It’s a bit sad that the results are still a good month away, I passed N2 but I’m neither confident I failed nor passed it! I want to know whether I will have to finally pass N2 or try (and likely fail) N1 next july 
Anyway I plan on finishing both Bunpro Grammar and my Anki 常用漢字 deck before then, so around 1.5 new grammar points (
) and 5 kanjis a day till exam day. After that, it will be mostly reading and listening, with a side of language meetups…
LOL! So true! I first heard a similar statement on a podcast from an expat in Japan who’s fluent in Japanese and she was saying that someone had told her they were taking the N5 or N4 exam. Her thought was, who cares? 'Cause the N5 or N4 is nothing if you are going to live in Japan, especially in a rural area.
Gave me a good laugh and great perspective going into the N4 exam. Some people just like to flex… a lot. 
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People who have been in Japan for a long time can be out of touch. N5 can be used as a requirement for language schools for those who have self-studied. So, for example, say you wish to enroll in language school in Japan as a beginner, the MOJ now requires certification of at least basic proficiency in Japanese, either from secondary school or university study, or from passing N5. Furthermore, say you are embarking on working holiday, some types of jobs require N4. Some university admissions require N4 (though typically higher at N3/N2). To say that these tests are worthless is myopic at best, disingenuous at worst.
Why is this important? Well, the JLPT, as we all know, is written at maximum twice a year. If one is planning on attending some such program or work program in a year, it behooves them to take and pass the minimum required level, rather than fail a higher level and have to put their plans and aspirations on hold for at least another 6-12 months.
In summary, be wary of those who already “made it”, so to speak. Requirements change over time, and just because someone found a successful personal path years ago, does not mean that the path to education/employment/life in Japan follows the same trajectory now. I am under the impression that, decades ago, one essentially needed merely a plane ticket if traveling from certain nations. It used to be simple to even change your visa status from tourist to student or one of the many work visas while in Japan. These conversions are rarely issued now.
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…34 days…
I am the ghost of “how long til jlpt results come out?”
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Why do some people invalidate N5~N3 so fervently? In addition to zerobrain’s excellent explanation above, even if people do these exams not for qualifications but for validation, motivation or for fun, is that bad? There’s a big difference between “I’m not personally interested in taking N5~N3” and “It’s silly that other people take N5~N3.” The latter is a pretty bad show.
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I’m one of those people who is interested in taking the N5/N4 not for any professional qualification, but to see how well I do on the official test. Taking unofficial tests and practice exams is fine and it’s interesting to see how I do on those - but there’s always that question in the back of my mind: “I wonder if I’d do this well on the official exam?” And the only way of answering that is, well, taking the official exam.
Also, it’s nice to have something tangible to show to people who know I’ve been learning Japanese and are wondering how well I’m doing at it. They don’t speak a word themselves so they can’t judge me based on what I can say to them… but they can understand official test results just fine. By having that certificate, I can actually show my boss that yes, it HAS been useful for me to take every Monday afternoon off work to go to class, look, this is what I’ve achieved so far! …Thus ensuring that I can continue to take Monday afternoons off in order to go to Japanese class.
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That’s great additional background. I myself do not need to take the JLPT but since I am very motivated in learning to speak Japanese, I’m taking the exam anyway because of ‘why not’ and ‘who knows, one day I might…’
So what’s missing from my post is the complete context behind the person’s words. Honestly, I don’t even remember what the context was exactly but I could see her point, that’s why I laughed. She wasn’t trying to bash N5-N3 test takers, it was more that someone was flexing to her (in whatever context they were in, it was just unnecessary for the test taking to be mentioned). Think of it as someone who humble-brags to you and you just want to roll your eyes.
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That’s not what was said by the person in the podcast at all.
@Rhynn - Same here! I bet you also don’t go around telling every person you just met, within 5 minutes of meeting them, that you’re taking the test. I’m not saying that’s what happened with the person in the podcast it’s just that there are some situations when that fact isn’t really relevant.
