Remembering the JLPT2 Word List

During my last challenge I learned about 1,000 words from the JLPT2 word list. Over the last 29 days I managed to finish up the remaining 2,286 words on the JLPT2 word list.

Here are some statistics and graphs from Anki.

Recent Work
In last week 4237 reps/7 days
In last month 14265 reps/29 days

Average New Seen
In last week 586 (83.7/day)
In last month 2286 (76.2/day)

Total cards reviewed: 2,286
Total active cards: 1,968
Leech Rate (words I didn't remember): 14%

First Answered - This graph displays how many new cards I learned per day. I did 100 new cards on most days. There are a few days where I didn't have time for new cards so I only did review cards.

It's important to recognize when you need a break from new cards in any SRS system. A lot of people get carried away and do too many new cards without finishing their reviews. This is a trap I've fallen into a few times. As you can see I grew impatient at the end of the challenge and did 300 new cards on my last day.



Review Time and Reps - These graphs are pretty similar. One represents total time spent per day and the other total repetitions per day. Most days I spent around 45-60 minutes to complete reviews and new cards.





Cumulative Due - This graph represents how many review cards I have to do. If I do nothing for 30 days I will have 2,000 review cards waiting for me. Obviously not something I would do however you can see how SRS systems like Anki can be problematic when you miss a few days and have an endless pile of review cards. SRS works best when you can discipline yourself to do daily reviews. SRS reviews are the first thing I do when I wake up.



Due - The due graph represents the total number of reviews I have to do in the future. This number constantly changes as you review cards.



Conclusion

It feels good to be more or less done with the JLPT 2, 3, and 4 word lists. Although I do not have a 100% recall rate I don't think it's necessary. The remaining words will come to me through other important channels like reading and listening.

There are some 2,500 words remaining for me in the JLPT 1 word list. Although I feel confident that I could muscle my way through the list I'd like to take some time off. My new challenge should be posted in a few weeks. I'm thinking about doing an extensive reading campaign to try and reinforce all the new vocabulary I just learned.