How to Pass the JLPT N4: Preparing for the JLPT the right way.

If you are planning on taking the N4 you are probably at a good level of Japanese, understanding simple – intermediate grammar structures, a fair few vocabulary words and the ability to at least have a small conversation in Japanese.

It’s great to hear that you are now well on your way to a good level of comprehension of the Japanese language and today we are going to give you some of the best advice to make sure you pass the N4 exam.

Pass the JLPT N4:What is your strongest attribute?

When considering what to study first for the exam its good to consider what your strongest and weakest skills are. Reading, listening, grammar, vocab or kanji? Write them into a list from strongest to weakest and allocate more time in your study routine to those ones at the bottom of the list. This will ensure you have your prioritise in check when it comes to your study schedule.

Pass the JLPT N4:Creating your vocabulary and grammar study schedule.

The Soumatome series of books is a fantastic resource to tap into to make sure your studying all of the right things for the exam. They have a series in each N level of the JLPT and will help you focus your daily / weekly study routine. We suggest studying grammar and vocabulary first for the N4 exam as this lays the foundation for more effective progress with reading and listening as you will be able to understand and comprehend things better.

Completing one grammar point and learning around 3 – 4 new words a day with the anki system is a sure fire way to get to your goal on time. You must plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to fit this in before the exam, do the math to see if you have enough time.

There are 1,500 vocabulary words in the JLPT so you should make sure you are doing all you can to cram in the vocabulary. Vocabulary is essentially the most important aspect of the exam, as without them, it’s hard to grasp the context of questions and problems.

Pass the JLPT N4:Kanji mastery

Ah, the dreaded kanji, there are 300 of these little monsters in the JLPT N4 exam, which compared to the n3, n2 and n1 is not really very many. If you set yourself a year to study for the exam you would only have to learn 1 per day. It’s important to split up to your day into different areas of study. It doesn’t have to be a lot but the consistency is what is key. Get your daily kanji into an anki system and review them once a week.

Pass the JLPT N4:Reading and Listening

Reading and listening for the N4 exam can be quite challenging. You really have to put the time in to get comfortable here. The main downfall for learners with the reading segment of the exam is the reading speed. You need to focus on getting faster and faster each day. This will inly come through, you guessed it, reading. Read as much as you can, there are a lot of resources online, if you don’t have any textbooks, where you can find N4 specific reading material from past exams. This is what you should be doing as soon as you’ve mastered all the kanji, vocab and grammar.

With the listening segments it really is the same process. You need to head to youtube and look for n4 listening. Listen as much as you can, on the train, while you work out, while you’re cleaning etc.

Do remember as well that the test is multiple choice, so you will always have a 1 in 4 chance of getting the answer right, even if you don’t know it, so just take a guess as a last resort. Do not leave it blank.

Pass the JLPT N4:Motivation

It’s always nice to remember that even if you fail, it’s not the end of the world, you can take it again anytime. It’s not nice going into an exam overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, you should enjoy the process. Of course, it’s only natural to be nervous but don’t let it consume you. Let the test drive your motivation and push you out of your comfort zone to allow you to reach a higher level.

Thanks for reading today’s online blog guys, we wish you all the best with your JLPT adventure. Let us know if you have any questions or queries. See you again soon.

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