Didn't get the results you wanted to see on your Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)? Same here. As you might have guessed from the title, I didn’t manage to pass the N1 on my first try in December. Let's talk together about processing that disappointment.
To be honest, the news about failing my first JLPT, coupled with my first trip back to the US in three years, resulted in an extended absence on this blog. At first, when I was trying to get back into the swing of writing, I consulted my list of post ideas and began writing a piece from there, but I wasn’t able to get very far. It just didn’t feel honest to continue giving study advice without discussing this bump in the road, especially after making a JLPT tips post. Successes and strategies are important, but I think that failures and the not-so-fun side of things should be discussed as well.
So, let’s talk about it now. Not just about me failing the exam, but about failing the JLPT in general – how to handle it, how to learn from it, and how to move forward and resume studying if you decide you want to take the JLPT again. This is a good opportunity to discuss not quitting after a disappointment. (There's also a good chance this post is just me processing my own feelings, but come along if you'd like!)
1. Allow yourself to feel disappointed
I think it’s important to note that disappointment is a feeling that naturally comes with failing an exam. No matter how hard you studied, it’s okay to feel sad about failing. I knew that the N1 was a bit of a shot in the dark when I signed up for it - I had only passed the N2 a couple of weeks beforehand, and I knew my kanji and reading levels likely weren’t up to par for the final boss yet. I just wanted to try. That being said, it still sucked to open the website and see I’d spent ¥6500 on what essentially amounted to a practice test.
Are there things to be learned from failing an exam that make it a positive experience? Of course. I’m going to talk about some of them here. But I think it’s also okay to let yourself feel a little bummed out for a bit before tackling the whole moving forward thing.
Please note that I’m saying words like disappointed and sad, rather than guilty. If you know that passing the test will require you to study harder in the future, then that’s great knowledge for your next steps. But wallowing in what-if and I-should’ve thoughts won’t help your language learning process, and the additional pressure may end up hindering what your brain retains from your studies.
2. Check your test statistics in detail
Now that we’ve accepted our sad feelings for a bit, time to look at the information we got back from the test. Unfortunately it isn’t super detailed, but combined with your own memory of what you struggled with on the test, it's definitely enough to help us start planning our studying and honing our weaknesses going forward.
The passing score is different for each test, but at the N1 level you need a total score of 100/180 points to pass, as well as 20 points in each of the three sections (language knowledge, reading, and listening) to pass. That is to say you must pass both the exam overall and also the individual sections. They do this to add balance, so you can’t pass the exam by being awesome at one or two subjects but scoring terribly in another.
If you failed or scored significantly lower on one section than the others, that’s a great place to start as you continue studying for the JLPT. Or if you're like me and missed it on the overall score, or just didn't have a section that was particularly worse than the others, a more well-rounded approach will be better going forward. The answer is between you and your score breakdown.
Also, take some time to reflect on your own testing experience. Did you struggle with time management? With a certain question type? Were there any discrepancies between how you scored on practice tests and how you scored on the exam, and can you identify the reason? For example, chatty proctors, echoing speakers, distracting fellow test-takers, etc. Sometimes, unfortunate things like this occur at the test centers. Did anything happen that was out of your control, or was it just a bad testing day for you? If so, take this into account when allotting your study time going forward.
3. Don’t forget to enjoy Japanese
Studying for the N1 has been especially difficult because for the first time, I really am not enjoying studying Japanese. The kanji is getting less common and more tedious, the grammar is stuff I’ve never heard, and the reading passages don’t seem to make any sense, especially when I’m reading them within the time limit of the exam. To be honest, sometimes the gap between N2 and N1 seems impossibly large.
It’s frustrating. I know most people who study Japanese have felt frustrated by it at some point, or might even feel frustrated with it now. Everyone has their own reasons for studying, but even if your goals are for work or school, I think it's very important to set aside time to relax and have fun in Japanese. This is doubly true after something tough, like failing the JLPT. Having fun might mean practicing with anime, listening to music, watching variety TV, or reading manga or light novels. If you enjoy talking with others, maybe it means finding a speaking partner and sharpening your speaking skills.
Yes, studying is important to get you where you want to go, but fun and interest are essential to maintaining motivation. The JLPT is boring as shit, so please remember it doesn’t all have to be news articles and tears (joking, sort of). Go back to the roots of why you’re interested in Japan in the first place and enjoy some fun content.
4. Jump back into studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, even if it hurts a little
…And my next piece of advice is to not get stuck in tip #3. Please enjoy Japanese, no one wants to be a walking JLPT encyclopedia, but also, don’t break your study habits for too long. If you failed the JLPT, the next one is around the corner, and future-you will thank the current-you if you don’t put off studying. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get back into, so even if its just for 5 minutes, dive back into your preferred study method today.
This is very much me talking to myself right now, but even if the content feels impossible right now, the only way out is through. Practice is just practice for a reason, and it's better to fail a bunch of times before you’re in the real exam (again). Japanese won’t be something you learn in a day, but rather a culmination of the little bits and pieces you learn and remember through all of that repetition and practice. And, no matter how many times the JLPT doesn't work out, all that time and effort is making you better at Japanese.
(If you need a recommendation on JLPT textbooks, the ones I’ve used since my N3 days are the Nihongo Sou-Matome series. They’re organized with a clear expectation for how much to do in a day, which really helps with my ADHD. I’ve mainly used the ones for grammar, but also did some of the Listening Comprehension one for N2 and am currently doing the Reading Comprehension book for N1).
5. Decide when and if to retake
Finally, just because you failed the JLPT and want to retake, it doesn’t have to be at the next test date if you don’t feel ready. If you feel that your score was too low to give you a real chance next time, or if you just don’t want all that pressure, it's okay to wait a year or two before retaking. You may also have reasons not to do this - for the time being, I’m partial to trying the JLPT each time it rolls around, because I’m not planning to live in Japan forever and feel that my skill in Japanese is likely to be at its peak while I’m living in Japan. Still, failing feels bad, so I'll reassess my level in April and think carefully about whether or not to register for the July exam or wait until December.
Each person has their own personal situation to consider when it comes to the JLPT - reasons for testing, study time, financial flexibility, etc. - that influences how quickly they may want to retake the JLPT. Only you can decide what’s right for you and your Japanese level.
And although I’ve said it before, I’ll note here once again that the JLPT is not proof of a person’s skill in Japanese, and you don’t have to take the test just because you’re studying Japanese. If you like studying more without the pressure of the JLPT on your back, all the more power (and freedom) to you. I hope you enjoy a lovely sushi dinner or something with that ¥6500.
If you failed the December exam like me, you fortunately have quite a bit of time to think things through between learning your results and needing to register for the next test. If you failed the July exam and are reading this in the future… Well, good luck. Think very quickly over the next few weeks before registration opens.
Conclusion
And with that, we bring the JLPT season to a (slightly delayed) close. I’ll be back soon with regular non-JLPT Japanese studying content, advice, and (hopefully relatable) anecdotes. As always, good luck with your studying!
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