The road to Level 2

[daffy]

Hello All,

was just desesperating about my reading comprehension results (no time to finish it) & wondering, what would be the key to improve.
I then discovered this forum a few minutes ago. Finding other peoples struggeling about the same issue & exchanging advices, brought me my motivation back... Let's try the method of sinewave !

[daffy]

How and by the way, for those who finished the Unicom book,
my japanese teacher just found out that Kanzen master (same edition, which is existing for the Grammar) just published 1-2 month ago a book for reading exercises. It is well structured and give time indication per text (3/4/5min).

You can exercise, depending on the type of text / questions.
This way, you can find out, which text are your strong point / weak point.
(1400 yens).

Best regards, Vincent.

[ayame]

I'm still pretty new here too. I've done a few practice tests - overall 59% on the first one a few weeks ago, and 66% on the one I did last night. When I started to study for this test I didn't think I had a chance, but at least now I feel like I have a slight one!

On the first one I felt pressed for time on the kanji/vocab section as well as the reading but the second time around I only felt the pressure on the reading. I was also able to do most of the grammar pretty quickly and confidently the second time.

How do you handle that pressed for time feeling? I find that it distracts me and I waste precious time worrying about time running out. Then I end up guessing or making stupid mistakes. Maybe just more practice to get used to the pacing of the test?

[Applecart]

[Applecart]

#9. 77% AGGGHHHHHH!!!

This was easily the hardest pratice test I have done. This, and the last 3 are from a book of 4 practice tests and they seem to have been orderd in increasing levels of dificulty.

The main reading had quite a few words not listed in the level 2 specs and one of the questions had 2 verbs that are not even in the level 1 specs. In addition, the opening passage that gives the context of the piece has a very uncommon meaning of a very common verb. The Kodansha New Japanese English dictionary, for example, lists this meaning as 14th of 14.

Now that I have my excuses out the way let us proceed

Vocab/kanji 92%
Listening 70% - Yuck! I made some super-stupid errors here.
Reading / grammer 73%- grammar section was fine as usual but the reading was stuffed.


#10. 92.7% Finally cracked the 90% barrier. This was the 2004 exam and seemed pretty easy compared to the practice exams. Perhaps this was an easy year, or maybe they try to make the practice tests harder than the real thing. Whatever the reason, it was a nice surprise.

Kanji/vocab 93%
Listening 96% - only 1 error here!
Reading / grammar 91%

[synewave]

Applecart, you are caning these tests, even 77% is higher than I'll be getting! How long have you been studying Japanese to be getting scores like that? 92.7% let's call it 93! That's just outrageous! If there was a smiley for 'green with envy' it would be getting used about now.

[Keith]

I'll bet Applecart get 100% on the real test this year.
I think I'm going to get 239 points.

[synewave]

I had a go at the 2004 past paper last week but only got round to doing the listening section this morning.

Kanji / vocab 70%
Listening 85%
Reading / grammar 39% (=70/177 or 79/200) Bloody disgrace really!

Anyway, works out at 234/400 - FAILED!

On the final paper I spent almost all my time, 65 mins, on the reading section but only got 10/21. If you've done the test, it was the third reading passage (Qs 12,13,14) that I felt things slipping away.

My goal for the reading section is 14/21. If I get that, I'm pretty sure that will get me through.

I'm going to try the 2005 past paper at the weekend. Come on 240!

[Keith]

The 2005 test was much harder that year and the results show it.

[nokori3byo]

[Applecart]

[synewave]

Applecart et al. - I've been in Japan since 2003 and have studied on and off since I came. Mostly off it has to be said. However this year I got into Heisig's 'Remembering the Kanji' and that has made me realise that Japanese is learnable so I'm now trying to get things in order.

Anyway, just tried 漢字・語彙 section of the 2005 test. I found Part II to be the easiest out of all past papers I've tried (19/20) but Part III wasn't so good (5/10). As usual I struggle with part V (the one where you have to choose the most appropriate sentence), if anyone has any tips for this part, please let me know!

Result for 2005 漢字・語彙 66/90 = 73%

My first paper target is 70% or above, so I'm happy with that. Listening I hope to get over 80%. Which leaves me needing only 45% on the 読解・文法 paper...but I'm still managing to mess it up!

