JLPT Test Day Tips: How to Take the Exam, Section by Section

Your score on the JLPT comes mostly from what you know. But plenty of people who know enough still lose points to the exam itself: they run out of time in reading, freeze on a listening question and miss the next two, or shade the wrong row on the answer sheet. Those points are recoverable with technique alone.

This post is about taking the test. For how to prepare in the months before, see how to study for the JLPT.

Know your level's timing before you walk in

The JLPT is split into timed sections, and the split differs by level. These are the official allotments:

The structure matters more than the numbers:

• At N3, N4 and N5, vocabulary is its own section. Time you save there does not carry over into reading. Use the spare minutes to recheck vocabulary answers, not to rest.
• At N1 and N2, vocabulary, grammar and reading share one long section. Here, time saved on vocabulary and grammar is reading time. Move through the knowledge questions briskly and protect the bulk of the section for the passages, which take far longer per point.

The answer sheet

The JLPT is scored by machine from a mark sheet. That turns a few clerical habits into real points:

• Shade each circle fully and darkly with a pencil. A faint or partial mark may not scan.
• Check the question number every time you skip. Skipping question 12 and shading question 13's answer in row 12 shifts every answer after it. If you skip, mark it lightly in the booklet and keep your place on the sheet.
• Mark the sheet as you go. Don't plan to transfer answers at the end; when time is called, it's called.
• Erase cleanly if you change an answer. A leftover smudge can read as a second mark.

Never leave a question blank

Every question is multiple choice, with four options for most and three for some listening questions. A blank earns nothing; a guess sometimes earns a point. Before a section ends, make sure every row on the sheet has a mark.

Guess well when you can: rule out the options you know are wrong, then pick from what's left. In grammar questions, the choice that doesn't connect to the word before it (wrong form, wrong particle) can often be eliminated even when you don't know the pattern.

Reading: question first, then the passage

Reading is where most people run out of time, so don't read passively and then look for the question.

• Read the question before the passage. Knowing whether you're looking for the writer's opinion, a reason, or what a word like それ refers to tells you what to read for.
• Answers usually turn on one or two sentences. Look for the contrast words: しかし, でも, つまり, ところが. The writer's real point often comes right after them.
• For notices, timetables and flyers, scan, don't read. These information-retrieval questions give you conditions (a date, a price, an age) and ask what applies. Find the conditions in the question, then hunt for them in the text.
• Don't get stuck. If one question is eating your time, guess, note it in the booklet, and come back if minutes remain. One hard question is worth the same as one easy one.

Listening: you hear it once

The listening audio plays once, at its own pace, and it doesn't wait for you. That changes the strategy.

• Use the pauses to read ahead. Before each item there's a short gap. Spend it reading the printed choices for the coming question, not rechecking the last one.
• Listen for who and what is being asked. Many questions set up a conversation and then ask one specific thing: what the man does next, where the woman goes first. The question is usually stated before the conversation, so catch it.
• Expect some items with nothing printed. Some listening question types have no choices in the booklet; you hear a line and then the possible responses. Note 1, 2, 3 in the margin as each plays and mark the best.
• Write notes in the booklet. Jotting down times, numbers and names as you hear them saves you from relying on memory.
• When you miss one, let it go. Guess, shade it, and get ready for the next item. Dwelling on a missed question is how one lost point becomes three.

Listening is also the section where the sectional minimum catches people (see the scoring trap), so it's worth staying calm and taking every point on offer.

Rehearse once under real conditions

At least once before test day, sit a full official practice test with the real time limits, in one go, with a pencil and paper. You'll find out whether your reading pace holds up, how tired you are by the listening section, and which question types slow you down. It's much better to learn that at home.

The week before

• Stop adding new material. Review what you already know: the vocabulary and grammar of your level, and any notes from practice tests.
• Keep your daily listening going. Even a little every day keeps your ear tuned for the one section you can't slow down.
• Sleep. A late night of cramming costs more on test day than it adds.

What to bring

Rules differ by country and test site, so read your test voucher and your local host's instructions. The usual list:

• Your test voucher (with a photo attached, if your site requires one) and photo ID.
• Several sharpened HB or No. 2 wooden pencils and a plain eraser. Pens aren't allowed, some sites don't allow mechanical pencils, and sharpeners usually aren't provided.
• A simple analog watch with no alarm. Digital watches and smartwatches are commonly banned, and you can't use your phone to tell the time. Not every room has a clock you can see.
• Water and a snack for the breaks between sections, and layers, since you won't control the room temperature.

Turn your phone fully off, not just silent. At many sites, a phone or alarm going off during the test means disqualification. And remember you can't take the question booklet home: it's collected at the end.

Arrive early

Get to the test site well before the reception time on your voucher. Finding the right building and room, queueing for check-in and settling into your seat takes longer than you'd expect, and you want to start the first section calm, not out of breath.