getting to JLPT 2

[karekora]

[Charles]

You are putting the cart before the horse. Stop focusing on the "JLPT grammar points," focus on learning the language. You will never pass 2kyuu by studying the little bits and pieces, you have to gain a better overall mastery of the language.

Consider that the placement test you took might have been accurate. "Finishing" a textbook is not the same as mastering a textbook's material. My teacher used to say that the first 2 years of Japanese study (full time college level study, to be specific) contain all the material necessary to master the language, after that it's mostly just new vocabulary and some idioms. So if you didn't master the early material, you better get a handle on it NOW, before you even think of progressing.

If you're still working from intermediate textbooks, just put aside your thoughts of 2kyuu for now. At the pace of full-time college study, any student could pass 3kyuu at the end of second year, but only a few students could pass 2kyuu at the end of 4th year (and all of them would have spent substantial time in Japan). The gap between 3kyuu and 2kyuu is huge, it is the difference between being a student of the language, and a user of the language.

[IkemenTommy]

[karekora]

charles, what you said made sense. but its not really answering my question.

Minna no nihongo 2 - this book Ive read through cover to cover twice since beginning studying it. I understand everything said & regularly use the stuff i learnt from that book 2 years ago in conversation. I know that the level check cannot be right - theres no way I'm going to pay to do classes using this book. I know that that probably sounds fake - after all, a level check i s a level check, but.. NO! I'll practise in my own time, I'll learn in lessons.

Japanese for Busy People Book 3 - this book I'm reading through. So far its been vocabulary building and for that its useful. I cant say that Ive mastered this book.

The reason why I want JLPT is because I want a better job here and in order to achieve that, I think JLPT 2 is a great advantage. Im prepared to wait, I know it wont happen in a night.

.....
But my question was this - what should I do? Sure, talk to locals etc.. I do that. But can anyone recommend any formal training or self-study textbook I can use too? Chatting away is one thing, but is that enough evidence to get a job on? (i.e - even if I dont have JLPT2, but can talk to people freely, can I get a job on that?!)

thanks

[CrankyBastard]

.....
But my question was this - what should I do? Sure, talk to locals etc.. I do that. But can anyone recommend any formal training or self-study textbook I can use too?
thanks

When I first came here there were very few textbooks for studying JFL let alone any formal tests.
I used a correspondence course for Elementary, Junior High and Senior High students. Texts and drills were supplied and the work was monitored on a twice monthly basis. I always flunked the music and art subjects but got high marks in Kokugo and Eigo!;)
It might be an avenue worth persuing.
Good luck.

[Charles]

charles, what you said made sense. but its not really answering my question.

Minna no nihongo 2 - this book Ive read through cover to cover twice since beginning studying it. I understand everything said & regularly use the stuff i learnt from that book 2 years ago in conversation. I know that the level check cannot be right - theres no way I'm going to pay to do classes using this book. I know that that probably sounds fake - after all, a level check i s a level check, but.. NO! I'll practise in my own time, I'll learn in lessons.

I'm not really familiar with that book series so I have no idea what level you'd be at, and thus it's hard to make specific recommendations. If you gave more info on your levels of ability, I might be able to take a stab at it. I didn't know if you were in Japan or studying on your own outside of Japan. But since you are in Japan, you have the one advantage most students would like most of all: to live in the environment where you have the most opportunities to practice.
BUT.. you still have to do the grammar studies and the boring rote memorization of kanji and new vocabulary, otherwise you've got nothing when you go out there to use the language. There really is no magic formula, you have to learn nihongo the same way every other gaijin did it: the hard way.

[GomiGirl]

Do a quick internet search and you can find the vocab and kanji required for JLPT 2. Also, you can get the grammar drills from a good JLPT book. You may have to order one from Amazon etc.

Somebodies book review

I use the following... it is a big leap from Minna no nihongo 2.

Shin Nihongo no Chukkyu

(Tokyo: 3A Corporation, 2000)

Student book ISBN4-88319-161-3
Grammatical notes in English

ISBN4-88319-230-X
English Translation

ISBN4-88319-284-9

Also, a quick search found this site JLPT discussion board that may be useful for you.

The tough thing is that you are living outside Japan now so practice is difficult unless you become a stalker outside the English language schools looking for "japanese friends" and you know how we feel about people who do that to us so I don't recommend it.

However, another suggestion to improve your spoken English is to try to find a language exchange partner that has a web-cam or something so that you can skype your language practice.

Charles does have a point (albeit lofty) but I do understand that you are working towards an exam so you are looking for the best resources to achieve the pass grade. Get the certificate and keep up the practice the best you can and you can have it both.

this is coming from a very lazy student who has failed level 2 and not likely to try again. As long as I can order beer, have a conversation and get home in a cab, that is about all I am likely to achieve.

[Charles]

Charles does have a point (albeit lofty) but I do understand that you are working towards an exam so you are looking for the best resources to achieve the pass grade.

It's not really all that lofty, unless you consider karekora's goals to be lofty. He says:

The reason why I want JLPT is because I want a better job here and in order to achieve that, I think JLPT 2 is a great advantage.

He wants to use the language as a tool to improve his situation in life. IMHO general improvements in language skills and the ability to communicate better, will do more for you than any certified test results. The JLPT results are the byproduct of your ability to use the language, not the goal.

[karekora]

[sillygirl]

http://www.jlptstudy.com/

[omae mona]

The JLPT results are the byproduct of your ability to use the language, not the goal.

I agree with Charles a lot on this. I have been putting off taking JLPT 1 for a while, due to lack of time to put in the proper study. I know pretty darn well what I need to do to pass (JLPT 1 is just JLPT 2 on steroids). But in the meantime, I made a similar observation to Charles. When I find myself in a situation where I wish I were more fluent, I often think "if I could deal with this situation more smoothly, then that would probably be a sign that JLPT 1 would be a snap". But just as often I think the converse: "I could have read JLPT 1 study materials night and day for 5 years straight, and it still wouldn't have helped me".

As a standardized multiple-choice test, the JLPT does a reasonable job of measuring certain skills. It doesn't necessarily predict your overall ability to use the language in real life, though. I was reminded of this when I took the JLPT 2 and attempted to have a chat with a Chinese girl sitting near me. She seemed pretty confident, and I suspect she passed the test. And she could barely utter a complete sentence in Japanese.