Cheers,

[synewave]

Just scored a stunning 70/177 for the 2005 読解・文法 paper! Works out as 79/200 not quite breaking the 40% barrier. Come on!

Ran out of time and patience. I tried the grammar section first but spent too long and had to guess 8 of the long questions. The one thing I consistently manage to do well in is the graph question...shame there's only one of those! I'm going to stick with my policy of guessing all the grammar questions coz this time trying to pick out some answers, I managed to get less than 25%.

Perhaps I should just save the train fare next weekend!

[Keith]

See, I told you the 2005 test was harder than usual.
I was just trying to prepare you so you wouldn't feel too bad if your 2005 trial results were worse than your 2004 trial results.

Since last year was statistically proven to be harder than usual, I wonder if they'll make it up to us this year by making it slightly easier.



Anyhow, I think I should have naturally improved enough to be able to do better this year than I did last year. And I did study as well.

Did you do the listening questions?

[synewave]

Not done the listening yet. BUT get this...my maths is even worse than my Japanese...I actually got 74/177 which works out as 83/200. So I did get over 40% in the final section. Woo hoo!

So kanji/vocab: 73 + reading/grammar: 83 gives me 156 meaning I only need 84% in the listening part to pass.

[CaptainHaddock]

New forum member here.

I have a book with four previous JLPT 2 tests; I took one in August, one in October, and one this week. Sadly, my scores show little or no improvement even though I've studied two hours daily over that time period. I'm scoring roughly 55% on the vocabulary and grammar sections, and 50% on the listening.

I rather envy you guys who find listening so easy. I've only lived in Japan a year, so it's still my weak point.

I guess I'll spend my last 6 days cramming in some extra vocabulary, doing a few more practice exams, and doing listening exercises.

[nokori3byo]

I'm now going over the 2004 reading test as part of the complete test transcript offered here: http://jlpt.info/Oriential/jlptexamine.do?year=1999&level=2

I must say, it seems very easy compared with what I did on the 2005 (practice)　test. The passages are relatively straightforward and there are fewer questions (meaning, I suppose that the individual questions are weighted more heavily...)

神様、どうか今年も簡単なテストを受けさせていただけませんか？

[synewave]

Welcome CaptainHaddock. Rest assured that just by being in Japan, your listening will improve...pity the same can't be said for grammar...arrrgh! Good luck on Sunday!

[CaptainHaddock]

Thanks Synewave.

I'm feeling a little more positive today; on my latest practice test, I got 57% on the listening, and the test conditions were not ideal — I was at a particularly noisy Starbucks located in a shopping mall.

[ayame]

Applecart - thanks for the suggestion. I did allot myself certain blocks of time for the reading/grammar last time, but I did it in the order it came. I'm trying another practice test tonight and will try doing the grammar first.

Captain haddock - I've been thinking about the listening lately. I feel like I should be doing better than I am after having lived in Japan over 2 years. In my everyday life I feel like I generally understand a lot more than 60% of what is going on, but on my first practice test I only got 59% for listening, but the second time 66% and most recently 73%.

For me, what makes the biggest difference is context. In my daily life, if i know the context, I can understand what's going on without understanding every single word.

I bought a book with 4 practice tests and still have one left over in another book, so I'm planning to do one a day this week. Partially, with this much exposure to various listening tests, I will better be able to know what kind of questions to expect (my effort to give myself some context for the questions). Also, you're probably already doing this, but I'll go ahead and mention it - when I take the test, I try to be thinking ahead as much as possible, looking at the upcoming pictures, thinking about words/phrases I might expect to hear. At the same time though, it's important to stay open-minded - for example one of the questions (in the no-picture section) I listened to asked what the woman was searching for, so I was expecting things like keys, wallet, book, etc. Actually she was searching for an apt. to rent and i totally missed it!

I've also noticed that if i encounter some difficult questions in a row and my confidence slips, I'm more likely to lose focus on the next questions, so I try to forget about the previous questions and just be focused on the moment.

By the way, does anyone know how the difficulty of practice tests compares to the real thing? The book of 4 I just bought is one published by ALC. It was my best listening score so far but I only got 51% on the opening kanji/vocab section - much lower than I've scored before on that section. Haven't done the reading yet - that's tonight's project.