Passing the JLPT N5: My Experience

こんにちは、皆さん！お元気ですか。

I have been hooked to the Japanese language since High School, when it was taught to us when we were in our 4th year. During this time, very basic Japanese was introduced to us including memorizing the Hiragana, Katakana and a handful of Kanji characters. There was a void between graduating from high school, until the middle of 2019. Surprisingly, I did not forget the writing system especially the Hiragana and the Katakana, and still remembered most of the few Kanji we were taught with then.

The year 2019 had paved way for me to reviewing the Japanese language once more, and decided to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test for Level N5, the lowest level in the examination. The screenshot below summarizes what JLPT N5 is all about:

Source: JLPT Official Website – N1-N5

RESOURCES

The first thing that I did before formally starting to study for the JLPT N5 Examination was to scout for some books/resources online. Prior purchasing these books/resources, I did some researches and read many reviews about them. Finally, I decided to get three (3) workbooks with lessons and the official workbook for JLPT N5 (this official workbook is closely similar to the actual examination):

1. 新にほんご500問 N4-N5
   (Shin Nihongo 500 Mon N4-N5)
2. はじめての日本語能力試験N５単語１０００
   (Hajimete no Nihongo Nouryouku Shiken N5 Tango 1000)
3. 日本語総まとめ N5 かんじ・ことば・ぶんぽう・読む・聞く
   Nihongo So-matome JLPT N5: Kanji,[英語・ベトナム語版] Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading, Listening
4. 日本語能力試験公式問題集　第二集N5
   JLPT N5 Official Practice Workbook Volume 2
   

Luckily, there is an online store (at Shopee) where I bought these books. The store’s name is JapaneseBooksToPH. The store can also be visited on its Facebook and Instagram accounts. While I was studying for JLPT N5, I skimmed a bit very now and then on JLPT N4 resources which I also bought from them (complete set of Sou Matome N4 series, and complete set of Shin Kanzen N4 series).

HOW I STUDIED

The Kana – Hiragana and Katakana

Memorizing the Hiragana and the Katakana is the first thing to do. The Kana (Hiragana and Katakana) “are syllabaries that forms part of the Japanese writing system.” These syllabaries can be memorized in a week or two, if you dedicate some time of your day to learning it. At left was my practice sheet I used to write the Hiragana and the Katakana. There are a lot of resources online and mobile apps available dedicated to studying the Kana. Do not skip this very first step.

Vocabulary which included basic Kanji and Grammar

The books はじめての日本語能力試験N５単語１０００ (Hajimete no Nihongo Nouryouku Shiken N5 Tango 1000) and 日本語総まとめ N5 かんじ・ことば・ぶんぽう・読む・聞く(Nihongo So-matome JLPT N5: Kanji, Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading, Listening) helped me improve my vocabulary. I memorized as many vocabulary as possible in these books. Learning the Kanjis in these books (since learning the vocabulary also contains Kanjis for some words) will also improve your vocabulary and vice versa.

The good thing about the Nihongo Sou Matome resources is that they have “scheduled” lessons for you to “master”. You can stick to the “schedule” or move on to the next lessons if you are confident enough you’ve mastered the previous ones. Also, there is a mini-examination for each “day” for you to test if you’ve learned the lesson for that day. A longer examination is located at the end of the 7th day. The “weekly” examination is comprised of those lessons from Day 1 to Day 7 for that week.

The N5 Tango 1000 is divided into chapters which are also divided by section. This book requires you to memorize the Kana, as the words only have English translations, and do not include how the words are pronounced using our alphabet, thus the Kana requirement. Pretty amazing, huh? The book also has many examples on how the words are used. Don’t worry if you’ve stumbled down with Kanjis, as the Kanjis in this book have a Furigana in them. Furigana is how the words are pronounced, usually written in Hiragana. For this book, the Furigana is written below the Kanji.

The 新にほんご500問 N4-N5 (Shin Nihongo 500 Mon N4-N5) contains JLPT-related problems which includes vocabulary, grammar and Kanji. The good thing about this book is that the answers are found at the opposite page, with explanations about the correct answer. The book is also divided by week and day so you can manage your time efficiently when studying or answering the examinations in the book.

