How can i improve my scores on the JLPT N5 test?

I just recently attempted the Bunpro JLPT N5 test. I took it seriously, sat in my office, put on a timer and hit go. This is my first genuine attempt at the exam. Currently I’ve just started chapter 9 of Genki (my main source of Grammar) and I’ve been using the Bunpro standard deck for SRS grammar. On the side I’m using Anki plus a shared deck for the Genki vocab. I have two months to improve, what can I do for the most gain during the time that I have? One thing that I feel like I’m failing with, is the immersion aspect. I rarely see japanese outside of Genki or the anki deck. Is there anything that I could do passively (or actively but not just sat at my desk) that could help with my exposure? Any assistance is appreciated!

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That vocab score is looking very good though! And congratulations on getting a pass! :tada:

Hm… when practicing grammar, do you read the complete sentences that Bunpro has? I think they’re great as a source of reading practice because they’re always suited to the level you’re currently studying for.

If you’re OK with trying stories have some N4 stuff mixed in, a Japanese friend recommended this website to me: Fairy Tales and Short Stories with Easy Japanese

[Edit] Actually, I just listened to one of those stories (the one about the grateful crane) and I think it’s a pretty big jump from N5… There’s also Bunpro’s own reading practice. JLPT Reading Practice | Bunpro

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FWIW you’re still early in your studies, so probably a lot of knowledge hasn’t had a chance to fully internalise yet.

Passively - you could listen to nihongo con teppei in the background
Test prep - I recommend trying out TRY! N5 (a test prep textbook) if you are concerned about passing the test and can afford it

Edited to add a wee preview of what TRY looks like on the inside

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Thanks! I’ve actually been struggling a little bit with the grammar that Bunpro has. I started off with the Genki deck but the example sentences were just so all over the place it just wasn’t helping as a revision tool. The advice on here was to stick to the Bunpro deck for the n+1 benefits, but the issue that I’ve found with that, is that Bunpro shows you limited information for each grammar point and then immediately throws you in the deep end. You’re immediately tested for grammar that you haven’t practiced. I intend to make a list for grammar leeches on Bunpro and then study then using a separate resource but I’m yet to do that. The listening I’m not sure how to address yet lol, i feel like the 50% score was completely by chance!

I would work on reading practices (you can do the ones on here or also use ones from JLPT-specific books, and genki has some at the back) and test-specific listening practice. I would also pull up the Genki listening and work on those as well and relisten until you feel like you are properly hearing it.

If the grammar/reading is mostly a grammar issue (I can’t tell based on the results) then I would work on practicing those more as well. Are you taking a class in Genki or self-studying? If you’re self studying, I would work on the activities in the main text to make sure you’re getting good practice with that.

Sou-matome has a good set of JLPT books, and for N5 it’s only one book instead of 4, so that could also be a good resource.

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That one (the Try N5) is also available digitally, so pretty cheap (something like $8, if I remember correctly). It’s on the Ask website. I used it, and it’s pretty friendly. It includes audio, so there’s listening practice as well.

For listening practice, I recommend looking up Ken’s YouTube channel. His listening game is useful for N5. He describes common things, and you listen and try to guess what he’s describing. Here’s a link to that playlist.

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This is likely due to the fact that (to not speak on behalf of content team) the example sentences are written to build off of each other with the default Bunpro order in mind. This is because they introduce things at a pre-determined order so you’re never going to be tested on something you haven’t learned yet. With textbook decks, they have their own ordering so unless we created thousands of example sentences for each resource, it’s difficult to avoid the problem you’re running into with the team size we have.

fwiw I had a similar problem when I started using Bunpro years ago and was using the TaeKim ordering. i eventually switched to bunpro’s ordering (which has been improved upon a lot since then) and most every problem kind of went away instantly. this is something that’s been asked a lot on the forums and that typically seems to be the general answer given to people. it may make following Genki a little tougher than normal, but in my honest opinion, the time it’ll save later on in N4+ by following the bunpro order will outweigh the initial pain.

if you have any other questions feel free to keep asking, happy to help out however i can! :mage:

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Well. Two months is a lot of time and the N5 exam is very basic. As long as you get through the bunpro deck I reckon you’ll pass the grammar section without issue.

