JLPT December 2026

Japanese
#121

Tbh!! I’m all up for visiting cities where other Bunpro users are taking exams! Especially since I’m going out of my way to travel anyway. I think it’d be so cool to meet forum people irl during the JLPT weekend. That’d be awesome.

Lyon is certainly an option for me, but there is a pretty big difference in travel times. There’s a direct Eurostar connection between Rotterdam and Paris (about 2 hours) while Rotterdam to Lyon is apparently between 5 hours 17 minutes and 6 hours 30 minutes, depending on the specific route. At least, that’s what I gather from a shallow Google AI answer–I haven’t done extensive research yet.

But looking at pictures of Lyon, that city is sooo gorgeous♥. Would totally love to visit.

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#122

Both actually. I’ll let you know how it goes!

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#123

Yeah I’m mostly joking dw ! There is an additional 2h of train between Paris and Lyon, which is kind of a lot for just a weekend. A mere 3h to go to the Paris summer edition is already too much for me :joy: If you do decide to go through with it I’d be happy to hang out tho. Lyon in winter is pretty nice with the Christmas market and overall decorations and if I’m not mistaken the JLPT will be on the same weekend as “la fête des lumières”, a big light shows festival that’s held every year in early December

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#124

I have actually booked a hotel near Dusseldorf test site and made it a Japan-style weekend trip from December 5th through 7th, lol. It’s a 3-hour drive so on Sunday I want to start fresh on the exam, but also Dusseldorf has a Japanese Garden, Buddhist temple and “Little Tokio” area which I want to visit. So added an extra day to enjoy myself a little while doing some final reviews. :smiley:

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#125

Going to take N3 in December.

Passed 2級 way back in 2011 but never had the chance to go for N1. Was originally going to aim for N2 this December but been too busy with work and life stuff to dedicate serious time to get back into the game.

I’m in a new far less stressful job assignment and have lots of free time for at least the next four years…so the plan is N3 this December, N2 in July, and first N1 attempt the following December…

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#126

I passed N4 last December, but there’s no way I’ll be ready for N3 in a year with my study habits. I’ll sit out this year.

I feel as a mid-40s guy not living in Japan who studies as a hobby, N3 is probably my theoretical max.

2 Likes
#127

Just took my first practice test for the N5 on here. I think the only surprise for me in the results is that I did WAY better on listening than I was expecting. Clearly I need to work more on reading skills/grammar, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. In this case, I think it’s more the reading than the grammar that let me down, as well as not knowing what I was supposed to do on one set of questions (again, reading failed me here because I couldn’t fully comprehend what was being asked of me)

So I know now what I need to focus on moving forward! I have 4 more practice tests that I haven’t seen at all, and I plan on taking one every 4 weeks from today on! I may come back to this first test at some point and re-take at least a section or two on it, but not right away. I want to be sure I’ve forgotten as much as possible before I attempt this specific set of questions again.

A question for those who have taken the test before:
On the listening section, I had to rewind and listen to the audio a second or third time on a few of the questions. Is this something that’s possible/allowed on the test? Or do you get one chance to listen and that’s that?

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#128

They do not replay the listening audio, if you’re using Bunpro’s practice JLPT tests strictly to practice the format of the JLPT then it’s better to only listen to the audio one time through.

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#129

That’s good to know for sure. I definitely would have gotten fewer correct if I only had one chance to hear them, so I’ll have to continue working on listening comprehension, as I suspected. I’ll make sure and treat the Bunpro tests the same way moving forward as well, so that I get an experience closer to the real thing.

Thanks!

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#130

One difference between the mock test and the real test though is that on the real thing you can read the question and answers before having to listen to the audio. Provided you answered the previous question quickly enough.

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#131

Yeah I felt like you had plenty of time to read ahead especially because of the examples questions and answers that play before the real ones.
However dont underestimate the time it takes to fill out the blobs or god forbid if you change your mind on an answer.

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#132

Makes sense for sure! I’ll definitely need to continue to improve my reading speed. Not only do I already know I need to, but it also sounds like that will help provide an advantage in the listening section.

Thanks for the input everyone!

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#133

My confirmation for N4 in Stuttgart, Germany just came via e-mail yesterday. Eek!

5 Likes
#134

Thats’s great! I’ve just read today, that registration is closed.

#135

Wowza, that was fast! Have you already heard from them?

#136

I’m taking the N2 this December in Texas. Just got 59.4% on the bunpro N2 practice test, so not awesome, but definitely an improvement over where I was when I took the actual N2 last December. I would like to bring that score up to about 90 by late November.

N2 kanji and grammar will be completed by October, so I anticipate my struggle areas will be pure vocab and listening. Though I admit, kanji is probably the only area that I feel any confidence in…

3 Likes
#137

I’m planning on taking the N3 in Saitama. It’s my first time doing the JLPT, I originally wanted to take it in July but missed the application period just due to pure cluelessness lol. Ability-wise I’m in a weird spot where I think I’ve been past the level of being able to pass N3 for quite a while, but N2 still feels a million miles off so I want to take it just to get something under my belt. I’m currently doing JET, which offers grants for people who take the JLPT and pass, so it would feel silly to not make use of it lol

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#138

A month away from the rat race of trying to get a seat for the test in the US. This will stress me out way more than the actual test. Hopefully, everyone got their desired spot.

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#139

@julikamd I haven’t registered, but as I might next year, I wanted to find out in advance how the registration process works in Stuttgart and how fast I have to be :grin:

@burgerkingler I’m rooting for you with your studies :muscle: Four months are enough to reach awesomeness :star2:

@gavstew oh yeah, I know that weird in-between spot. But I think from N3 on, it’s not a bad idea to test the waters if it’s your first JLPT test, especially if it also benefits JET or something else. Not because you might be overestimating yourself, but because the actual test is simply a completely different situation than any mock exam or podcast episode or whatever, and it’s for sure nice to experience it without having to worry about passing the test. So go for it :+1:

@HagiIshiku I remember how shocked I was when I found out that spots are limited and registration is closed very fast. My thought was: The test starts even before the actual test :scream: But things will work out for you :muscle:

Somehow I’m in the mood for motivating people :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: Guys, this is going to go amazing in December!!! :joy:

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#140

hello! long time lurker, first time poster.
i will take my first JLPT this dec, registration for my country is next month :slight_smile:

i’m studying for about 3 years now. i used tobira lightly, wanikani for kanji (which im about N2 level at) reading manga and accessible books for enjoyment, and trying to understand more grammar here now. i spoke a lot with my friends and lived in kyoto for about a year on uni exchange, and i have yeaaaars of passive listening done, so my everyday vocab is solid. but the N2 listening seems very… many specific vocabs.

doing practice tests: i pass N3 easily, so if i sit it, it will be fine and i’ll have the paper, but i’m more interested to take N2. my reading speed is good, but i am not scoring well on listening AT ALL (which is usually a good skill of mine.) got 13 out of 60 last try but 65% on the reading. these are the Bunpro practice tests btw. i thought the reading was two sets of 60 marks?

advice? i have enough time to commit to two hours a day focused exam prep. ty!

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