Japanese test - how was it?

[klingon 10]

How was the test this year folks? Muzukashii?

 

I took a year off and will be going for 2 next December I think. It would be really good if they did this twice a year.

[nagoid 4]

Well unsurprisingly I thought it was rock hard. I would though, I'm not ready to pass 2 yet. Just let me know how much more studying I have to do. Problem is I feel the kind of study I need to do for this test isn't too relevant my everyday life and not what I want to learn.

[gamera 0]

Is it described in English and you need to answer in Japanese?

Or all described in Japanese?

What kind of things are you asked in the examination paper?

I am curious what score I can get if I could take it.

[big-will 7]

Unless it has changed since I took it, absolutely everything is in Japanese - not a word of English (or other language) to be seen/heard.

[bettyx 0]

the instructions on the booklet (do not open before the test begins, etc) are in japanese & english. & there was sign on the wall with a pic of a mobile phone & 'NO!' written above it.

 

my impression of the test:

 

1)despite the above rule (do not open the booklet before the test begins or you will be given a yellow card, two strikes & you're out), the girl sitting next to me read through her booklet before the beginning of each THREE sections. this really annoyed me (even though i'm generally a stick-it-to-the-man kinda gal) as i thought it was not only disrespecting the rules, but also the rest of us who were waiting patiently.

 

2)it's not only japanese girls who do their makeup in public. a chinese girl in front of me pulled out an entire box of cotton buds, a huge mirror & proceeded to do her eye makeup (complete with smudging with the cotton buds), for about 10 mins before the test started.

 

3)the listening/spoken parts seems to assume we are all idiots (it is ridiculously slow) whilst the grammar expects we are all walking textbooks.

 

4)i'm so glad it's over & i plan to NEVER take it again.

[misorano 1]

Do people take this test to get a qualification (that may be useful in getting a job in the future), or are people just interested in seeing how good their Japanese ability is?

 

What I want to know is if it is a useful qualification to have. I vowed on graduating from university, never to take another test if I didn't have to.

 

Now, back to clearing the snow out of the driveway

[Yuki's Passion 1]

the test sucks - in a room of 110 people, there were 6 non-asians.

 

like bettyx said, there were a good number of people thumbing through the exam before it started and the proctors did nothing

useless people.

 

that stupid womens voice who speaks like a burikko gave me the $hits, ya know, the ones who try to speak as young a girl as possible to be cute that it makes you wanna stab em with a spoon

 

Needed to properly prepare for the damn thing instead of just reading books and stuff...

 

Got hammered afterwards and gots a hangover now

[Oyuki kigan 0]

I was an idiot. The fist two sections were not too bad, but the third (and one that counts the most) was tough on me.

 

I thought that it was all long article-type stuff, so i didn`t bother rushing, and spent most of the time answering the first 15 (of about 50 ) questions, only to find out that the rest were in short form. I had no time to do them properly, and ended up having just to scribble in answers at the end.

 

If i wasn`t a moron and looked ahead to see the questions, i think i could have done well. But as it it, i think i flunked.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

A good way to save time on that, like you found out, is do the grammar questions first O.K.

[woywoy 0]

Also do the grammar first. It is the only way to go.

 

My test last year was exactly the same Yama. Maybe 5 non-Asian people in a room of maybe 250 people. It just shows you that people of Asian origin are more likely to be studying Japanese, but mostly just to get into a Japanese uni.

 

Yama, you only need 70% to pass ... you might be OK!?

[Yuki's Passion 1]

dunno mate. Sections one and two werent that bad. There were some kanji that Id forgotten and listening was good. Not that hard IMHO.

 

Just the readings were difficult. I always get bogged down doing the first 2 long ones, read the Q's and A's first, then look for em, then re-read the Qs and As, then check, then read the whole reading, then re-read the Qs and As, and then Ive wasted 30 minutes

 

I could get lucky but just didnt focus on test specific stuff recently and havent been writing kanji either - only use a computer and type in Japanese. Need to get back to writing it more.

 

If I pass it this year Ill hit the $hit gap at Happo

[Fattwins 0]

Thats not a good sign cb. oh well its just a test.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Fattwins:
Thats not a good sign cb. oh well its just a test.

you got that right - its only a stupid freaking test that we can take once/year. Ill never understand that. Really. Only once a year? wankers.

FF, youve been here longer than me, why werent you sitting 1 with me?

...cuz we will have to teach you English first!

[Markie 0]

I tried out both the Level 3 and Level 4 yesterday, just to check out my standard and, funny thing I noticed: there we 2 questions in each section, giving a total of six, which were identical in both Level 3 and 4.

 

I wonder if there we any identical questions in 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 as well.

[Fattwins 0]

cb you wanker. lol

 

Mate the day I bust out 7000 for a test is never gonna come. I mean 7000 for a test, you dont think that they are making a fortune off of you?

Sorry Im not going to support a pure money making scam.

 

I do hope everyone passes, that is just my personal view on it. As cb says my azz needs to lerans btetre egnilsh aynwyas.

[bettyx 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Markie:
I tried out both the Level 3 and Level 4 yesterday, just to check out my standard and, funny thing I noticed: there we 2 questions in each section, giving a total of six, which were identical in both Level 3 and 4.

I wonder if there we any identical questions in 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 as well.

how did you do two levels ? they were so strict about checking photos etc.

& yes, i also thought it was all long passages. hopefully i got some of them right as that's where i spent all my time, by the time i got to grammar it was too late & i had zero energy left anyway.

& as you all said, it doesn't mean much anyway. seems like all the japanese people i know have never even heard of it. ((but then most people i know are ski bums or primary school teachers - not exactly the business set )

[Markie 0]

Sure, they checked my ID and photo and everything but that was no problem, I wasn't impersonating anyone.There is no rule that you can't do two levels. I did one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

 

But I am also surprised at what Fatts said about 7000Y. Is that how much it costs. Mine cost less than 5000Y for each.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Its not 7000 yen but its not that much cheaper either mate - maybe like 5000?

 

How much are TOEFL and TOEIC? My only problem with this freakin test is that its once a year. The above two tests are available almost 6 times/year yet we cant have the JLPT twice a year??

 

...Yeah, Japanese is TOO hard for gaijin to master

 

and one more for good measure

[echineko 1]

When do you get the results for it test? I hope you passed!

[Yuki's Passion 1]

the results will come in February Ms. Echicat and thanks for your encouragement but if I dont pass its not a problem. Ill still be in this country next year and will surely take the freakin thang again

 

So, whats up with your new signature? You have 12 men now? 12 sponsors? 12 1st places in the halfpipe contests?

[Yuki's Passion 1]

...whyd did ya delete your sig echineko?

[bushpig 0]

Speaking of change Yama, we are all still waiting for your name to change to CB. No matter how hard you try to forget, the rest of us won't

[Yuki's Passion 1]

 

Too bad your film was out eh? OMG, that would be a picture to have hanging on the walls... me looking up 2+ meteres at you guys freezing my ba!!s off

 

 

Thanks for bringing that up

[Fattwins 0]

ah bushpig how yeah been its been to long.

[bushpig 0]

Hehehe, I still piss myself thinking about it!

 

"hamster boy" might have been a better name...

Well, I know to go prepared next time! Plenty of spare film that is!

 

BTW, they might like to actually grow some balls and throw people out who break the rules in the Japanese test. It gave me the shits last year that at least 15 people around the room were starting during the waiting time, and also that in spite of having clear "no phone" signs and explanations, it took 3 different peoples phones to go off before they actually did anything about it. Man that bites.