Waiting for my official N2 scorecard to arrive in the mailbox

How I Studied and Passed the JLPT N2

When I first began learning Japanese in 2016, the idea of taking, let alone passing the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 was a pipe dream, something I thought was reserved for people who have already been living in Japan for at least a decade. Or at least, I assumed that it was hallowed ground that only otaku and language fanatics could ace.

Such were my impressions as I embarked on this language journey. It has been three years since I wrote my first Hiragana and Katakana character, and after passing the N4 in August 2018 and the N3 in January 2019, I wanted to see how far I’ll go. So last March 24, 2019, I took the plunge and sent in my N2 exam application. As soon as the N3 results were released, I invested in the best study materials that would give me the adequate knowledge I needed during the critical five-month window of preparation. Despite having a full-time job, I knew that passing this test was an objective I needed to accomplish sooner than later.

The JLPT N2 became my white whale.

As a way of paying it forward to anyone who is interested in learning this language, whatever his or her objectives may be, I gathered a list of resources and reflected on my struggles, frustrations, and realizations that I experienced along the way. I hope that I can inspire and motivate someone out there who is quietly self-studying for the JLPT, knowing that it has been achieved many times before through grit, hard work, and perseverance.

Left: Shinkanzen Master Grammar, Right: Shinkanzen Master Reading

The textbooks I read:

1. Shinkanzen Master N2 Series: A life-saver, even as it ironically drowned me under an immense amount of Japanese text from the very beginning. I followed the advice of most bloggers, buying only the Grammar and Reading books while skipping the Kanji, Vocabulary, and Listening books. The glaring absence of English text forced me to grapple with all the implied meanings, subtle nuances, and analogies brought up. For the Grammar book, the differences in some sentence patterns ultimately came down to context, and it took several re-readings to understand the gist that the writer is trying to drive home. The same goes for the Reading book. It will take several weeks to finish poring over these two books, but you will come out feeling more equipped and confident, even as your brain screams for an episode of Terrace House and Ainori to get away from the madness. Verdict: Buy
2. Pattern Betsu Tettei N2: This all-in-one book covers the three sections of the JLPT. It gives concise explanations of the grammar patterns, but the difficulty of the reading section is a tier below that of Shinkanzen Master. The complexity of the listening section is ramped up, as you can immediately tell a significant difference in speed compared to its N3 counterpart. The vocabulary is challenging, but do not expect majority of the words that appeared in the textbook to show up on the actual test. Verdict: Buy
3. N2 Tango 2500: Long live the red sheet! This is one of the books I highly recommend if you want to harvest new words and store them in your memory bank. For maximum impact, purchase the N1 version and review that as well. The Vocabulary section in the N2 test is not standardized. Sometimes the test will source content that is considered as N3, while other times it will cherry pick words that is deemed as N1. Verdict: Buy
4. Sou Matome N2 Series: I purchased all five books of this series but I can only recommend it as a supplementary resource at best. Although the books are labeled as review material for N2 learners, the actual content and degree of difficulty skews closer towards N3 level. Unless you are expanding your JLPT textbook collection, you can do away with this series. Focus on Shinkanzen Master instead. Verdict: Do Not Buy

Left: Pattern Betsu Tettei N2, Right: N2 Tango 2500

The online resources I used:

1. JapaneseTest4You: This website has a vast amount of material waiting to be answered. Mine through this wealth of information to break the monotony of input from textbooks. There is also a tab that links to common N2 grammar patterns, so take your time scanning those as well.
2. Nihongo no Mori: This YouTube channel has an abundant number of video playlists that are tailored to the JLPT level you are taking. Unfortunately, the playlist that I followed and wanted to share, with Yuki Sensei as the host, was recently made private. It is a shame that future N2 test takers cannot view her videos, as it contained relevant grammar points. Nonetheless, check out the other playlists. Your mileage may vary.
3. Decks by Memrise: I subscribed to several decks, but the one that I strived to finish before the test day was JLPT N2 from Memrise Beta. Setting my daily target to 30 new words per day, it took more than four months to finally reach the pinnacle (Level 628, as of September 4, 2019). The difficulty ranges from N5 to N2, so you have bonafide N2 terms such as 克服 (conquest) sandwiched between easier words like 世界 (world) and 約束 (promise).

The Big Day:

My JLPT N2 took place at Chukyo University near Yagoto Station last July 7, 2019. Since this was a place that I frequently passed by during my evening runs, the familiarity of the location made me a little more at ease.

One of the topics debated online is the correct sequence to take the test. Some people advised to do the Language Knowledge (Vocabulary and Grammar) section first. Others suggested answering the Reading section first. Given that there are only 105 minutes to answer a total of 49 Language Knowledge questions and 21 Reading questions, time is of the essence. This constraint is most evident in the Reading section, where the test will force you to skim through passages, demanding the ability to parse text the way you would reading an English newspaper or business report. No easy feat.

