Studying for the JLPT2

Why JLPT2?

I decided recently that one of my study goals is to pass the JLPT2 exam. Why not level 1? Well, my goal is really to have qualifications to do professional Japanese-English translations. I've hard that if you pass level 2 it's not too difficult to get translation work.

Practice Exam Results

This past weekend I decided to try my hand at some JLPT practice exams. I received a borderline passing score on the level 3 practice test. When I took the N2 practice exam I received a ~30% on the reading section and a 100% score on the listening section. The biggest difficulty with the N2 exam is the vocabulary and grammar.

Memorizing Words

I've decided to do to prepare for the N2 exam by memorizing more vocabulary words. Since I recently finished all of the Joyou Onyomi readings I think now is the perfect time.

During my previous challenge I managed to consume about 1,150 words from the level 1 list (19%) over 23 days. It was grueling to say the least and I was spending several hours a day going over reviews. I burned out and put the challenge on the shelf.

I've studied the JLPT2 list for about 10.65 hours over the last 2 weeks. I've memorized a total of 850 words in less than an hour per day. I'm really surprised and pleased by the results. I attribute this entirely to memorizing the Onyomi readings.

Current Goal

My current goal is to complete the JLPT2 word list over an unspecified period of time. I've been averaging about 61 words per day. Some days I do 100 new words and other days I might just do reviews with no new words. I'm not forcing myself to adhere to a daily goal this time. I estimate I'll complete the remaining 2,486 words over the coming months. Next year I'm going to own the JLPT2 test :)