Mastering the Japanese language is a daunting task for any English speaker, and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1 exam is going to test your knowledge. The JLPT N1 tests on the hardest Japanese that exists, and you’ll need to be ready to know much more than the average native Japanese speaker.
How can you pass the JLPT N1 in six months? Here are six simple steps that will push you from an N2 level to the N1 level:
- Review what you know.
- Expand your vocabulary.
- Listen to N1 level podcasts and videos.
- Immerse yourself in Japanese as much as possible.
- Use a study book.
- Take all the practice tests you can find.
The JLPT N1 exam is going to be challenging, and studying for it is the most difficult thing you’ll have to do before you finally master Japanese. We’ll go in depth on each of these tips to make sure you’re as prepared as you can possibly be before the next JLPT testing time comes around!
Passing The JLPT N1 in 6 Months: A Guide
The JLPT tests only happen twice a year, so you have six months to prepare for each level if you’re trying to get through the certifications as quickly as possible. While this is going to be a difficult task, it’s definitely doable! These six steps will help you get there.
1. Review What You Know
The JLPT N1 is the last exam you’ll take, so you want to make sure you’ve got a sturdy foundation of knowledge from the four exams you took beforehand. While the materials build off of each other, it’s important to go back and review basic grammar (even though it seems too easy now) and early kanji to make sure you’ve got it all correct.
The JLPT exams require you to get roughly half the questions correct, so it’s possible to pass the test without knowing all of the material. Before you take the N1 exam, you’ll want to make sure that you know everything from the N2 exam. Starting with a review will help you get there pretty quickly.
Here are the things you should already know from the N2 exam:
- You should be able to understand everyday Japanese speech at a natural, regular speed (not a slower speed, and you should be able to understand fast talkers for the most part as well)
- Your vocabulary, and kanji vocabulary, should be beyond common words and phrases; while you won’t know business terms or be able to read a scholarly paper, you should be able to flip through magazines or watch news stories with ease.
- When it comes to speaking, you should be able to voice your opinions and arguments easily, as well as walking your audience through a logical debate (this requires you to be able to converse completely normally).
Keep in mind that an N2 level Japanese speaker should be able to talk, read, and write like the average high school student. Most native Japanese speakers are at an N2 level, so you can browse things like internet forums or watch TV shows or movies in Japanese that are targeted to high schoolers.
You can also review by taking practice N2 exams. You’ll want to focus on getting almost everything correct compared to just getting passing marks. This is pretty important since you’re just reviewing information; you shouldn’t be struggling with these mock questions.
If you used an N2 workbook, then go through the lessons and practice questions again. It shouldn’t take you near as long this time around, so don’t worry about running out of time to study the N1 material.
All-in-all, this step should take you about a month. If you were really prepared for the N2, then you might not have much to review, so don’t worry if it doesn’t take you too long. This is also impacted by how long it’s been since you’ve taken the N2—either way, don’t worry about spending too much or too little time in this step. It’s one of the most important steps.
2. Expand Your Vocabulary
The biggest difference between the JLPT N1 exam and the N2 exam is going to be vocabulary. The N2 exam is going to be testing you on things you’ll hear in everyday conversations and news broadcasts; you won’t be asked to understand too many abstract topics besides basic politics.
However, the N1 exam is going to require you to think and understand Japanese at an abstract level. This requires your vocabulary to change dramatically, so you’ll need to focus on new topics. Things like philosophy, art, and literature are important, and you should start paying attention to them and trying to understand and discuss them.
This also requires your grammar to change slightly too. While it shouldn’t be anything new, you’ll have to get adjusted and learn the correct way to discuss abstract concepts. This might require you to learn new words or new ways to say the same things.
Think about it this way: the JLPT N1 exam will require you to have the vocabulary and knowledge of someone who’s graduated college. You’ll need to be able to speak, write, and read at a level that reflects that. If you’re taking the JLPT exams for a university, then you’ll notice that most of the require you to be at an N2 level; universities view it as their job to get you to an N1 level (this applies to native Japanese speakers as well—they should only be at an N2 level before finishing college).
One way you can start adding these words into your vocabulary is by reading poetry or Japanese song lyrics. Once you know the words, then you can start reading interpretations of either the song or poem; most of the time, you’ll start seeing new words and concepts, and your vocabulary will start building naturally.
You can also start reading business papers. Check out popular magazines or news articles that are related to the business world. While it might be a bit bland for some people, it’s a great way to test your Japanese skills while you’re trying to learn the next level of vocabulary that you need.
If this task is extremely difficult, then you can always try looking at similar vocabulary in your native language. If that’s English, then try making a list of terms like metaphor, idiom, recession, and marketing and finding their counterparts in Japanese. This is the last way you’ll want to try learning these words; by now, you should know that Japanese doesn’t translate everything perfectly into English. It’s also not the best method to learning and retaining new vocabulary.
You’ll want to be doing this consistently throughout the six months before your JLPT N1 exam. Building up your vocabulary isn’t going to happen in one sitting; it’s going to take months of dedication to be able to integrate with the higher level of Japanese society.
3. Listen to N1 Level Podcasts and Videos
The next thing you’ll want to do after you’ve started expanding your vocabulary is listen to N1 level podcasts or videos. These aren’t your everyday TV shows or anime—you’ll need to find something that’s targeted to the businessmen and women of Japan (or the art-savvy crowd).
