How difficult or easy the JLPT is varies widely from person to person. Some people pass without effort, whereas others (like myself) need lots of preparation.
This article covers what the JLPT is, what you need to know for each level, potential study resources, and how you can plan your study so you can pass it first try.
What is the JLPT?
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) is an exam held once or twice a year (depending on the country) and is often used to determine someone’s skill in the language. JLPT N5 is beginner level, while N1 is advanced.
The JLPT tests you on your kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening skills through multiple choice questions. There’s no writing or speaking element to the test, but don’t let that trick you into thinking it’s easy. The multiple-choice questions are designed to trip you up if you’re not paying careful attention.
This can make the exam particularly difficult for neurodiverse people, such as those with dyslexia or ADHD.
Don’t Skip a Level!
Before we get onto how to study for the JLPT, I want to emphasize something important: Do not skip any of the levels.
It is tempting to look at the JLPT and think you don’t need the lower levels because companies only care about N2 and N1 certificates but you’ll only be hurting yourself in the long run!
I recently read a Bluesky post from someone who said they skipped the lower levels and just focused on passing the N2. Jump forward many years and they now live in Japan with their Japanese family but struggle with daily Japanese conversations. As their kids learned Japanese they realized they were missing a large portion of beginner Japanese because they never bothered to study it properly. After reviewing basic vocabulary and grammar they began to find understanding Japanese a lot easier.
The moral of this story is, don’t run before you can walk. A strong foundation in Japanese is key to mastering the language!
What You Need to Know for Each Level
Saying that, there’s a lot to learn. Each level roughly doubles everything that came before it. So, if you’re studying JLPT N3 Japanese, you need to learn [(N5 + N4) x 2]. If you’re studying for the N2 then you need to learn [(N5 + N4 + N3 + N2) x 2].
If you’re dead-set on skipping a level or two I highly advise making sure you review and understand all the materials for each skipped level. And it never hurts to review what you think you know on a regular basis. Repetition is the key to retention.
How to Plan Your JLPT Study
Now onto the meat and potatoes of this article—how to study for the JLPT.
There are two elements to planning your study: picking the right study materials (for you) and planning your schedule. These can vary greatly from person to person depending on your Japanese level and available time.
Study Materials
First, what tools are you using to prepare for the exam?
Just studying Japanese through a single app like Duolingo or Memrise won’t do you much good. (These sorts of apps don’t teach you an extensive coverage of the language— but instead just enough to make you feel like you’re learning while you continue to pay their subscription fees.)
As you can see in the above charts, there’s a lot you need to know. But it’s not just vocabulary, kanji, and grammar; you need well rounded knowledge of the language and the JLPT test itself.
Why the JLPT? Because knowing how the JLPT works, how it frames the questions, and what it might do to trick you, will help you pass the test.
In other words, studying specifically for the JLPT is just as important as studying the language itself.
As such I recommend picking up some JLPT textbooks and exercise books. Especially if you’re planning on taking the N3, N2, or N1 levels.
JLPT Textbooks
There are a lot of different textbooks for the various levels of the JLPT. Here are a few of the most popular ones.
I highly recommend you look into getting one set of reference books (books that focus on the tricks to specific parts of the exam), some drill books for areas you struggle with, and practice tests to give yourself a real feel for the exam.
Take time to look at each of these books to see which ones would be a good fit for you. Previews are available on Amazon, or visit your local Kinokuniya in the US or other Japanese book stores in your country. You can also find in-depth reviews of these books online to help you get an idea of if they’ll be a good fit for you.
1. Reference Books
Reference books go through specific challenges each of the JLPT levels might present you with and techniques on how to tackle different parts of the exams. They give you lots of the materials that will come up on the exams, along with practice questions.
These book aren’t designed to teach you Japanese on their own. You can’t just read these once and you’ll be ready. You still need to study new vocabulary, kanji, and grammar, and read and listen extensively outside of the books.
新完全マスター (Shin-Kanzen Master)
(Books for JLPT N4 to N1)
This has been many people’s go-to series of books for the JLPT for years because they’re so thorough. They don’t teach you Japanese, but how to pass the exam.
Each book focuses on a different part of the JLPT (kanji/vocabulary, grammar, reading, or listening) with explanations of what to look out for in the exam and tips for tackling different sections.
If you want to study something like grammar from scratch then you’ll need to supplement the books by looking up additional explanations online or in a grammar dictionary.
Great if you want to focus on just reading or just grammar.
日本語総まとめ (Nihongo So-Matome)
(Books for N5 to N1)
This series is great if you struggle with daily study as the books are formatted into days and weeks with a test on the seventh day. They also have a lot of images and explanations in different languages, which you might prefer.
