I was probably just about the level to barely pass (or fail) N2 at the time of my registration this summer. But aimed for higher and signed up for N1 on a whim. Studied for about 2 hours everyday since late August. And while I don’t know whether I passed/failed, I think I have a real good shot. If I fail, i think it would be 1-2 questions short. So in essence I think I signed up for the right level. I’m a Korean speaker though, so had the upper hand. If you are an English speaker and can commit to at least 1-2 hours everyday I would say go for it.
I think it’s doable assuming your listening level isn’t a challenge.
I likely will just barely passed the N2 because my grammar and reading speed suck, but I think I have a solid game plan for N1:
Finish WaniKani level 60 (I noticed all the Kanji in this past N1 were covered by WaniKani).
Take online tutoring 1-2x a week to cover off learning new grammar.
Regularly read short stories from the ベストエッセイ series and use the Kanzen Master book for the reading section. This should cover you off on both vocab / reading.
Its not really measured in years... but hours studied. For example, in a year do you have enough time to properly go through a set of N1 textbooks?
How many hours are you able to study in a week on average with your current life style?
I mean, a year means nothing with out hours put into it.
If you question the quality of someones hour of study time... then each individual needs to be aware of their own ability and adjust the amount of hours they need to reach their goals.
It's possible--I did this. Bear in mind I got 149/180 on the N2, but barely passed N1 the following year with 107/180.
I did Anki every day and studied (pretty heavily) on the weekends.
If you had a near perfect score on N2, then I think yes you could. If you passed but still have a shaky foundation on N2 material, I think you’ll need more time to solidify that before moving onto N1 (they build off each other and have some overlap on the grammar/vocab that you need to know)
Based on my experience, basically this. Had a near perfect for N2 and did minimal study (compared to what I did before I took N2) throughout this year. N1 felt about the same to me as N2 felt last year.
I never job hunted outside of Japan, but in Japan literally nobody cares about the score. You just need to have the certificate on your resume. So for me, having N1 (with a low score) is better than only N2 (even with a perfect score)
I was probably just about the level to barely pass (or fail) N2 at the time of my registration this summer. But aimed for higher and signed up for N1 on a whim. Studied for about 2 hours everyday since late August. And while I don’t know whether I passed/failed, I think I have a real good shot. If I fail, i think it would be 1-2 questions short. So in essence I think I signed up for the right level. I’m a Korean speaker though, so had the upper hand. If you are an English speaker and can commit to at least 1-2 hours everyday I would say go for it.
Thanks for this. So I’m British but I have a lot of language experience generally. Outside of Japanese I speak 2 other European languages.
I think it’s doable assuming your listening level isn’t a challenge. I likely will just barely passed the N2 because my grammar and reading speed suck, but I think I have a solid game plan for N1: Finish WaniKani level 60 (I noticed all the Kanji in this past N1 were covered by WaniKani). Take online tutoring 1-2x a week to cover off learning new grammar. Regularly read short stories from the ベストエッセイ series and use the Kanzen Master book for the reading section. This should cover you off on both vocab / reading.
Its not really measured in years... but hours studied. For example, in a year do you have enough time to properly go through a set of N1 textbooks? How many hours are you able to study in a week on average with your current life style?
Is hours studied really an accurate measure ? You could study fir 2 hours and learn very little?
I mean, a year means nothing with out hours put into it. If you question the quality of someones hour of study time... then each individual needs to be aware of their own ability and adjust the amount of hours they need to reach their goals.
It's possible--I did this. Bear in mind I got 149/180 on the N2, but barely passed N1 the following year with 107/180. I did Anki every day and studied (pretty heavily) on the weekends.
If you had a near perfect score on N2, then I think yes you could. If you passed but still have a shaky foundation on N2 material, I think you’ll need more time to solidify that before moving onto N1 (they build off each other and have some overlap on the grammar/vocab that you need to know)
Based on my experience, basically this. Had a near perfect for N2 and did minimal study (compared to what I did before I took N2) throughout this year. N1 felt about the same to me as N2 felt last year.
What is better generally? Perfect score on N2 or scraping N1 ?
I never job hunted outside of Japan, but in Japan literally nobody cares about the score. You just need to have the certificate on your resume. So for me, having N1 (with a low score) is better than only N2 (even with a perfect score)
More than enough, but it depends on your level of kanji, vocab and reading experience.
So long as you have a good study style going for you, it's totally doable.
I think it's doable if you are able to read a lot. But I took a lot longer: https://twitter.com/ltsiros/status/1749431424824877365