Just like the title says, in this post I’m sharing my experience of passing the JLPT N1 without any exam prep or studying beforehand. Long story short, this is for anyone who is as lazy as I am 😁
Although my score wasn't exactly high, I did manage to get my JLPT N1 certificate in the July 2024 exam. To be honest, the N1 certificate doesn't really serve a specific purpose for me right now, but I still wanted to get it just to check it off the list so I never have to take it again 😂
🚨 Disclaimer: This post is for fellow slackers like me who just show up on test day without reviewing or practicing. So, if you are a serious student who studies hard and preps thoroughly, please look away now 🙏
The Pre-Exam Mindset
Your mental state before the exam is actually really important. At the time, whether I had the JLPT N1 or not wouldn't affect my daily life or work, so I felt pretty lighthearted and relaxed about it.
I'm the type of person who almost never crams for exams. No matter what test it is, I prefer to learn gradually and absorb things through experience. When I feel like I've acquired enough knowledge, that's when I take the test. I prioritize mastering the actual knowledge over mastering "test-taking skills."
On the day of the exam, I felt like I was just going out for fun, mostly because I knew having the N1 (or not) wasn't a life-or-death matter. I remember only bringing my phone, 3 pencils, an eraser, and my ID. That was it.
Before Entering the Exam Room
Since I live pretty close to the test venue, I arrived quite early. While on the train and later while waiting in the courtyard to enter the room, I used my phone to quickly review the JLPT grammar summaries linked below:
And that was it. Doing nothing while waiting felt like a waste of time, so I just skimmed through those N1 grammar summaries.
Taking the Test
Part 1: Vocabulary, Kanji, Grammar, Reading
When the test started, I immediately skipped the Vocabulary, Kanji, and Grammar sections. I flipped straight to the back and started with the Reading Comprehension section first. The reason is that N1 reading passages are very long and difficult, so I wanted to tackle them while my brain was still fresh and energetic.
After finishing about half of the Reading section, I flipped back to the first page and started on the Vocabulary section. By this point, I felt a bit more relaxed because half of the heavy reading lifting was already done.
Since reading is quite difficult for me, I accepted that I couldn't finish 100% of it perfectly. So, instead of panicking and trying to rush through everything, I decided to completely skip one "long passage" (about 4 questions) to focus intently on answering the other parts correctly. When time was almost up, I went back to that long passage. Since I didn't have time to read it, I just chose answer "C" for all 4 questions 😂 my logic was that if you're guessing, picking the same letter for 4 consecutive questions has a higher probability of hitting a correct answer than picking randomly.
Part 2: Listening
This is the part I enjoy the most because, having lived in Japan for a long time, I don't find listening comprehension too difficult. My mind was also at ease because the hardest part of the exam was already behind me.
After the Exam
Once the exam finished, I leisurely headed home, brewed a cup of coffee, and just relaxed. I didn't bother checking the answer keys online because I figured knowing the result early wouldn't change anything. I preferred to stay relaxed until the official results came out.
When the results were finally released, I didn't even check right away. I didn't log in immediately because the website traffic is usually crazy at that time anyway. I waited about an hour before logging in to check. I was pretty happy to finally be done with the JLPT N1 journey.
So that was a little bit about my experience taking the JLPT N1 for those who, like me, didn't study for it.
Hello everyone. I'm an IT engineer working in Japan. I created this blog to share about life and experiences during my study and work journey. I hope this article will be helpful to you.
