After getting my N3 results it’s about time I start getting ready for N2. Does anyone have any reccomendation? I want really broaden my scope of study. Anything would be helpful. Until I start language school in a few month I have too much time on my hands.
Thanks in advance!
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After n3, you should look for study material less and native content more 
What normally catches your interest in your native language? Do that, but in Japanese. Games, youtube vids, books, most anything works. If it holds your interest, you’re more likely to continue with it and keep motivation. So if you like to read books, find a book to try in Japanese. Learn natively can help you find a level that matches your ability. I haven’t personally tried them, but people seem to really like it.
If you like games, try playing through a Pokemon game or two for your first try
Studying doesn’t have to be all work all the time. Working through n2 is the level where you can enjoy the language more freely, so just do what you like
That being said, Jlpt Test specific prep might be useful to you practice with at some point. Either some kanzen masters or just previous practice tests
What’s your listening skill like? Can you follow native speed okay? If you don’t already, listen to podcasts. I recommend Nihongo con teppei Z, it’s nearing 600ep averaging about 15mins a piece. (+original archives with 700ep backlog if you want more practice). He talks at mostly natural speed catering to intermediate learners, with rare English if he can’t find another way to describe a word. It’s 99% solid Japanese. He doesn’t directly “teach” you things, but stick with him for 3-6 months and you’ll feel the difference
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I’m also roughly studying for N2, and I would definitely recommend finding some books through natively that IcyIceBear linked.
There’s forums on natively and wanikani with discussions on lots of books around intermediate-upper intermediate level.
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Hello! Fellow N2 prepper here. Congrats on passing N3. I just thought I’d share my typical daily loadout for studying:
-I’ve studied all N2 kanji on Wanikani so far, so now I’m going at a leisurely pace (~5 items a day).
-Learning one N2 Grammar point a day on Bunpro
-I’m working through Quartet 2 with an iTalki teacher (2, 1 hour lessons a week)
-I try and watch at some native JP content on YouTube. Right now I really like this little news segment: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7w_eql0tjQ2zsblH2Zbufh5DLu4H8nse
-I try and read one full-length article on NHK A day.
-Currently playing Breath of the Wild in Japanese, which I spend wayyyy more time than I should, but it’s my “fun studying” time.
-Would also recommend picking up a book and reading it, the one that I just couldn’t put down was また同じ夢を見ていた
-Once I finish Quartet 2, I’ll switch over to the 新完全マスター reading and grammar review books.
-~3 months out from the exam, I’m going to start doing practice exams/drill material
Honestly, I’m in a weird position now where I mostly just try and consume content. If I find things I don’t understand, or grammar I seem to have forgotten, I try my best to look it up.
Good luck and happy studying!
Edit I also really like listening to podcasts on my way to work and back. 日本語の聴解のためのPodcast on Spotify when I want an “easier” listen and YUYUの日本語Podcast when I really want a challenge/to push myself 
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Thank you all for the advice! It’s really helpful. I do need to get more into reading. I guess at this point it makes sense to just get into full native stuff. Thank you again for wonderfully detailed explanations!
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I’ve passed N2. One thing I think is good to specifically prepare for is the reading passages. They’re quite different from fiction, you don’t have a huge amount of time for them, and while reading more non-fiction in general certainly helps, the best thing I found to read was passages intended for JLPT study, in mock papers and books like this one.
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Some recommendations of mine:
The reading content I did most consistently in the year leading up to last December was reading NHK’s Easy Japanese news.
I think they keep the level between N3 and N2, with some words you won’t know because they’re related to the topic at hand.
I like it because it’s consistently released and bite sized articles so I could be fairly consistent in reading them without too much commitment.
For podcasts, I liked 4989 American Life and Let’s learn Japanese from small talk. Didn’t listen to many podcasts, but these two were quite accessible and fun to listen to. 4989 has full transcripts of the podcast as well, so you can quickly see words you missed.
I listened to the first Harry Potter as an audiobook in November. It helped for me to stick with something that I was familiar with, since even if I got lost I knew I wasn’t actually missing anything and soon I’d understand again.
And this isn’t actual content, but I do think grinding vocab was the most important thing for me being able to pass the test. I was at like 7000 words by the time of the test, and just knowing them allowed me to understand most of the passages / audio during the exam.
Any practice is good, so make sure you find stuff that you can stick to!
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How do you all motivate yourselves to listen to things in Japanese? I really slack when it comes to my listening practice. I live in Japan and my spouse is Japanese. So usually when I have time alone I don’t really want to do any Japanese listening practice. I know I try to listen to the TV programs when my partner watches them but regular Japanese programs are boring to me. I also struggle with listening to podcasts because the topic doesnt intrest me. Do you just push through your boredom or do you specifically look for audio that intrests you? I feel like that skill wont improve as quickly because of this ;-;
I’m no N2, but I for sure vouch to listening/consuming to what you have absolute interest in. The more the better. If you can change your perspective from “let’s do listening practice” to “I can’t wait for it anymore” you will be on the best spot you could ever be.
When I was learning english, I found a ton of videos on YouTube of topics not abundant in my native language, topics I was so interested in, I didn’t have any choice but to power through it. I’m doing the same thing with manga now, and I also don’t have a choice (a ton of them are not translated), so I do my absolute best with them, and when I understand them, it’s a blast.
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Also not N2 (yet!), but absolutely yes, look for things that interest you!
I tend to pull up Let’s Plays of video games that I enjoy – I’ve literally got one playing right now for someone playing through Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The folks I like usually do a lot of commentary while they play, so I can pick out new vocabulary and practice listening to casual, native-speed Japanese.
I also watch anime, or anime movies, that I’m interested in – like, I am SO psyched for this year’s Detective Conan movie, I can’t wait to go see it in April. What sort of Japanese practice you get from this is going to vary based off of genre, probably, but every bit counts.
I’ve also been dipping my toes into playing some games I like in Japanese. I usually go for something I’ve played before in English, so that I won’t be totally lost if I don’t necessarily understand everything that’s being said. (Although of course, the amount of listening vs reading practice you get from this would obviously vary from game to game.)
On the flip side, I’ve never listened to a Japanese podcast. I know that podcasts as a format just don’t hold my attention so I don’t try to force myself to use them. Same for some of the youtube lessons some folk really like, or using graded readers (obviously that’s for reading, rather than listening.)
Point is: if you’d be bored with the content in your native language, it’s not going to be any easier in Japanese. So I think it’s absolutely better to pick things you’re interested in, even if they may
make for “unusual” study materials.
Do I know a moderately weird amount of vocabulary related to murder and crime? Yes. But what can I say, Detective Conan is great.
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I’m in the same boat having just passed N3 and lookng to do N2 in December 24.
I’ve ordered the 新完全マスター books for reading, listening and grammar. For Kanji and Vocab i will stick to WK and Anki. Alongside this I’ve ordered several novels that were recommended in the “intermediate” book club threads on the WK forums.
I’ve learned from past exam takers that reading speed is key at N2 and N1, It was my weakest section in the previous test so my aim this year is to really get confortable reading at a much faster pace than now.
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