Taking the official Japanese-language test 🇯🇵

I have been learning Japanese for more than two years, and after visiting Japan the previous spring, I decided to take an official Japanese-language exam.

What is the JLPT and how does the exam work?

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT, is an official Japanese-language exam held around the world twice a year. It has five levels, ranging from N5, the easiest, to N1, the most difficult.

The JLPT takes place once in summer and once in winter, at multiple locations worldwide on the same day. In the Czech Republic, the exam is organised by the Japanese Centre Brno and is available only during the winter session. It is not held in Slovakia at all.

The test is divided into three main parts: vocabulary and grammar, reading, and listening. Each section has a fixed time limit, and you cannot return to questions from a previous section. Many people find listening the most difficult part because it contains rapidly spoken dialogues.

I registered for the winter session held on 1 December 2024 at Mendel University in Brno. The exam fee was CZK 1,200.

I considered registering for N5, which I was more or less certain to pass, or studying harder and attempting N4. N5 is said to correspond approximately to A1–A2 on the scale used for European languages, while N4 corresponds directly to A2.

I had bought preparation books for both N5 and N4 in Japan.

You can register for any level without first passing the one below it.

In the end, I chose N5 and was surprised by how easy the test was. I probably could have attempted N4 after all.

My results

The results took two months to arrive. Apparently, the paper tests are sent to Japan and marked there. Mine were announced on 31 January 2025.

I passed with a very good result, losing only ten points out of 170. As expected, all ten were in the listening exercises, which I have struggled with for a long time.

Now I only have to wait another two months for the official paper certificate to arrive.