I don’t know what podcast it is, I can only go by what you’ve told about it. I do understand from your newer post that the expat was brushing off someone who was boasting, but I couldn’t gather that from your earlier post. From your earlier post, it seemed she was disparaging people who take N5~N3 in general. I also thought this because you replied to the statement that N5~N3 certificates are useless with “so true”, but maybe I’ve misunderstood this altogether.
At any rate, I don’t mean to sour the mood. I just wanted to comment on the validity of the N5~N3 exams. 
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I had a similar opinion in that I didn’t think there was much point in taking N4 or N3 Back when there were only 4 levels). But I was merely thinking about it from my perspective. So I studied for N2. It took me 4 attempts. That’s about 17 years ago. Until about 2 years ago, nobody had ever asked me about my JLPT and then I was asked at 2 separate interviews. At the first interview (where I got the job), one Japanese man said it basically wasn’t valid since it was so long ago. The second interviewers (non-Japanese) seemed impressed with my N2 and said it would help the Japanese staff knowing that I could communicate in Japanese. (I didn’t get the job.) After the first interview, my interest in taking the test was renewed but after the 2nd interview I decided to take it, which is why I am here. I think that depending on the interviewers or situation, even an N5 might have some advantage. While it might not be an indication of an ability to communicate well in Japanese, it is an indication of effort and interest in Japan and Japanese culture.
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No worries. It’s hard to provide complete context with every reply and keeping things short. (Funny too how more people reacted to my post vs the original poster who said the certificates were useless).
Anyhoooo, there’s this IG account I follow called wexpats_japan and they just posted today that “Japanese proficiency may become required for permanent residency” (emphasis is mine). There are other things being considered to be added to permanent residency requirements as well such as:
- higher fees for application and renewal
- a mandatory program to learn about the rules of living in Japan
- higher income requirement
- provision to revoke PR for not paying taxes and other acts of negligence
These are STILL BEING DECIDED and will go into effect in April 2027.
So less than 2 years away and having N5 and N4 in the bag now may not be so useless anymore for those who are considering permanent residency. 
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I know the answer to this question varies wildly depending on the person, but I just want to hear people’s thoughts: How realistic is passing N3 in July as someone currently floating around N4? I live in Japan, so I’m hearing it constantly, and I typically study 2-3 hours a day.
Mostly just trying to decide whether to attempt it in July or wait for December.
Sounds good to me, 頑張って
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That’s more than enough time for n3 content. Especially you’re in Japan as well, listening is not going to be hard
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I`m going to try for N4 in July and hope to follow it with N3 in December. Which means I need to already steeped in N3 in July. Living in Japan makes studying hard sometimes. I just want to go home and speak only English…
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How hard is it to sign up for the exam in Japan?
Currently where I’m from it’s fairly lax since there isn’t much demand for it and it’s mostly university students attending.
Do you sign up for it online as well in Japan?
I have found it to be very easy to sign up in Japan. Sign ups are done online, through the JEES JLPT site.
I’ve been focusing on kanji and on reading. I’ve neglected speaking and listening so much that I don’t think I can pass n3 yet despite that I’d ace the reading part. Then again, I do this as a hobby so no rush! If I get n2 in a 2-3 years from now with 1.5-2 hours of study per day then I’m happy.
Then again, it would look lovely on my cv 
I was in the same situation as you last year while living in Japan. I hesitantly took N3 in July and successfully passed! 2-3 hours a day seems reasonable as long as you find your weaknesses and focus on them, maybe reading since you’re already hearing Japanese a lot ? You can definitely do it! 頑張って
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First post, oh boy!
I’ve been studying Japanese on and off for years, but never stuck to it and never got a JLPT level. Life is super busy with work and family and a postgraduate degree study, but I’m thinking of shooting for N4. N5 is too basic to motivate me long term but I feel N3 is just unrealistic. I’m thinking tackling N4, and if it sticks, trying for N3 at the end of the year or something.
Part of me is a little discouraged because it’s just… N4… but having something to show for my time spent doing Japanese all these years would feel good and it might just be a good way to ease into it and maybe stick with it.
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