What to eat/drink on the JLPT test day

Japanese
#1

Hi, I’ve been taking many practice tests this week in preparation for the N2 this Sunday and I’ve noticed that what I eat before the test can have a major impact, for example if I eat a big lunch, I feel a bit sluggish and take more time to answer questions, however if I only have a small snack before the test I usually get hungry within the two hour Language Knowledge and Reading section causing me to lose focus when I start to get hungry.

Another factor is water, if I don’t drink enough it most likely worsens my ability but if I drink too much then I’ll need to go to the bathroom many times throughout the test.

Any tips on avoiding exhaustion during the reading section would be much appreciated as well, usually I start really feeling it about halfway through and the quality of my answers really start to deteriorate. The test really just feels too long for me.

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#2

Just to agree with you. I can’t believe we aren’t allowed to drink during the test. Eat I can understand, but last time, I drank too much before the test because of this stupid rule …

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#3

Isn’t there a break in the middle to eat and drink though?

#4

Depending on the level, there might be one or even two breaks across the several hours it takes for the test to take place.

However, when one of the papers at N2/N1 is basically 2 hours, plus the time you spend sitting around before the start and the “about 20 minutes” it takes for the proctors to collect and count all the exam papers at the end, in the middle of summer, in a stressful environment …

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#5

Oof, good luck to those doing that

#6

Problem solved

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image727×691 45.3 KB

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#7

Just need to put an even bigger hat over the top and shrug when the proctors check your exam slip photo against the monstrosity they see in front of them :laughing:

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#8

I plan to wake up a bit early and have a decent sized breakfast (I almost never eat breakfast) so I can hopefully digest that before leaving for the test , and then bring a box of calorie mates with me to quickly eat on the one break (N2 only getting one break ;_; ) between vocab/grammar/reading and listening.

As for hydration, I’ll probably bring a bottle of pocari sweat with me to hydrate a bit during that break as well.

I agree not being able to sip on water during the test is basically torture. I had a hard enough time staying hydrated and keeping my energy up during the N3 when I got two breaks, N2 is gonna be annoying.

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#9

For N5 to N3 I always had a normal breakfast and skipped lunch. Between the first and second section I’d have a small snack, but before the listening section I chugged an energy drink so I’d be able to hyper-focus on it. Listening is always my highest score so…I guess it works for me?

#10

Thanks everyone, I’ll try to wake up early have breakfast beforehand, does anyone know if bathroom breaks are allowed during the test, I could probably make it the 50 minutes for listening but I don’t think I could make it for the 1 hour and 45 minutes without dehydrating myself, also bathroom breaks are just good to clear my head, 2 hours is a long time to sit down in general.
Also anyone else taking the N2 in Tsujido in Kanagawa?

#11

Before/between/after the test papers, you can usually leave the room and go to the bathroom, but everyone taking the test will be trying to do the same thing, so it will be rather crowded :sweat_smile:

#12

If I remember correctly you can raise your hand and tell the staff you need to go to the bathroom and they’ll let you, but it eats into your test time. There might be other stipulations but they explain it during the explainy time.

I dunno about you, but according to my practice tests I’m gonna need all the time I need for the long reading passages, heh.

I’m gonna be at one of the many test sites in Tokyo, so not gonna be in Kanagawa.

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