JLPT exam practices and tips

Japanese
#1

Hello, in this thread, I aim to gather all possible tricks to approach the actual JLPT exam / specific questions on each level, especially N3 since I signed up for the July JLPT :slight_smile:

This thread is not about what we do to prepare, like using bunpro or anki, learning kanji etc, but how to approach specific questions/ sections in a systematic way to maximize success. JLPT is a structured exam, which means it needs a structured approach. I did the same with other language exams to maximize my chances.

For example, in another topic someone mentioned a good approach for the reading part, which I can attest works well, I used the same in the DELE on C1 level.

This approach I used with other language exams as well, is studying as regular up to one month before the exam and use the last month only to practice the specific exam. First, I would practice the different sections separately, and after that I would do timed full exams. Once I compete a section/ exam, I go through the mistaken points to analyze them, to identify weak parts and systematic issues.

I found this page for the N3 JLPT, which is imho a treasure trove of tips, recommend checking it out.

Another page with JLP strategy tips, I recommend having a look.

Analyze your JLPT practice tests - identify what was the mistake and understand why, and understand why the correct choice is the correct one.
Analyze which sections are easier for you, and which ones are harder. In the test, go for the easy wins.

Except for the audio, you do not need to go through the sections in order.
Wherever you can, start with the easy sections first and go back to the hard ones later - even if it means making an educated guess.
After the easy ones, go for the highest scoring sections.
Do the hard sections/ lower score sections only in the end.

9 Likes
#2

Section A — Language Knowledge (Vocabulary + Kanji)

  1. Kanji Reading (漢字読み) (8 points)
    Choose the correct reading for an underlined kanji term.
  • Read the entire sentence first before looking at options. Context determines reading; maybe you will know the right response even before looking at the possible answers.
  • Check conjugation to identify usual predictable patterns.
  • Eliminate clearly wrong responses (there is usually at least 2, which simply seem wrong).

Use the following rules to narrow down remaining options.

  • Single kanji alone → often kun‑yomi

  • Kanji + okurigana → kun‑yomi

  • Two‑kanji compound → commonly on‑yomi

  • Beware multiple‑reading kanji like 生, 行, 上, 下 - learn these in comparison to each other, with example sentences. Context reveals correct reading.

  • Pay attention to similar-looking but wrong options - double check that you select the right reading.

  • Pay attention to context for the correct reading: 行く → いく, 行う → おこなう.

  • Memorize high frequency multiple-reading kanji in advance.

  • Don’t spend too much time on one question. If you know it, select it.

  • Do not second guess your choice unless you can clearly identify why it is wrong and what is the correct choice instead. Research shows that second guessing leads to mistakes.

  • Read the sentence together with final selection to confirm fit.

If you are do not know the response, use the structured elimination rules to narrow down the possibly correct choices.

  1. Orthography / Correct Spelling / Kana Conversion (6 points)
    Choose correct kana spelling or written form.
  • Understand the sentence context first. Meaning determines which homophone/similar word is correct
  • Check the part of speech (verb/noun/adjective) - verbs need correct okurigana, nouns often have no okurigana
  • Identify the object/particle that goes with the underlined word
  • Eliminate wrong kanji based on meaning - similar-looking kanji with different meanings are usually traps
  • Verify okurigana placement is standard; wrong placement = wrong answer
  • Check okurigana - if in doubt, choose modern standard form (less hiragana)
  • Read out the full sentence in your head. Does it sound natural?

Beware of homophones (same sound, different kanji).

  1. Contextually Defined Expressions (語彙の使い方) (11 points)
    Choose correct word given context.
  • Read the entire sentence for tone and context
  • Identify: Formal/casual? Positive/negative? Abstract/concrete? Action/state?
  • Identify the grammatical requirements
  • Check what comes before and after the blank: particles, verb forms, noun/verb type to orient yourself
  • Eliminate grammatically impossible options
  • Usually there are 2 clearly wrong Japanese choices. Wrong verb type, wrong particle, incompatible conjugation - train yourself in the mock exam to spot these to eliminate quickly.
  • Check natural collocations and meaning fit.
  • Some words naturally pair together. Does this combination sound natural? Does meaning fit?
  • Verify formality level match
  • Casual context needs casual words/grammar; formal context needs formal vocabulary/grammar.*

Elimination strategies:

  • Check the particle - verb compatibility
  • Check the verb type compatibility
  • If the sentence has を object, you need a transitive verb.
  • If sentence has が subject only, you need intransitive verb.
  • Remember common noun+verb combinations, learn these as phrases.
  • Match the context - formal, neutral, casual - if the choice does not match the sentence context, eliminate.
  1. Paraphrases (言い換え) (5 points)
    Select synonyms or near‑synonyms.

