugate can be helpful as well. For example, can you say it wasn’t dark? ーー－ー－－ー－－ くらくなかった
Finally, use post-it notes to label everyday items (and family members) in your house.
Learn the layout The exam has been held twice a year all over the world for many years. The format stays the same. Knowing the format saves huge amounts of time in the exam. Common exam expressions include:
１・２・３・４から いちばん いい もの を 一つ えらんでください (Choose the most suitable one from 1-4)
だいたい おなじ いみ (Approximately the same meaning) This question asks entrants to look for the 2 sentences with roughly the same meaning.
This is where knowing opposites is crucial such as でんきを つける (switch the light on), and でんきを けす (switch the light off).
The sentence: そのえいが は おもしろくなった です。(That film wasn’t interesting) might be rephrased as
そのえいが は つまらなかった です。(That film was boring)
This question can be the most confusing: ＊に 入る もの は どれ です か (Which of 1-4 goes in the ＊?). . Entrants have to rearrange 4 jumbled parts of a sentence to find which one of the 4 parts should go in the ＊ . This question definitely requires some practice.
Read lots at your level Reading is a fantastic way to become comfortable with Japanese at your own pace. You can build vocabulary and grammar awareness while having a bit of fun.
Amongst the enormous number of online resources for reading, I recommend having a look at N5 (dokushoclub.com) Stories like ピーターラビットのお話 PIITAA RABITTO NO O-HANASHI (The story of Peter Rabbit) are good for N5. Some are audio books you can use as listening and reading practice.
Regular reading helps familiarise entrants with natural expressions to link sentences such as だから (because of that / therefore).
NHK has a lot of free Japanese learning resources as well. See examples of the interactions in shops / train stations that are likely to appear in N5. ビデオ - レッスン6 この電車は池袋に行きますか | やさしい日本語 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN
Write and say the words Enhance the learning of a word by writing it out and/or saying it a few times. This enhances physical memory of the word. If you have used had to write out all those kanji or hiragana strokes, or tried to wrap your tongue around all those vowel sounds, you are more likely to remember it better.
In the process, you might notice a connection with similar looking characters such as 車 (KURUMA / car) looks like 東 ( HIGASHI east), and how 四日 (YOKKA / the 4th) sounds like 八日 (YOUKA / the 8th) .
Active listening Practice listening in different ways. With more difficult conversations, you might just try to catch as many words as you can. I spent many many hours doing this in Japan.
With conversations closer to your level though, try imitating what it is said. Could you repeat it? Can you write down what was said? This is active listening.
With audio, you can press pause and do a ‘listen and repeat’ exercise, or just note down words from the conversation for reference.
You can even use level-appropriate audio as a dictation exercise. Or keep listening to the same conversation until you can say it all yourself.
Practice listening to as many sample test questions as you can such as from here: JLPT N5 Listening Practice With Answers 2020 - YouTube
The listening questions follow the same format.
Listening questions for N5 normally start by saying where the conversation is taking place eg in question 1 from the linked video: くつした の みせで (In a sock shop).
The question then explains who is speaking: おんなのひと と みせのひとが はなしています。(A woman and a shop assistant are talking)
The question is then asked, in this case: どのくつしたを かいますか (Which socks will they buy).
Students choose the most appropriate picture to fit the answer.
In the above example, students have to choose from 4 pictures of slightly different socks.
Look at the pictures before the question to give you an idea what vocabulary to listen for. In this case, the 4 pictures are of animal and flower patterned long and short socks. Sure enough, in the audio all of those words appear:
ながいの (long ones) みじかいの (short ones)
くだもの の え (picture of fruit) と どうぶつ の え (and picture of animals)
Finally, keep testing yourself Use flashcards, mock papers and whatever else you can get hold of. Do a mini mock exam as early as possible to find your weak points. Then work on those weak points.
Link up with other people taking the exam on social media, or with other Brighton Japan Club members or Shimaguni students. Sharing tips and support can provide motivation and encouragement.