Standardized Language Tests

My Japanese textbooks

Every language has a standardized test to help you, and potential employers, determine how well you can live using that language.

For English, there is the TOEIC, the TOEFL (mainly used for helping you get into college in English), and a few others you can learn about here, if you're curious.


For Japanese, you have the gold-standard Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), which is called the Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken (日本語能力試験) in Japanese.


The JLPT currently has five levels. The fifth level is the easiest, meaning if you passed it then you probably studied Japanese for a year. Passing the first level means you can go to college in Japanese.

I have been trying to pass the JLPT Level One for over a year now, and the test is excruciatingly difficult for me.

To make matters worse, even if I were to pass the Level One exam, that doesn't make me anywhere near Expert of Japanese.

There's the J-Test, for example, which is another standardized test that is lesser known, but harder. This test goes from levels A-F, with Level F being the easiest. Pass Level A and you are at the same level as an interpreter.



The problem with studying a language is that you start out believing that because what you say is getting through to the other person, you are amazing at the language. It gives you unwarranted confidence, which is what you need as incentive to study the language more.


However, the more you study the language, the more you realize just how much you don't know and just how happily ignorant you were of that when the native speaker was nodding at what you said with a slightly puzzled look to their smile.


The JLPT is on July 7th, and because I am going to be devoting my life to studying for it (since I really don't want to have to take it ever again after this), I am going to try to devote the following entries to sharing some Japanese with you.

You never know, it could give you the unwarranted confidence needed to study the labyrinth that is Japanese.