Committing to Studying for the JLPT

     1.  Take the time to fully understand what is required of you for the level of test you are taking.

• If you are taking the N5 test, click here. 
• If you are taking the N4 test, click here. 
• If you are taking the N3 test, click here. 
• If you are taking the N2 test, click here. 
• If you are taking the N1 test, click here. 

     2.  What to study for each level

• If you are looking to buy the official guidebooks, you can do so on the JLPT website here. The guide book for levels N1, N2, and N3 (all three levels are in this one book) is 900円, plus tax, which works out to about 3060円 (~$39.45 CAD), once shipping is calculated. The guide book for levels N4 and N5 is 100円 cheaper than the other book, and works out to a total of about ~$38.25 CAD. If you aren’t up to paying so much for a book, or, well, for the shipping, there are free online resources that you can utilize instead. I would suggest that if you are taking a higher level exam for professional or career reasons, it may be good to consider ordering the guidebook.

• The following are free study guides that can help you prepare for your test:
• If you are taking the N5 test, click here, or here.
• If you are taking the N4 test, click here, or here.
• If you are taking the N3 test, click here, or here.
• If you are taking the N2 test, click here, or here.
• If you are taking the N1 test, click here.  

• When you are studying, remember that you are obviously responsible for all lower-level material. For example, if you are studying the kanji list for N4, be sure to review the kanji list for N5 as well, as you may be or may not be explicitly tested on the N5 kanji. 

     3.   Practice with sample questions

• You can view official sample questions on the JLPT website here. If you visit this website, you can create an account for free and gain access to more study material, including sample test questions. If you want more sample questions to try, they are available to buy online.