The books for N4 and N5 cover the kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening sections in one book. Whereas the N3 to N1 level books are split into kanji and vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening; just like the Shin-Kanzen Master series.
I found these books only useful up to the N3 level. Because the Nihongo So-Matome series offer a lot of additional explanation they don’t contain all the words or kanji needed for N2 and N1. A dedicated vocabulary book, such as Nihongo Tango Speed Master (日本語単語スピードマスター) or the Shin-kanzen Master series would be better for advanced learners.
スピードマスター (Speed Master)
(Books for N5 to N1)
The Speed Master series are very similar to the Shin-Kanzen Master books, only they include a series for N5 level.
Each book focuses on kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening (which comes with a CD), with explanations and English translations.
Similarly to the Nihongo So-Matome books, you might find this series lacking in in-depth materials for the advanced N2 and N1 levels.
全科目攻略! (Zenkamoku Kouryaku!)
(Books for N5 to N1)
Published by The Japan Times, this is a newer series and is a collection of practice questions for all parts of the test.
Each section of the book is split into weeks for guided study focusing on different elements of the test. For example; the N4 books give five days of kanji reading questions for the first week, then five days of vocabulary usage and sentence composition the second week.
This is a mix of the Shin-Kanzen Master and the Nihongo So-Matome series and drill books. I don’t think any of these books on their own is enough for the N3, N2, or N1 levels, but they’re good for additional practice.
2. Drill Books
Drill books are a must, especially if you find yourself struggling with a section of the exam. They’re full of example questions so you can get plenty of practice.
Drill books aren’t meant to teach you so they often won’t contain detailed explanations, but do at least include answer sheets so you can check what you got wrong.
ドリル&ドリル (Drill & Drill)
(Books for N5 to N1)
The Drill & Drill books have all the sections grouped together for N5 and N4 levels, and different kanji and vocabulary, grammar, and reading and listening books for N3 to N1.
They’re also a little old school so include a CD instead of digital download for the audio.
ドリル&模試 (Drill & Moshi)
(N5 to N1)
These books have practice questions for kanji, vocabulary, and grammar in one book. (They don’t have reading or listening drill books!)
If you practice a section a day you’ll be done with these books in about 15 days.
日本語パワードリル (Nihongo Power Drill)
(N3 to N1)
Nihongo Power Drill only has books for the intermediate and advanced levels. Similar to Drill and Moshi, they only have practice books for kanji, vocabulary, and grammar, but each level is split into two books.
3. Practice Books
Practice books are designed to give you an authentic feel for the exam. Set a timer while doing these exercises, just as if you were really in the exam. This will help you practice time management and exam techniques.
ベスト模試 (The Best Practice Tests)
From the same people who made the 全科目攻略! (Zenkamoku Kouryaku!) books, each book in The Best Practice Tests series has three mock exams. The audio is downloadable and it includes English translations so you can look at why you might have got something wrong.
JLPT Official Practice Books
(Books for N5 to N1)
The Japan Foundation offers their own official practice tests, which you can download from their website for FREE! They offer printed versions too but they’re seemingly identical to the digital version.
There is only one practice paper per level, so you probably want to look into other practice tests too.
Planning Your Schedule
Next, look over the level you plan to take and calculate;
- How many weeks/months do you have before the exam?
- How much kanji, vocab, and grammar do you need to learn?
- When can you realistically set aside study time?
The more time you give yourself the better. You can’t rush studying 200 kanji and 1500 words the week before the exam! (Or, you can but again, repetition equals retention!)
Let’s say you just took the N4 and want to take the N3 next December. That leaves you eleven months of study-time. That might seem like a lot right now but you’ll be surprised by how much time gets taken up by life and how quickly it goes.
Step 1: Review the lower levels
First ask yourself, “how well do I know the material of the lower levels?” If you barely passed the N4 then maybe you need to review N5 and N4 Japanese before you start studying N3. If you haven’t studied Japanese in a few years but want to take the N2, it’s a good idea to start by reviewing N4 and N3 levels.
I suggest setting aside about three to eight weeks to review the kanji, vocabulary, and grammar for the prior levels. The higher the level you’re aiming for, the more time you’ll need to review.
Step 2: Build up vocabulary and kanji
Next, build up your vocabulary, kanji, and grammar for the level you’re studying for.
Many JLPT textbooks will group vocabulary and kanji together in the same book, and I suggest you study them together. Kanji is not used in a vacuum; it is always used in vocabulary. And understanding how vocabulary is used (specifically what words are used in which situations) is key to mastering the language.
