The Japanese Language Proficiency Tests (JLPT) are divided into five levels with N5 being for beginners and N1 for upper advanced students. Each level takes a great deal of preparation, and this is even truer for the N2 and N1 exams (intermediate and upper advanced). In order to pass the N2 exam you are expected to be able to understand most everyday Japanese and be able to comprehend a variety of topics through reading or listening. An important feature when taking the JLPT exam is to be able to answer questions about grammar as well as grammar used in reading and listening tasks.
Although the N2 test has changed over time, even books from years ago are useful and can add to a student’s language proficiency as aspects such as kanji or grammar don’t really change, although they can sometimes form new words or gain new usage. The ALC Press Japanese range of practice exams, although dating back to 1999, are still available to buy and are still good for preparation for the actual test.
"This book should be used as a supplement to up to date books and should not be used by itself."
This textbook is entirely written in Japanese. The contents page shows how there is a short introduction and a long explanation section with advice for preparing and tackling the difficult aspects of the exam. The book is also made up of two practice tests, answer sections, and a transcript of the listening exercises. The introduction begins by providing a little bit of background information to the JLPT test and it also explains how the exam works in regards to the sections and the duration of the exam. The next section spans across 16 pages and goes into a lot of detail about every part of the exam. It involves a large amount of reading but if students hold off on skimming through this section, they can get valuable information about strategies for passing the exam.
After this first part of the book, the following pages are completely made up of two practice tests. The best way to tackle the two practice exams is to either cut out (there is a line showing where scissors can cut) or photocopy the answer sheets at the back of the book. This helps the student get used to the format of the exam and how to fill out answers. Ideally it is best to set aside a couple of hours a day for each practice test and do it as if it is the real thing, the reason for this is that it is really important to know how long it takes for you to do it. Time management is essential and in fact many students fail because they simply do not work on this skill and find that they do not have enough time to answer every single question while taking the exam. In the current exam one third of the points are derived from the reading section and if students give themselves enough time for this part, it can make a big difference in their final score. It is safe to say that just making up answers isn’t a winning formula for passing an exam at this level and developing good study habits ( as this books helps you do) can be extremely beneficial. In a sense, this course book is simply a practice test with a number of helpful strategies and pieces of advice to help students prepare for the actual test.
These two practice tests aren’t the same format as the current and actual one, but the grammar and reading comprehension still relate to the exam. As such it is more than recommendable to undertake these practice tests as preparation for the real thing. However, this book should be used as a supplement to up to date books and should not be used by itself. To be in the best position to pass the exam it is really advisable to complete the Kanzen Master series of books as well as more recent practice tests, however as supplementary study, a student can never do enough practice tests and despite this one being from a few years ago it is still worth tacking on.
