Have you ever felt *prepared enough* for the JLPT?

Good luck! My friends who have taken N2 always say reading is the hardest and much harder than previous versions of the test. But if you’re prepared for tricky passages that will definitely help. :slightly_smiling_face:

I’ve only ever taken JLPT N4 and N3 (N2 next month!) and I only felt ready for N4… which I failed :sweat_smile:

From my experience, my feeling of preparedness was actually misguided and I didn’t truly understand the breadth of knowledge required at the time. When I took N3 (and how I feel now towards N2), I knew there are some grammar and vocab that I wasn’t 100% with, but knew and could guess where they fit some of the time.

Grind practice tests, highlight your weak points and study them. Discovering what you don’t know makes you more prepared than relying on what you do know.

Good luck everyone!

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For the headache, I recommend having something salty and something sweet, high calorie thing ready. Like salty crisps/chips and a can of cola. These together replenish the lost energy with a boost of sugar to help the tension headache.

Edit on this note: can you bring water and snack, like a granola bar with you to the test?
Sugar and water is brain food, I do not function without these, especially water, I need to drink like every 30 minutes minimum.

When I took the JLPT in Mexico City, you could drink and eat during breaks, but not in the test room (maybe water? But I didn’t see anyone drinking, and our desks were tiny and would not have had room for a water bottle.) You should be able to ask for accommodation for this when you register if you have a doctor’s note.

If you are doing a test below N2, the first part is shorter, but has a lot of instructions. These threw me off the first time because they were in Spanish, and I find it a bit difficult to switch from Spanish to Japanese (and it was about what to do in case of earthquake etc). The JLPT organization giving the test publishes a timetable with this information.

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I believe it’s okay, just not in the test room. I don’t think I’ve seen any rules against it. All the tests I’ve taken were in Japan, and I was able to eat or drink outside the test room no problem (they were super strict too). I’ve seen other people eating or buying things from vending machines too.

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