Miklos's JLPT

JLPT stands for Japanese Language Proficiency Test and is a test that assesses ones ability to understand Japanese. It comes in five difficulties ranging from N5, which is the easiest, to N1, the hardest. To put these into comparison, most office jobs and even translator positions require N2 level Japanese, so N1 is really challenging.
These tests are usually offered twice a year, in July and in December. However, due to Corona, this year the July test was cancelled, so the December test was the only one in 2020. Miklos decided to sign up for the N4 (skipping the N5). He had to sign up in September since they only had a 2-week sign-up period in the beginning of September. The test was about $50, which compared to other language tests is actually pretty affordable. Apart from using his language learning apps and his classes, he didn't do any specific preparation.
About a month before the test Miklos received a participation voucher, that had the details for the test listed on it. It had the locations, time and instructions on it, along with his mugshot and personal details. Miklos was lucky in a sense that he got a location nearby, only 4 subway stops away. One of our friends who took the N1 had to go to a city about an hour away for his test!
Lucky for Miklos, the test starts at 12:30, so not too early. Once he

arrived, he was surprised by the scale of this operation: At this location (and maybe all?) they had test takers for all levels. The N4 was in a building with 6 floors. The entrance check was on the first floor and each floor above that had 4 classrooms, each holding 40-50 test takers, meaning there were around 800-1000 people just for the N4 alone. In the classroom where Miklos took his test, every single piece of writing was covered with white paper. From the labeling of the trash cans, to some warning signs on the chairs, to the emergency evacuation map: They wanted to make sure you can't see a single letter/character.
The test itself consisted of 3 parts: Kanji (=Chinese characters) & Vocabulary, Grammar & Reading, and Listening. Between the parts there was a 30 minute break each. The time given for the individual sections was rather short. Not having a watch with him (only analogue watches allowed), Miklos misjudged the time on the first section, but the other ones went okay.
Overall the test was slightly above his level, making it pretty challenging. Nevertheless, it was a very interesting experience. In order to pass, he needs 50% overall, but at least 30% in each section. He will get his results in February and this post will be updated to reflect the outcome. Update, he did not pass. By this summer he anticipates learning more Japanese and thinks his level might exceed the N4 level. This summer he might try and take the N3!