If you’re a student of Japanese language and culture, then you’ve heard of the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam (JLPT) at least once, and you probably already know that N1 is the most advanced level of the test you can take. Learning the material covered on the test takes Japanese natives their entire grade school career to retain. If your studies lead you to be successful in JLPT N1, then you can be considered fluent in Japanese, speaking at a level of the natives.
What can you do after passing JLPT N1? This answer heavily depends upon why you wanted to take the test in the first place. However, there are several things you can consider doing after you pass JLPT N1:
- Prepare to retake the test.
- Move forward with professional plans.
- Continue studies in Japanese language and culture.
While it’s not the most difficult Japanese-language test you can take, JLPT N1 is undoubtedly the most popular one amongst foreigners. It can serve as the ultimate measurement of your skills, and passing it should not be taken lightly. For those of you patient enough to have made it all the way to official certification, congratulations! Let’s talk about some of the things you might do next.
What to Do After JLPT N1
So, you’ve passed JLPT N1. This is a thrilling moment, indeed! You’ve endured over 4500 hours of study, learned the 2136 essential kanji, retain all 10,000 vocabulary words, and organize it all using the 400 grammar rules. You can have an entire conversation in Japanese and comprehend all points of view and formulate logical responses. You can do it all! So, what’s next for you?
There are three things that people usually do after passing the test:
- Your first option is to immediately jump back into your studies and prepare to retake the test. It may seem like a step backward, but there are some excellent reasons to consider doing this.
- The second option is to move forward with your professional plans. JLPT N1 is a requirement for a lot of individuals looking to do business in Japan, so it makes sense that you’d move forward with those plans.
- The third option is to simply continue your studies.
The remainder of this article will discuss each of these options in-depth.
Prepare to Retake the Test
Jumping right back into your studies may seem like a silly option at first glance. Why would anyone want to retake JLPT N1 after they’ve already passed it? As you may know, JLPT is an exam that measures an individual’s competency and fluency in the Japanese language. This measurement can go both ways. Japan uses it to determine whether they’d like to work with non-natives or not, and non-natives use it to assess their skills and learn where they need growth.
How do we use JLPT N1 to measure skill and chart growth? The test is split into three sections: language knowledge (vocabulary and grammar), reading, and listening. Each part is worth 60 points, making for a total of 180 points that you can score on JLPT N1. The following table illustrates the point system JLPT N1 uses to determine a passing or failing grade:
| Total Score | Vocabulary/Grammar | Reading | Listening | ||||
| Overall Score Range | Overall Passing Requirement | Overall Score Range | Sectional Passing Requirement | Overall Score Range | Sectional Passing Requirement | Overall Score Range | Sectional Passing Requirement |
| 0 to 180 Points | 100 Points | 0-60 Points | 19 Points | 0-60 Points | 19 Points | 0-60 Points | 19 Points |
JLPT N1 tests you in language knowledge, reading, and listening. You need 100 points overall to pass, with at least 19 points in each section. Sometimes, individuals who pass are unsatisfied with a score they attained in a specific part, and they use this as a base to target further studies.
Here’s an example of why you might want to retake JLPT N1 after passing it: If you scored perfect 60s in Language Knowledge and Reading, but attained a mere 20 points in listening, then you passed JLPT N1 by 1 point. In this case, an individual would know to target studies toward their Japanese listening skills.
Move Forward with Professional Plans
If you’re not a Japanese native who has a desire to work or study in Japan, then you’ve most likely heard of Japan’s “Points-based System for Highly-Skilled Foreign Professionals.” This is the system Japan uses to conduct preferential immigration control and residency management treatment. There are three categories that foreign professionals are classified into:
- Advanced academic research activities
- Advanced specialized/technical activities
- Advanced business management activities
If you’re relying on this system to work or study in Japan, then you’ll likely aim to attain 70 points. Those with 70 points gain priority and have an easier immigration process. JLPT N1 certification earns you 15 points toward this system.
Besides preferential treatment, there are other professional benefits. Some jobs require JLPT N1 certification before an individual can even be considered for the roll. JLPT N1 certification is required for medical practitioners who are licensed overseas with a desire to take Japan’s national exams for medical practitioners. JLPT N1 certification is also necessary for a variety of other professions, including:
- Dentist
- Nurse
- Pharmacist
- Public Health Nurse
- Midwife
- Radiology Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Physical Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Orthoptist
- Clinical Engineer
- Speech Therapist
- Veterinarian
Continue Studies in Japanese Language and Culture
Passing JLPT N1 with the highest possible score and landing the job you’ve always wanted in Japan are solid goals to strive for, but what if you don’t fall in this category? What if you’re perfectly satisfied with your score and have no plans to move to Japan for work or study? JLPT N1 is only passed by those who show true passion and dedication to the Japanese language and culture, so maybe your only hope is to continue your studies and develop your skills even more.
This is perfectly fine, but how do you go about furthering your knowledge and testing your skills? There are two main points to cover in this category:
- You can take a language test that is harder than JLPT N1.
- You can read Japanese books.
We briefly mentioned above that JLPT N1 is not the hardest Japanese language test available. It’s only the most popular and most accessible due to its professional benefits. If you want to test your skill against a harder test, then you’ll want to check out the NAT. NAT is modeled after JLPT with a similar format, covering the same testing points, but it is known to be much more difficult.
Another option to look into is to simply just read Japanese novels. At this point, you’ve mastered everything that you can learn from textbooks, so we cannot recommend anything designed to educate you in that field. But, novels and stories are sufficient in advancing anyone’s language knowledge, no matter what language it is, or how well you know it.
Conclusion
Deciding what to do after passing JLPT N1 will vary from person to person. Some people wish to attain the highest possible score, so they continue striving for grander heights. Some people desire to work or study in Japan, and JLPT N1 certification makes that possible. Others just have a passion for the Japanese language and culture, so they continue learning and improving indefinitely.
No matter what your reasons are for going after JLPT N1, passing it proves a mastery in your Japanese language proficiency, and your efforts should not be taken lightly. You’ve shown extreme commitment and dedication to a language and culture that is not your own, and you’ve earned a higher level of respect among its natives. If you do nothing else after JLPT N1, you’ve still mastered one of the most challenging languages for non-natives to learn.