How to study vocabulary and kanji for the JLPT
- JLPT dedicated flashcards
- JLPT dedicated vocabulary books (which you should turn into flashcards)
- Vocabulary and kanji drill books
Step 3: Really understand the grammar
People often focus so much on kanji and vocabulary they forget (or more specifically run out of time) for grammar!
Kanji and vocabulary might be the bricks of Japanese, but grammar is the mortar holding them together. Without grammar you’ll struggle to understand the nuances of the language, which will have a huge impact on the reading and listening sections of the exam.
Beginner Grammar
If you’re at the N5/N4 levels then textbooks like Genki or Minna no Nihongo will normally cover everything you need to know. If you need a free grammar guide then Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar is a good resource.
But if you prefer learning through audio and/or visuals then there are lots of videos on YouTube which explain grammar patterns used in the JLPT. Nihongo no Mori and Game Gengo are particularly good.
If you still struggle with grammar then the Drill & Drill or Drill & Moshi books are good ways to practice.
Intermediate to Advanced Grammar
JLPT N3 to N1 are more difficult because you start to learn grammar that’s not used as frequently. I suggest getting yourself a grammar reference book and a grammar drill book for your level.
Go through your drill book a page a day and look up any grammar patterns you don’t know in your reference book or online.
For reference books I recommend どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型500 (Donna Toki Dou Tsukau Nihongo Hyogen Bunkei 500) and/or 教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 (Kyoshi to Gakushusha no tame no Nihongo Bunkei Jiten).
どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型500 is a fantastic book because it explains the difference between similar grammar patterns covered in N3 to N1. While 教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 is a grammar dictionary for Japanese teachers and students. All explanations are in Japanese and explain more of the nuances in the grammar with plenty of example sentences.
Nihongo no Mori and 出口日語 are also great YouTube channels for grammar pattern explanations.
Once you’ve finished going through the drill book, you’ll have picked up a lot of grammar patterns. Go through the book again to really drill the meanings home. (Pro-tip: Write your answers on separate pieces of paper so you can use the book again and again!)
Stick to a page a day so you don’t forget what the grammar patterns mean or how they differ from similar grammar patterns.
It takes about a month to complete one book if you do a section a day. Of course, you might not have time or energy to do it every single day, so give yourself a week or two buffer to complete each grammar drill book.
See my The Best Way to Study Grammar for the JLPT article for a detailed breakdown of this approach.
Step 4: Practice reading and listening
There’s a lot to learn for vocabulary, kanji, and grammar, but reading and listening are the bulk of the exam. They’re an amalgamation of the first three elements and make up two thirds of the available points, so cannot be neglected.
The Shin-Kanzen Master books are great for reading and listening because they explain how different elements of the exam work and the types of tricks to look out for.
I highly recommend using drill books to practice reading and listening, especially if you’re weak in either of these areas.
Step 5: Practice exams
Once you’ve studied everything it’s time to do some practice exams so you get used to the timing and pacing of the test.
Use the above mentioned JLPT Official Practice Books or one of the many other books made to recreate the exam. Look up 模擬試験 (mogishiken) which means “mock exam” to find some.
Aim for two to four practice exams, depending on the difficulty of the exam, spread out over the latter half of your test preparation period. Leaving time between each practice exam will give you a good idea of how your understanding of the language and the test is improving over time.
An Example Study Schedule for JLPT N3
Sometimes it’s hard to wrap your head around how to schedule your preparation time for the exam, so here’s an example for the JLPT N3.
Mai just passed the N4 in December and wants to take the N3 in December the following year. She didn’t study in December and is going to start in January. She has a full-time job and wants to give herself plenty of time to study without burning herself out.
Here’s a rough schedule for how she can use the Shin-Kanzen Master books and drill books to prepare for the exam. She’ll also have weekly lessons with a teacher and start reading novels for fun.
How to Study for the JLPT
First, know where you’re at with the language and how much you need to know to pass the exam. Plan your studies so you can cover all the materials and still have time for practice tests and to focus on the segments your weakest at.
Continue to use the language outside of just studying for the exam. Watch anime and movies, read novels and books, play video games, meet language exchange partners and teachers. You can easily burn yourself out if you focus on studying too intensively, so make sure you continue to do the things you love in Japanese.
Whether you find the exam a breeze or a struggle, I hope this article gives you some food for thought and helps you on your JLPT journey.
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Other articles you might find useful
The Best Way to Study Grammar for the JLPT
Review of Nihongo Tango Speed Master for JLPT Vocabulary
N5 – Study Methods and Resources
N4 – Study Methods and Resources
N3 – Study Methods and Resources