*Read the sentence to understand context
The same word can have different meanings in different contexts!
** Identify both meaning and nuance
*Don’t just match dictionary definition - match feeling, formality, connotation
*Eliminate options that change core meaning
Eliminate options which do not fit the formality level.
For partial matches - check which fits the sentence meaning/ nuance.
*Opposite meanings, different word classes, wrong formality → cross out
*Test remaining options by substitution
*Read the sentence together with final selection - does match the meaning/ feeling of the sentence and does it sound natural?

  1. Word Usage / Collocations (5 points)
    Based on sentence context, choose the natural vocabulary item.

*Understand the target word’s usage rules
What particles does it take? Formal/casual? Transitive/intransitive?
*Scan all four sentences quickly
Get overview - note differences in particles, grammar, context
*Eliminate grammatically impossible options
Wrong particles (を vs に), wrong verb form, unnatural word order, unnatural expressions
*Verify remaining option is natural and fist the context
Correct grammar + natural collocation + appropriate context = answer

#3

Section B — Language Knowledge (Grammar) + Reading

  1. Sentence Completion (文法形式の選択) 13 points
    Select correct grammar pattern to complete a sentence.
  • Identify tense, aspect, and mood
    Past/present/future? Completed/ongoing? Hypothetical/certain?
  • Check before and after the blank carefully
    What particles? What verb forms? Is this part of a fixed pattern?
  • Identify the grammar pattern being tested
    Conditional? Causative? Passive? Te-form combination? Modality?
  • Eliminate incompatible forms (usually 2-3 options)
    Wrong tense, wrong particle connection, impossible conjugation
  • Verify naturalness and meaning
    Does it sound right? Does it convey logical meaning in context?
  1. Sentence Composition (文の組み立て) 5 points
    Reorder sentence fragments into the correct order.
  • Identify subject and main verb first - Find the core of the sentence - who does what?
  • Look for fixed grammar patterns - Find the pairs first that must go together.
    If you see pieces of a pattern, assemble them first before arranging other elements!
  • Identify particle relationships - What connects to what? は/が (subject), を (object), に/で (location/method)
  • Before を comes a noun (the object)
  • Before に comes a place, time, or target
  • After て comes a verb or adjective
  • After は or が, the sentence flows toward the main verb at the end of the sentence.
    Group particles with their nouns immediately, this narrows down the options.
  • Build the sentence logically - Japanese order: Topic → Time → Location → Object → Verb
  • Review two-part grammar points, for example のは～の方だ
  • Verify what goes in ★ position - check the viable options - which one fits grammatically and logically?
    ★ can be in different positions:
    Type 1: Beginning position → Usually topic/subject or time expression
    Type 2: Middle position → Often object, location, or middle of grammar pattern
    Type 3: Before verb position → Adverb, object, or final part of pattern
  • Read the sentence to check if it is natural and makes sense.
    Once you identify pairs, your options narrow, then arrange them to fit the context.
  1. Text Grammar (文章文法) 5 points
    Grammar questions based on short text.
  • Find the logic markers; these conjunctions and adverbs around the blank are the hints.
    しかし / でも → Contradiction follows
    だから / そのため → Result or conclusion follows
    例えば → Example followsつまり → Paraphrase or summary follows
  • If you can’t decide between correct seeming options, voice the sentence in your head to find which one sounds more natural Japanese.
#4

Section C — Listening

Listening general:

Read answer choices and pictures before/ between the audio plays so you know what to listen for.
Take shorthand notes; key numbers, names, or actions mentioned. Use initials, symbols, R for restaurant, x for negation).
If the thing is negated, put an x next to it, if it comes back again, make a small tick next to it.
Roles are usually clear, especially in the longer audios it is a woman (W) and man (M) speaking)
Stay focused; if you miss something, make your best guess and focus on the next question.