It might seem like you’re far off now but I reckon you’re on the verge of just having it. Even if you finish the Bunpro N5 deck, go on to N4 grammar points. Learning new grammar is the easiest way to master old grammar. It’s more effective than drilling the old stuff by a lot.

As for listening, there is a lot of JLPT N5 level listening material available on YouTube. Many of it is specifically geared for helping people pass the N5.

Grammar, it looks like you’re getting close. The Bunpro grammar questions are great. Once again, looking online you can find resources. As well, I can’t speak for the N5 version, but the N3 and N4 version of this book served me well with lots of test questions and examples similar to the real test.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32375921023&dest=USA&ref_=ps_ggl_17730880232&cm_mmc=ggl--US_Shopp_Trade_10to20--product_id=US9784789018173USED-_-keyword=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17190383924&gbraid=0AAAAAD3Y6gsVUaYVSGSNZ_zkYS9bV5gqx&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2MbPBhCSARIsAP3jP9zHflS-LmIU84YGYpGLSY1Y_zOl1M7LpJf8EGEV7Kk9O0yh7MX8A1oaAuN9EALw_wcB

2 months is enough time to pass this if you’re able to put in 1 to 2 hours/day. There’s just not that much material, and it looks like you’re getting close.

As for right now, I just love the idea of

  1. Doing a test.
  2. Working on mistakes, understanding not understood, noticing new words and understanding their meaning clearly.
  3. Doing another test.

I feel like it’s basically the fastest way to improve at tests (and a very good way to improve in a language as well)

There are 2 free N5 tests on migii (and 18 more if you pay), people say they are very good.
And also there are some tests (again 2 free and 8 paid) in Todai Japanese app. I’ve seen it being recommended but I haven’t heard anything about their quality, but probably they are good.
Also there are some books, more websites, again 4 tests here.

Regarding grammar, you can also give Game Gengo a try. It’s a fun thing to watch/listen to in the background while you’re doing something else and their N5 grammar series might help you solidify some concepts through direct exemples :slight_smile:

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I do have one related question, and that is why is the Bunpro grammar deck so different to the Genki grammar? I don’t mean order, but more content. There’s a lot covered in Bunpro N5 that Genki doesn’t and it’s true vice versa. Is Bunpro more accurate to the n5 because it’s specifically geared towards it? I understand that Genki is not n5 specific, it just covered a lot og ground because it’s a beginner text book

That’d be because Genki I isn’t teaching every “N5” grammar point, they’re just teaching you what they deem to be super important for beginners to get a grasp of the language. So in that respect Bunpro is going to have a lot more because it’s casting a wider net. Like you said, Bunpro would be more accurate for the N5 level for sure, to put it simply.

I’m not sure what content Genki covers that Bunpro doesn’t, unless you mean Vocab which I guess would make sense since there’s probably some words they teach that we don’t use in our N5 deck. Some of the Genki II grammar stuff may appear in the N4 Bunpro grammar decks, I can’t remember off the top of my head how Genki II is structured since it’s been so long.

Hope that answered your question a bit!

I think between Genki I and II, they cover just about everything you would see on the N5 and N4 tests. But they don’t fully overlap with what Bunpro considers distinct ‘grammar points’. Bunpro is slightly more granular and sometimes what is covered as vocabulary in Genki is sometimes considered a grammar point in Bunpro. I also think the textbook decks slightly underrepresent what’s covered in the textbooks due to this, but it’s hard to quantify because Genki is much more about teaching sentence patterns. This becomes more pronounced once you get to Quartet, imo. Those books have about 3000 vocab words and grammar points between them but the decks represent about half that.

Migii is very good for drilling JLPT type questions and the tests themselves as they have full-length practice tests with the same time limits as the real thing. It really gets you used to the tropes and the types of questions they tend to ask which can be quite formulaic so the repetition really does help

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