There were times when I feel like testing myself with the official workbook for JLPT N5, thus, I purchased the 日本語能力試験公式問題集 第二集N5 (JLPT N5 Official Practice Workbook Volume 2). This exactly mimics the actual examination. Having answered this workbook will actually give you the feel of how the actual format of the examination would be. I never looked at the answer key page found in the book, as I wanted to be confident that my answers were correct. Though it has the answer key page, it doesn’t contain any explanation as to why and how the answers came to be in the workbook. I basically switched books according to my liking and mood. And more often than not, I can study a week’s lessons’in a day.

I basically utilized 3-4 hours daily (sometimes, more hours during the weekend and during break time on work days) dedicated to studying Japanese for JLPT N5, using these resources. These resources were not the only ones I used honestly speaking. I did scout for some information in the Internet. Hundreds of them so to speak. You will also find some mobile apps dedicated to studying for the JLPT, and I recommend this Japanese App which is available for both iOS and Android devices. I used the Japanese App to survive in Tokyo 2 years ago when we when for a tour for my son’s first birthday. I could already make simple sentences with basic grammar then, and the only missing piece for me to get through Tokyo was the vocabulary. Pretty amazing what this app can do. I find Jisho.org also very useful.

Tip: Memorize as many vocabulary as possible including Kanjis! And you need to have dedication on learning the language. Not preparing for the examination will only waste time and money.

REGISTRATION

The Japan Foundation Manila is the one managing the JLPT examinations in the Philippines, and announced that online registration for December 2019 JLPT Examinations would be from July 25, 2019 to September 1, 2019, in their official website. Here, the instructions for the registration were given. After having filled out the registration form online, an email was sent to me confirming my registration. All the details entered in the online registration form were all contained in the email, including your password. The registration number was yet to be generated upon payment on the designated days. JFM requires a fee when registering for the examination and the fee varies for each level. Check the official announcement as the fee might change for future JLPT registration, also, there were specific schedules for those who registered individually or by group.

On my preferred date, I woke up early and prepared to go to Japan Foundation Manila where I would be paying for my registration. NOTE: Registration will not be complete if payments weren’t made. From our house, I booked a private cab going to Japan Foundation Manila. It is located at:

Japan Foundation Manila
23rd Floor Pacific Star Building, Makati Ave. cor. Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave,
Makati City, 1226 Metro Manila. Philippines

Below shows a screenshot of a map (Google Maps) showing the location of Japan Foundation Manila:

Open in Google Maps

When paying for the registration, you need also bring two (2) one by one (1×1) pictures (and oh, yes – bring your own pen). You will be given a voucher form to which you will fill out. Stick the photos to the areas provided in the form. The lower part of the form will be for JFM and the upper part would be for you. This will serve as your voucher for the day of the examination. DO NOT LOSE THIS VOUCHER AS THIS WILL BE PRESENTED DURING THE EXAMINATION DAY OR WHEN GETTING THE RESULT AS THE PASSWORD IS ALSO INCLUDED THERE.

Below was my voucher after payment, and a guidelines form:

Take time to read the guidelines.

Alas, I was then ready for the examination which was scheduled last December 1, 2019. Initially at 11:00 Philippine Time. I still had plenty of time to study from the day the voucher was given to me until the day of the examination, and so, to study more I did.

WHAT TO BRING

Aside from the test voucher, you need to bring the following:

1. Valid ID (I brought my passport)
2. Two (2) pieces of Mongol pencils
3. Eraser, and
4. Some snacks (yes, you can bring snacks, but you can only eat them after each section is finished since break will be given.

Below were what I brought. Kinda overkill, but it was better to have more than two pencils haha:

DAY OF EXAMINATION

Very early Sunday morning of December 1, 2019, I woke up around 6:00AM. I was excited and at the same time feeling uneasy – they kinda mixed then. I ate breakfast, read some news online, re-checked all the required materials including the voucher. I secured one mamon which I bought days before the actual day of examination. Around 7:00AM, headed to LRT Edsa Station and took a train going to Vito Cruz Station, the nearest station from La Salle – the site of the examination. Took off the train, went to La Salle and found a lot of young people waiting in line at the entrance. The line was so long that I made a jokingly remark to people who I talked with, who were also taking the exams, that I should have alighted at the Quirino Station instead of Vito Cruz. There were two lines (or groups), and you have to be careful on where to line up. Sadly, the people who were supposed to be guides for the examinees didn’t have enough information on which line/s the examinees should follow. We were under the mercy of the sun, as the day was so hot, and that we lined up for several hours already. One of my developers, Jovy Villafuerte, was also there. He was taking the N4. I should have lined up in that queue where he was in! Ms. Lorena Nueve, our HR admin also took the exam, N2. The N2-N1 examinees were assigned to La Salle – St. Benilde. Then the queue moved. Nearing the entrance of the building for the group I was initially in, I got a feeling that I should not be here and that the allocated building for me according to my registration number was in fact located at the main campus of La Salle! I immediately left the current line I was in, and transferred to the other one. That other line was so long that I, once again, have to endure the waiting. Good thing, the end of the line was inside a building, in an almost vacant parking area at the 2nd floor of the building. Then, to my relief, the line moved little by little. At times, the queue stopped for a minute, then once again moved until I reached the entrance going to the main campus area of La Salle. Found my building, and depending on the registration number, found my room. We were already in the room around 12:00 noon, but had to wait inside until 1:00PM. The proctors started handing the exam booklet and the answer sheets. Clocked struck 1:00PM, then the examination began.

The first part of the examination was Vocabulary which should be finished within 25 minutes. I was happy to have answered most of the items correctly – I know I answered them correctly. I finished this section within 10 minutes, and still had a lot of time to review the items, until the proctor announced that the time was up for the section. The proctors then took our answer sheets one by one, after which the test booklet. A 15-minute break was given, and we had to be in the room at around 1:45PM.

The second part of the examination was Grammar. At around 1:45PM, the proctors started distributing the test booklets, then the answer sheets for that section. Once again, I was glad to have seen the exam as I have seen them before during one of my reviews. I am a bit skeptic about some answer on some part of the section, specially the ones where you will choose the right answer in the correct order. This section was the longest when it comes to the number of items in it and the time allotted to finish it. We should be done around 2:45PM. I finished the exam barely 10 minutes before the time, and quickly went back to the items I was skeptic about, changed some answers which I thought would be the correct answer, and reviewed my answers once more. Time was up, and we were then again given another break. We should be back at the room at around 3:00PM.

The last part of the exam was Listening. Only 30 minutes were allotted to this section. I knew my weakness was (or still is) listening. This section started at around 3:00PM. Seemed like the afternoon was so long that I felt I was there in the room for the whole day already (not to mention that the room was ice-cold!). The proctor then placed a component in front of the room and placed the CD containing the audio files for the exam. Then the first audio was played. I kinda was nervous as I know I could not easily grasp what was orally said. To my surprise, I did understand most of the test, and was quite happy about it. We were already done by around 3:30PM. I did not want to assume that I would pass it, as I know I could have shaded the wrong answer even if I knew the right one (happened to me in one of my reviews with the official workbook).

RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT

On January 20, 2020, news spread about the announcement of the results:

We patiently waited, feeling uncomfortable and excited at the same time. I knew I would fail as I was expecting that my score in the Listening section would make the overall result a failure (a failure in one of the sections means the examinee failed for the whole exam).

Additional instructions where stated in the official JLPT for determing the result of the examinations. In this page, you will see a button which will navigate you to the login page for the examinees:

Clicking the button above you will be redirected to this page:

Key in your registration number and your password/passcode as stated in your voucher (this is why your voucher is important, because it contains the examinee registration number and the passcode.

I was nervous when keying in my credentials, but at the same time need to know how I fared with the exam. Then voila:

I PASSED!

Surprisingly, I got TRIPLE As!

I was thankful to have passed N5. Though this is the lowest level in the JLPT, I still take pride with my score, considering that I only self-studied for the exam. There is still a long way to go, and I thank my GOD first and foremost. I will be starting to review and study for N4, for July 2020 Godwilling.

EDIT:
On February 24, 2020, I finally received my certificate for passing JLPT N5! Thanking GOD always for having helped me along the way! Godwilling, He will once again help me with my journey towards passing JLPT N4 in July 2020. Below is the certificate I received which was mailed to my home address from Japan Foundation Manila:

神様に感謝します。頑張ってください、皆さん！どうもありがとうございます！