Depends where you are: in Japan, they’re pretty quick, longer and (even) more expensive for elsewhere!
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Ahh gotcha, makes sense.
I live in the US, but I wasn’t sure about timing or pricing or anything. All I could find online was about reissuance of the certificates.
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Wow, it’s so interesting to see that you got your highest score in listening! For me this is always the hardest part. Do you focus on listening so much during your studies?
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Also had to skip the last few pages of the reading! This was what was written on the board in the room: “End Time 14:10, End of Break 14:25”
So without reading and just looking at the times, I thought I had an extra 15 minutes for the reading section. Went pale when I head “5 minutes left” and was no where near finished 
Surprisingly passed but does not feel deserved.
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To everyone that took the test, you all did your best! Let’s all do our best again next time around. I’ll be attempting the N3 in July. I’m feeling nervous about taking the JLPT because it will be my first time.
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It’s been years since I’ve switched a lot of things to English (not my main language either) and also to some degree Japanese.
If I had been as radical with Japanese than I was with English earlier on, I’d be much farther by now. Immersion is key really, so lots of anime, shows, radio, and staying in Japan short of the 3 months tourist stay limit I feel is what made that skyrocket.
I also passed N3 by the sheer score I got from listening, which gave me mixed feelings, because the rest of the scores where kinda low too, like it happened with the N2 this year.
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Out of all of the people that I know that have taken the exam at any level, listening is usually always the hardest due to the least actual study resources preparing people for it. So if it’s your best score, I definitely wouldn’t be too upset. The other stuff can all be studied in the traditional way.
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I would recommend the 日本語の森 service to anybody preparing for N3-N1, especially to people that want to improve their listening scores. All the content is in Japanese and they even have technique videos for the reading and listening sections + 2 full mock exams.
Edit: Their pricing is kind of weird. One year for the whole package is reasonable but if that doesn’t work for you, try messaging them on LINE. I’ve seen people ask for N3 or N2 only and that was the response given by support.
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I felt that their mock tests were waaaay easier than the actual tests. I passed with flying colours on both of the mock tests but have failed the real tests twice 
But other than that, I thoroughly recommend it. You get listening practice and you get grammar understanding all in Japanese!
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Took N1 and failed lmao, no big deal though, it was my first attempt and I didn’t really study for it at all. Actually did better on the vocab section than I thought.
My reading absolutely sucked though so I know where I need to focus.
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Dang, I completely forgot to come back here to report my test results. Like some of you, I was sure I failed the N3 test, but was surprised to know I ended up passing it (just barely though 
). This was my first time taking the JLPT test after all, so I’ll take it. I managed to get A’s on Vocabulary and Grammar though (Thanks BunPro!!)
Congratulations to everyone, regardless if you passed or not. Taking this test is already an achievement that not many people can boast about. As long as your putting the work, that’s all that matters 
.
Next I plan on taking the JLPT N1 test in two years. Let’s keep working hard everyone!!
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Congratulations!
Just out of interest, (why) are you skipping N2?
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It’s because in order for me to take the JLPT I have to fly to Miami, since that’s the only city in Florida that offers it. I could drive there, but it’s about the same price as flying, plus it takes ~4 hours to get there by car as opposed to ~45 mins by plane. Personally I’d like to arrive to Miami the day before the test, so that I’m rested for the exam, which means I also have to pay for a hotel for the night. Also factor in Uber/Rental expenses to move around and food expenses, not to mention the price of admission to take the JLPT. Then return back home the same day of the test since I have work the next day (Monday).
As you can see, it’s expensive and not the most convenient for me to take the JLPT, which is why I waited until I was about N3 level to take it for the first time, and it’s also the reason why I will wait until I’m N1 level to take it again. Hopefully that will be the last 
.
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Makes sense - it sure isn’t the easiest of tests to take logistically and is quite expensive when including all expenses and buying a certificate, even though it’s multiple choice 
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頑張ってよ！
私はいつも日本語能力試験を取ったことがないけどこの冬はN3以上を取りたいよ。N2かN1を取りたいよ！
アメリカ人だから冬だけにこの試験があるよ。皆頑張ってください、よく勉強して！！
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I’d love to learn more about their scoring criteria, I took the N3 as well and ended up receiving a 34/60 on Grammar but still only received a B on reference information. I wonder what ended up curving the grades, if it’s the comprehension of more obscure grammar, specific portions of the test, or something else.
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「よ」を使いすぎることは注意してください。例えば、「頑張ってね！」って言いた方がいいですよ。「頑張ってよ」って一方で、ちょっと失礼だと思います。でも、僕は日本人じゃないから、その情報が正しくないでしょう。
I often hear this as 頑張ってぉ
Reading is definitely the way to improve with Japanese! Have you tried reading 漫画 or 小説 every day? This is my new routine and my reading level has been increasing quickly!
Good luck.
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