I’ll never take an exam in summer again. I was very unlucky to be seated in a spot where sun was shining at a lot. In the beginning it was ok, it wasn’t too much, but it got intense halfway through and left side of my face got burned. Too bad they can’t pause the audio after starting because it’d be really nice to cover that window instead of being blasted with the full force of the summer sun. And it’s a shame because I felt like I was doing quite well in the beginning but later I couldn’t focus, I was just thinking how hot it is, how to cover my face and that I want to leave the exam as soon as possible 
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There should be a philosophical lesson here somewhere about how our life always follows the same formula, just substituting cake for presentation slides.
But I think this formula is not bad at all: it’s short, it gives 4 plausible answers, you cannot guess just by searching for 1 keyword, and there’s no ambiguity which answer is correct, as long as you catch every word.
I’m honestly curious what people would consider an example of a better question for a multiple-choice listening comprehension test. (not for another test type)
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I think the problem is, when it comes to vocab, grammar and reading most of the contents are fairly realistic and you will see a lot of the stuff in the world if you are paying attention and engaging with native materials. However, the listening portion is really just pure fantasy and scripted so heavily that I think it devalues its usefulness. Just listening to two or three people’s private conversation and then you as the invisible passive listener working out what all their actions are going to be is just a weird way to approach a something that is supposed to test your ability to get by in real life.
I think a more interesting challenge would be something like listening to people make a plan and then YOU offer a suitable response, or even an opinion, for the situation. Not just passively listening for whether someone is going to pick up some groceries before or after they clean their house. So, it would be more like the quick-fire 3 choice questions they have, but expanded upon a lot more.
There are also often big issues when it comes to audio quality and audibility which come up every single year without fail.
Is it good enough for what it is? Maybe. It’s still a fine achievement to take and pass any level of JLPT. But some would say its woefully lacking in so many aspects and has had the same old problems for like 20 years at this point. Especially now that learning Japanese has become far more widespread.
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Hey guys! I was invited to take a practice test for the N1 by the Japan Foundation 1-2 weeks before the actual test. And the results for that came in today!
I was super not confident when taking the test, moving in with my Japanese girlfriend into our new house whilst dealing with Japanese summer and a lots of preparation with marrying etc. Also I felt they were explicitly asking for words in the 文字 and 語彙 sections, that I’ve not come across yet. Even though that is usually my strong part, having read over 50 books in Japanese.
So here are the results:
How much is that in points?
Well, I did the math:
Language Knowledge 54.5% + Reading 66.7% => ~66/120 total
Listening 93.3% => ~56/60
Estimated Total
~122/180
Which would be a pass! 
I was super shocked how well I did in the listening. I guess all the shows and movies I watched finally paid off.
But it is a little bit too early for celebrations, since this is not the actual test that counts.
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The JLPT site says here we’ll just be getting the result around late August-Mid September. Is it possible for them to announce the results after the registration period has been closed?
Where do you see that?
Typically they will post the results online before you get your actual results certificate in the mail. So hopefully it will be online first.
Yeah, that looks like they are talking about the official hardcopy of the results.
At my testing location, after the exam, they told us to expect the online results in mid- August. So hopefully pretty soon.
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They are always vague about when they publish the results online, but as far as I can remember it’s always been exactly seven weeks after the test date, so August 25th. In only know about the other countries on this page though. The results for Japan were always posted a bit earlier. I think it was just a day or two.
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The online Test Results Announcement for the JLPT 2025 (JULY) is available on this website from 10:00 AM on Monday, August 25, 2025, until 5:00 PM on Friday, October 31, 2025 (Japan Standard Time).
The page has been updated with the exact time.
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You called it perfectly. Nice! 
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I passed N2 with 126/180!
As expected, reading was the worst with 33/60, but I did a better in the listening part (44/60) than I would have thought. All in all I’m happy with the result, considering I only had about half a year to prepare after taking the N3 in December.
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Failed N1. 計画通り.
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I tried writing N3 with no prep, as I had no time due to work and failed with 94 points, so 1 short. Oh well, hopefully I’m a bit less busy before December one.
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Passed N4!
My language knowledge & reading score was pretty high, but I scored only slightly above 50% in listening, so I know what I should focus on.
I’m going to attempt N3 next July.
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Also passed N4！Feeling very pleased because I did much better on listening than I thought.
Still feeling I should by my virtual teacher (Bunpro) a virtual apple…
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I passed the N3, the score was lower than my mocks, a bit frustrating, but a pass is a pass, I should have prepared the test in advance instead of waking up 2 weeks before the exam.
bittersweet victory
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Didn’t pass my N4, got a 79/180.
That was pretty much expected, since I was behind in my studies and didn’t do any specific preparation for the test. I’m pretty satisfied with the fact that I got at least a B in all sections, I’m pretty much balanced and did better than I thought on listening.
Now I will continue studying hoping to get an N2 at the December 2026 test.
Congrats to everyone who passed the test and to everyone who tried hard to prepare, let’s get forward together ^-^
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Passed N3 with my best grades so far, got 118 points on the N5, 121 on the N4 and now 152 on the N3, major focus on reading and on choukai mock tests helped a lot I think, now thinking about trying N2 on December next year probably.
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I passed the N2 this year with a score of 111/180! About twenty points lower than my practice exams but not bad.
This was my second time taking the N2, after failing last year with a score in the 80s. I changed up my study strategy this time, not focusing on grammar at all, exclusively grinding Bunpro’s vocabulary cards, and using the test prep app called Migi JLPT to do hundreds of practice questions.
I think focusing on direct JLPT drills helped me stay calm and manage my time better as I was very familiar with all the types of questions the test would ask me. I would highly recommend adding that to anyone’s practice routine if they haven’t already!
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