Pay attention to signal words:
*でも / だけど|But
*やっぱり|After all / Actually
*じゃあ|Well then
*結局|In the end
*実は|Actually

  1. Task‑based Comprehension (課題理解)
    Identify correct response to a situation.

  2. Key Point Comprehension (ポイント理解)
    Answer based on main idea.

  3. General Outline (要旨理解)
    Understand gist of longer spoken segments.

  4. Verbal Expressions (発話表現)
    Choose natural conversational expressions.

  5. Quick Response (即時応答)
    Short Q&A; respond instantly.
    *Identify situation, place.
    *Match politeness level
    *If it does not sound right/ natural, likely it is not the correct choice

1 Like
#5

Structured elimination:

Read the questions first and look at the possible choices only after that.
Decide which answer most precisely matches the question’s scope, assumptions, and wording.
Compare answers to each other, not to an ideal answer you imagine.

Mark unanswered questions and return to those in the end to use the structured elimination to raise the chances of a correct guess.

Always select a choice, even if randomly because of lack of time, since there is no point deduction for wrong answers.

  1. Eliminate before selecting

Elimination first has higher payoff than one-by-one confirmation.
There are usually at least two clearly wrong choices - non-existing kanji, incorrect reading, grammatically incorrect response. Once these are eliminated even with guesswork you have 50% chance, if you do not know the answer/ run out of time.

Be suspicious of

  • Absolute words: always, never, must
  • Scope mismatches: too broad / too narrow
  • Category errors (wrong tense, wrong subject, wrong condition)
  • Exact same wording as in the question/ text
  • Logical jumps food → vegetables
    *Too long or too short answer choices compared to the others
    *Two very similar choices - likely one of them is the correct choice - then you can eliminate the other two, or both of them is incorrect - then you need to check the remaining two potions
  1. Reply to the question, not the topic

Just because it is true/ fact, it does not make it the best answer to the question even if grammatically correct and fits the topic.

Be suspicious of

  • Correct statements
  • True facts
  • Related ideas
  1. Prefer precise, conditional, and qualified answers

Statistically, correct answers in well‑designed tests tend to:

  • Use moderate language (often, typically, most likely)
  • Respect constraints from the question - match maximum information scope
  • Avoid emotional or rhetorical phrasing

Distractors tend to:

  • Overgeneralize
  • Oversimplify
  • Sound confident but ignore edge cases

If torn between two, pick the one that sounds “carefully correct,” not “bold.”

  1. Extremes and absolutes are rarely right

Be suspicious of words like:

  • always
  • never
  • completely
  • impossible
  • guarantees

Not impossible—but disproportionately used in wrong answers
Exception: logical questions - for example the Information Retrieval question from ads, notices, etc in the Reading section.

TBC

1 Like
#6

Section B — Reading

Reading section general:

During mock exams, identify in which sub-section you tend to score higher and do those first. Go for the easy wins to maximize your score and give yourself a mental boost.
Calculate how much time you have per question and keep to it; don’t get stuck on one word/ passage.
First read the question, identify the keywords, what is asked and read the text only after.
Scan the text to find info needed (keywords) to respond correctly - in some sections, this is marked with the number of the question.
Usually there is no need to understand the full text, and especially to translate it in your head. Don’t waste your time with this.
If you don’t know the response, mark it to come back later if you have time to review again or to make an educated guess.

Reading techniques
Close-read for:
*What a demonstrative (これ, そのこと) refers to
*Questions asking for reasons
*Questions about someone’s opinion

Skim for:
*Information retrieval (finding info in ads or notices)
*Content matching (which statement matches the passage)

  1. Short Passages (短文読解)

  2. Mid‑Size Passages (中文読解)

  3. Longer Passages (長文読解)

  4. Information Retrieval (情報検索): ads, notices, schedules.

These are usually the quickest.
Read the question first and find the response to that — scan for specific information only.
Don’t read the whole thing.

1 Like
#7

I have tried a small habit for the listening part.
I immediately write 2 charts on my notes that I can use for all questions if needed.

first one is (for schedule guessing questions, where the day is being defined in several steps during the question and you have to guess which is the final decision the characters decide on)
I just fill the columns with check marks, that evolve along my listening. it makes these questions way easier as you don’t have to memorise, just check along.

月| 火 | 水 | 木 | 金 | 土｜日

second one with only two columns :
(for conversation type questions, what did person A/B or 女の人/男の人)
I fill this one with keywords in both columns

男|女 or A｜B

I am still testing it but I think it can help a lot taking notes while listening as these 2 types of questions are coming constantly.

2 Likes