The logical approach would be to attack the Language Knowledge first, answering as many items as confidently as possible, and using whatever time left to surge through the “short”, “mid-sized”, and “information retrieval” Reading questions. There is simply too much time wasted for the passages that take up an entire page and reward you with only two questions at the end. Do not get cute. Do not start with the more difficult Reading section. You will only risk running out of time and scrambling to haphazardly recover your bearings in Language Knowledge. That is an awful way to head into the 30-minute break, as you will be anxiously doing mental calisthenics, arbitrarily tallying how many points you already have while waiting for the Listening Section to begin.

There is honestly nothing else I could have done to prepare myself better for the Listening section. The proctors were kind enough to test the volume of the PA system at least three times (that’s kaizen for you) and thankfully, my classmates were very well-behaved. Nobody was fidgeting in their seat, tapping their pencils in frustration, taking photos of the questionnaires, or throwing a temper tantrum. God forbid.

Advice I would give my past self:

1. Take more mock exams with an actual pencil and paper. There are apps that offer digital versions of the JLPT, most famously JLPT Practice (iOS/Google Play). However, nothing beats the tactile sensation of shading in circles to simulate testing room conditions. For this, you will need the JLPT Official Practice Workbooks. Set a countdown timer to add a semblance of pressure.
2. Refresh yourself on N4 and N3 material. Just because you already scaled the heights of the lower JLPT levels does not mean you will abandon it altogether. More often than not, the N2 will include questions from the lower levels in order to check if you have truly mastered it. Failing to answer those items correctly can cost you precious points.
3. Devote ample reading time outside the textbooks. TangoRisto (iOS/Google Play) and Satori Reader (iOS/Google Play) have made strides to make their platforms as user-friendly as possible. Looking back, I should have spent more time going over these materials, which I believe would have improved my reading speed to a certain degree.
4. When reading paragraphs, say the words out loud as well. Reading engages the sense of sight, but speaking while reading activates the sense of hearing. Involving more senses accelerates the learning process.
5. Search for N1 listening practice tests on YouTube. Listening ability is difficult to self-evaluate, so take the safe route and study harder material. This is with the hope that on test day, the N2 listening section will not be too daunting to overcome. Even for someone like me, who hears native-level Japanese conversation spoken on a daily basis in the office, listening to recorded conversations still carries a different vibe, especially when you have to anticipate a set of questions and several possible answers recited in a short amount of time. It can throw you off when you least expect it.
6. Question anything that you are uncertain about. Let down your pride and accept that you are not yet at par with native Japanese speakers, and therefore, will need to be corrected from time to time. Asking questions is a chance to avoid potential pitfalls. For example, is the first Kanji in 正面 pronounced as しょう or せい? The more we pretend we know, the more we end up looking like a fool. (It’s しょう, by the way.)
7. Reward yourself after a study session with… more Japanese. Personally, I started memorizing pop songs (Thanks, kobasolo!) and followed a semi-educational, mostly-common sense (for Japanese locals) game show called Nep League. My favorite segment in the show is called 大人が読めないと恥ずかしい漢字, which roughly translates to “Kanji that adults must be able to read, (otherwise it’s) embarrassing.” It just goes to show that locals themselves struggle with Kanji, even though they have been exposed to the writing system since preschool.
8. You will not remember every single thing you reviewed, and that’s OK. On test day, go to the test site with enough sleep, enough food, and enough time to spare. Being mentally and physically present and alert is the biggest X-factor that could ultimately turn the tide in your favor.
9. Distract yourself after the test. Once the questionnaires and answer sheets have been handed in to the proctor, the excruciating 6–7 weeks of waiting begins. Take a week or two off and return to a hobby that you set aside. By this time, no amount of additional studying can raise your score by even one point, so focus your energy on something more productive instead. Avoid doing anything that could lead to retroactive burnout.
10. “Breathe, grieve and mourn, heal.” These were the words of consolation said by former Philippine Supreme Court Spokesman Theodore Te to the 2018 Bar Examinees who did not make the cut. Granted, the Bar Exam is an entirely different animal from the JLPT, the former having a higher degree of difficulty and a significantly lower passing rate. The driving point is that failure and rejection hurt all the same, regardless of what playing field it takes place. Just remember that at the end of the day, life is not defined by a test score, and we all have to move forward eventually.

My Result:

Passed. Language Knowledge: 35, Reading: 31, Listening: 37. Honestly, I wish I had gotten a much higher score in the first two sections, but that’s nitpicking at this point. The JLPT is essentially a pass-or-fail test, and I can breathe a sigh of relief with my certificate in hand and say, 「合格しました！」(I passed!)

What’s next? Let’s see, I need to take a break first. Considering I started from scratch with absolutely no background whatsoever three years ago, passing the N2 is a significant checkpoint that I will relish and celebrate. I want to strengthen my foundations and drastically improve my conversation skills, particularly keigo, before going face-to-face with JLPT N1, the final boss.

Disclaimer: The information listed above will not guarantee a “Passed” result on your JLPT N2, or any level for that matter. My opinions are not a bulletproof approach. That said, if you do intend on taking the test, I wish you all the best!