The JLPT

I've been thinking about doing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) this year. The JLPT is run by the Japanese government, and there are four levels: 1 is the highest, and 4 is the lowest. According to http://www.kanji-a-day.com there are 149 days to go until this year's test.

Back in 2003, when I'd been studying Japanese for about six months, Sasaki-sensei thought that I could probably pass Level 3 if I pushed. (Level 4 is pretty easy, really.)

Because the quizzes are right there, I just did 100 Level 3 kanji questions, and got 60 of them right (which is a pass). I know it's not the same, and kanji comprehension is only one part of the test, but hey, I didn't study at all.

Given that I have 149 days to actually study the material, Level 3 is probably too easy. So Level 2 is the logical test to try.

But: eep. Level 2 is about three times harder than Level 3, with 1000 kanji and 6000 words, and "the ability to converse, read, and write about matters of a general nature". (Does yaoi count?) Also: "This level is normally reached after studying Japanese for around 600 hours and after completion of an intermediate course."

I haven't done an intermediate course. Perhaps I could... Spooky. I just checked, and the uni where I did my previous course is advertising enrolments for Semester 2 tomorrow. Woo, I'll get the paper in the morning.

Well, thanks for following along the bouncing ball of me talking myself into trying for Level 2. How hard could it be? (Hahaha. Very hard indeed.) And, if nothing else comes of it, there will be the novelty of failing an exam, which hasn't happened for a very long time indeed.

Yay. Challenge. I'm off to dust off my kanji books, exercise notebooks and quiz software. もっともっと練習が必要ですよ！　(I need much more practice.)