JLPT 2008 test result

I got the result from the Japanese language proficiency test (JLPT) 2008 today and as I thought I passed it with a broad margin.




The passing score for level 1 is 280 points, 70%, I got 321 points which is about 80%.
While I had almost 90% correct answers on the most important part of the test, the reading and grammar, I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed with the listening section of the test, only reaching a score of 67%. One reason for that is that the CD player broke down half way through the test, we had to listen to a bunch of questions another time, the CD player broke down again, causing people to get upset and some slight disorder in the hall and the staff had to get a new one. Also caused me to lose my focus totally.
Also I have to admit that I have a tendency to get confused easily during the JLPT listening tests. Even though I hear and understand what they say, the dialogues and following questions can be quite tricky and is not only a test of your listening comprehension, but just as much a test of your short-term memory. While I do have a talent for logical thinking and can usually get the gist of a long text very quickly, I believe that I also have a certain 'talent' for hearing things and immediately forgetting it or not really paying enough attention to it or just being lost in my own thoughts for a moment. It can be a useful talent when you're tired and spending time with someone who's constantly talking and you just don't want to hear it, but not when you're doing a listening comprehension test.

I also had my final examination at school a couple of weeks ago. Got 95,5% correct answers altogether on the four tests that we took (vocabulary, reading, grammar and listening). The best score in my class, which is the highest class in the school. In other words I can now leave Japan next month without any regrets regarding my studies. Ever since I decided to go to Japan to study Japanese, my policy has been that I'm taking big loans and using big money for my education here so I'm not going to let it go to waste.

Finally, I wonder how it can take more than two months for the guys at the Japan foundation, who administrates the JLPT, to correct the tests and send out the results. Especially since the tests are digitally checked by computers. Once you've finally received the result after more than two months of waiting, you just get a small note with your scores. If you want an A4 document with your result printed on you've got to make a photocopy of the small test result note that you recieved and send it back again to the Japan foundation together with 1000 yen. As if the 5500+yen that the test originally costed wasn't enough already.

To make things even more strange, people who take the test in Korea can pay some extra fee to get a code and check their test result on the Internet already a few weeks after the test. This is the one widely recognised test of the Japanese language and therefore very important when applying for jobs etc. Shouldn't everyone get their results at the same time to make things fair?

JLPT level 1 2008

So 2 days ago was finally the day of the JLPT (Japanese language proficiency test), the test that's been the goal of my studies pretty much since passing level 3 of the test 1 year earlier.

I decided quite quickly to skip the level 2 and go straight for the most difficult level 1 test. It's been a really good way of motivating myself. Knowledgewise, the step from where I were by december last year until where I am right now is, if I may say it myself, freaking huge. But to achieve that I've practically been living a strictly disciplined Buddhist monk life the last 6 months. Waking up at 5 every morning, strict discipline, no blog updates, no alcohol and no sex.
....Ehm okay well that's not completely true, but I can say without exaggerating that I've been studying for about 8-10 hours per day for the last 6 months and about 10-12 hours per day pretty much 7 days per week the last 2-3 months. I guess it's because I'm that kind of person. Give me a challenge and I will do almost anything it takes to manage it.

I can honestly say that I've actually been enjoying it most of the time though. It's a nice feeling to notice how your brain quickly adopts to learning tons of new stuff every day. The problem now when the test is over is that I've fallen into some kind of weird anticlimax.
What am I supposed to do now with all my time when I don't have to study like a mad man? My brain's not used to not getting an overdose of information each day. I certainly do have tons of other stuff to do that I've put aside for many months because of my studies that I can take care of now, but it's quite simply more fun to have a goal to aim for and challenge yourself with. So in some strange way feeling kind of lost now the days after the test. It's also been a satisfying feeling over the last months how quickly I can catch up to the same level and even pass many of the Chinese and Korean students in my class, who not only comes from countries with similar languages (Korea) or already knows the kanji characters (China), but also have they been studying Japanese at university for 3-5 years, while I started studying from first beginner level slightly more than 1 and a half year.


About the test, I feel quite sure I managed to pass it, unless I messed up the columns on the answer sheets or something, who knows. The results are not made public until the middle of February and you're not allowed to bring the questions with you after the test, so it's a long wait. However the entire test and the correct answers were leaked on the Internet only a few hours after the test was finished, so had a look at it yesterday and tried to recall my answers to check up if I was correct or not.

I found the listening part of the test quite difficult, other than that the test was quite manageable I think. No part of the test was extraordinary difficult, it was pretty much in line with what I had expected. I'd say it was slightly easier than last year's test, which I did for practise about 3-4 months ago and failed with only a few points, which led me to make my monk lifestyle training even more strict.

Now it's just a long wait until the middle of February when I get the result, let's hold our thumbs that everything goes well!