JLPT N1 Plan Of Attack!
2026 April 26note - my u and - key are both broken, sometimes it won't type, sometimes it types 2, sorry for any strangeness
In July last year I posted right after taking the N2, I haven't posted about Japanese study since then, oops!
Where am I at now
I successfully passed the N2 last year!
My score was:
| 言語知識・Language Knowledge | 33/60 |
| 読解・Reading | 25/60 |
| 聴解・Listening | 44/60 |
| Total | 102/180 |
I also gave the N1 a shot in December, because the time between the two tests is only 5 months, I was a bit rushed in getting ready for the test. I didn't pass but got a lot closer than expected! My score for that one was:
| 言語知識・Language Knowledge | 27/60 |
| 読解・Reading | 33/60 |
| 聴解・Listening | 30/60 |
| Total | 90/180 |
yes, I got exactly half the questions right. Just 10 points off the requirement to pass!!
I'm going to give it another shot this July, and I just need 10 more points.
As for Anki, where I put new words in so I may memorise them, finding new words became a bit slower as I get more used to the language, so I haven't added many since July. I have read 1 full Shosetsu and finished Pokemon since then, so they are the source of a lot of the newer words:
| Source | Card Count |
|---|---|
| Games | 2,218 |
| Books | 2,629 |
| Lessons | 1,016 |
| Practise Tests | 880 |
| Job Hunting | 282 |
| Anime | 173 |
| Textbooks | 167 |
| Articles (news / games) | 169 |
| Lived experiences | 83 |
| Manga | 66 |
| TV / Dramas | 44 |
| Youtube | 34 |
| Live Streams | 32 |
| Total | 7,794 |
Areas for improvement
I had been reading a few political articles and game development focused 3DCG articles from CGWorld in preparation for the test. My main blindspots were informative articles about nature, and social articles about local politics. The listening was mostly tricky because the room I sat the test in had really bad acoustics which made it hard to make out what the speaker was saying.
What happens when I put text under a gallery?