Podcasts are great because they typically involve a discussion between multiple people. You’ll have to dissect similar arguments on your JLPT N1 exam, so listening to podcasts is almost like practicing for the test.
Not only that, but podcasts are great for learning new vocabulary because of the nature of these arguments. The people who run podcasts are generally good speakers, so you’ll be able to tell what they’re saying even if you don’t know every word. Context clues will get you there, so you can learn what words mean without having to yank out a dictionary while you’re going about your own life.
When looking to choose a good podcast or video, make sure you’re finding one that’s going to use the language you need to learn. While some podcasts are aiming for higher audiences, many decide to use easier language because most native Japanese speakers aren’t even at an N1 level.
If you’re understanding every single thing happening in the first episode, then it might be time to find a new series. Don’t worry—they’re out there! It just takes some digging to find. This is where videos can be a little better. You’ll probably be able to find videos that have much more elevated speech a little easier than podcasts. Either one works, so don’t waste too much time searching for the perfect thing.
This is another thing you should be doing throughout the six months before the JLPT N1 exam. Vocabulary builds off of itself, so you can’t rush it. Listening to podcasts and videos works really well alongside other studies.
4. Immerse Yourself in Japanese as Much as Possible
The number one way to learn a language is through immersion (ie living in Japan), but that’s not always possible. If you’re studying to get a good job or get into a good university in Japan, you might have to get to the N1 level before you get a chance to actually get to Japan. In that case, you need to immerse yourself now.
The first thing you can do is set your phone to be in Japanese. This is definitely going to throw you off at first, but you’ll quickly adjust, especially if you’re at an N2 level. Some of the vocabulary your phone uses (such as settings) might be weird, but it’ll help you learn these terms.
If you’re spending a lot of time by yourself, then try limiting the media you take in to be only Japanese. If you can change each aspect of your life to be in Japanese, then you’ll find that you have an easier time learning and grasping new concepts since you’ll be forced to relate to the things around you in Japanese.
Try listening to only Japanese music—while it might not feel like it, you’ll get better at understanding Japanese the more you listen. It will also help you learn new vocabulary if you also research the meanings and interpretations of the songs. Critics are extremely helpful in this phase of your learning.
If you know someone who speaks Japanese, then this step gets a lot easier. Being able to have conversations, both over phone and text, will really push you past your limits. If you get the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned to communicate with the people around you in Japanese, don’t pass it up. This is one of the quickest ways you’ll master the language.
You don’t want to start this step until after you’ve reviewed everything from the N2 level and after you’ve built up some vocabulary. Give yourself a good three months of immersion—it’ll be difficult, but it’ll definitely be worth it.
5. Use a Study Book
While there are plenty of ways to start naturally learning the material for the JLPT N1, nothing is as concrete as using an N1 study book. You are bound to learn a lot through every other method we’ve discussed already, but that knowledge can vary depending on what you’re listening to; this doesn’t necessarily directly help you pass the N1 exam.
A JLPT N1 study book will keep you on track with what the exam will expect you to know—while no one knows what’s going to be on the exam, most study books have monitored the exams for years and discovered the common patterns that exist. They become a valuable source for anyone trying to take the exam quickly.
There are several kinds of N1 study guides out there, and you’ll probably want to look at a few different ones instead of focusing on just one guide. Because the JLPT is split into three sections, you’ll find that most study books target one area of the exam. In order to prepare for each section, you’ll need to get books that help with each.
There are series of books that are helpful if you’re trying to find the easiest way to study. The Somato series and the Kanzen Master books are great places to start. They each make study books for every level of the JLPT, and they have study books dedicated to each section as well. The Somato series specifically will help you understand Japanese culture while you go along, so it’s a great series for anyone who is also learning about Japan as a nation.
Each study book is different, but you’re going to want to give yourself at least a month with each workbook for each section. With three sections, that’s three months of study material. Keep in mind that you’ll want to do this as early on as possible so that you can spend the rest of your time reviewing and taking practice exams, so don’t push this off to the last three months of your studying; purchase the books as soon as possible to give yourself the most amount of time with them.
6. Take All the Practice Tests You Can Find
If you’re used to studying, then you know how helpful practice tests are. They can help you in so many different ways it’s ridiculous. When you’re studying for the JLPT N1, you need to use practice tests if you want to truly see where you’re at.
Because the JLPT doesn’t actually have guidelines for what to learn at each level, it gets difficult trying to figure out what you need to know. A practice test is the only way to get an idea of where you are; if you never take one, then you could potentially go into the N1 exam after studying the completely wrong material!
While practice tests help you see what material you need to study, they’ll also help you learn exactly where you struggle. Practice tests help you see what you’re doing wrong, and if you’re consistently failing in one area, then you know that that’s where you should be focusing your study time. This is what makes them better than a workbook.
You can find practice tests online, and the official JLPT website even has mock questions you can take to see how prepared you are. You can also find plenty of listening exercises that mimic the type of listening questions you’ll get on the test itself.
You might think that a practice test should be taken before the real test for practice, but using practice tests in these ways help you learn quicker (which is important when you’re trying to pass the JLPT N1 in six months). Don’t push off the practice exams until your last week of study.
As soon as you finish your workbooks, start taking practice exams. In some cases, that means three months of mock exams, and that’s perfect! The more practice exams you take, the better your actual test will go, so don’t be afraid of spending too much time on this step.