We have input-based reviews and simple recognition reviews already, but it would be very helpful if bunpro also had a test style review option where the answer is given as a multiple choice question. Given how much focus Bunpro seems to put on the JLPT (everything is structured around JLPT levels) I’m surprised that this wasn’t already an option.
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Using multiple-choice questions in Bunpro might seem helpful since the JLPT uses them, but it will probably hurt your learning. Multiple-choice encourages recognition rather than recall, making it easier to guess or pick the right answer without actually understanding it. This can lead to a false sense of mastery and won’t help when you need to actively use the language in speaking or writing.
If you want to prepare for the JLPT with JLPT questions, I am sure there is a lot of mock exams you could try. They have multiple choice questions.
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recognition rather than recall
But Bunpro already includes a question type focused on recognition rather than recall: Reading.
If the team thought it’s not useful, surely it wouldn’t be included?
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Reading and multiple-choice aren’t the same. Reading helps you recognize grammar in context. Multiple-choice, on the other hand, often leads to guessing and doesn’t really help with deeper understanding or actually using the grammar. Both may involve recognition, though reading is far more useful for real language skills.
Mmm, I guess I’m not understanding the difference. You either read the full sentence and fill in the answer, or read the full sentence and grade yourself on “understanding” the word, or read the full sentence and choose one of 4 options to fill in. In every question type you see the grammar in exactly the same amount of context, don’t you.
I personally don’t see the benefit of a multiple-choice option. If you want to focus on reading, self-grading already does a good job, and if you’re aiming for a deeper understanding, fill-in-the-blank pushes you to actively recall the grammar point. With multiple choice, it’s easy to guess the right answer, so it would just add an extra step without much value at all.
I use the reading format for grammar and I can tell you that is very different. I leave the answer hidden until I fully translate the sentence, than reveal the answer and see if I got it right. If you wanted to introduce multiple choices, I assume you mean that they would be revealed in advance, which completely ruins the part where I am translating it. If the choices are revealed later, than it is just wasted feature because you should never guess. If you are not 100% behind the answer you are giving, do yourself a favor and mark the answer as failed. You are supposed to check if you remember, not pass some arbitrary test. Passing to next stage is not the goal here.
Multiple choice questions are a good substitute for situations when you need to check the answer if there are multiple ways of writing it while not straight up letting people cheat, e.g. a test in school. Reading and grading relies on your ability to grade yourself, but if you are not determined to cheat, it is good substitute for multiple choice questions.
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If you have to guess than mark it wrong. I think you’re making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. You could just as easily guess with the reading style review.
Perhaps a better solution would be mixed style reviews where you answer questions from each review style.
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Fully in favor of the option of JLPT-style reviews.
I would definitely use it, especially in the run-up to the JLPT exams.
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That’s especially why I want it, practicing for the exam. Sure there’s mock tests available online but there’s an added level of convenience to seeing exactly which areas I’m having trouble and being able to quickly and easily mark them for review all within a single app.
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This is what a Reading question looks like, correct? My reviews are set to Fill In, so I had to check it in Cram.
I’m assuming that in JLPT-style multiple choice questions that OP suggested, you would see the same, but instead of the grammar already filled in, you get a few (e.g. 4) options of Japanese grammar to choose from. There would be no English or hints of any kind shown until you make a choice.
If this is what you mean by “choices… ruin translating”, then sorry I just don’t understand. Perhaps you thought that answer options would be in English?
To me that would be a selling point of the format - that you can work on disambiguating stuff like としては・にしては in JLPT format, without any English or hints getting in the way.
The downside is as usual that there’s more work for the Bunpro team to manually curate 4 options. And Ideally I’d want each incorrect option to come with an explanation why it doesn’t fit.
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