JLPT
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験, Nihongo Nōryoku Shiken), or JLPT, is a standardized criterion-referenced test to evaluate and certify Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers, covering language knowledge, reading ability, and listening ability. The test is held twice a year in Japan and selected countries (on the first Sunday of July and December), and once a year in other regions (on the first Sunday of December).
The JLPT consists of five levels. Until 2009, the test had four levels, with 4 being the lowest and 1 being the highest level of certification. JLPT certificates do not expire or become invalid over time.
The JLPT was first held in 1984 in response to growing demand for standardized Japanese language certification. Initially 7,000 people took the test. Until 2003, the JLPT was one of the requirements for foreigners entering Japanese universities. Since 2003, the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is used by most universities for this purpose; unlike the JLPT, which is solely a multiple-choice exam, the EJU contains sections which require the examinee to write in Japanese.
In 2004, the JLPT was offered in 40 countries, including Japan. Of the 302,198 examinees in that year, 47% (around 140,000) were certified for their respective level. The number of candidates continued to rise to 559,056 in 2008, while the percentage of candidates certified has fallen below 36%. In 2009, when a revised system was introduced in which two exams are held each year in East Asia, a total of 768,114 people took the exam. In 2010, 610,000 people took the test.
Acceptance in Japan
- Test takers who pass JLPT N1 receive 15 points, and who pass JLPT N2 receive 10 points under the government’s “Point-based Preferential Immigration Treatment System for Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals.” Individuals with a total of 70 points or higher receive preferential treatment at immigration.
- N1 is a prerequisite for foreign medical professionals who wish to take examinations to be licensed in Japan, and for certain foreign nationals who wish to attend nursing school in Japan.
- Those who have passed either N1 or N2 (regardless of citizenship) are exempt from the Japanese language section of the middle school equivalency examination, which is required in order to enter a Japanese high school if the applicant did not graduate from a Japanese middle school.
- N1 is sometimes accepted in lieu of the Examination for Japanese University Admissionfor foreign students who wish to study at Japanese universities.
- One of the requirements for the nurse/caregiver candidates under the EPA. Under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, a JLPT certificate is required for Indonesian, Filipino (approximately Level N5 or higher), and Vietnamese (Level N3 or higher) nurse or caregiver candidates who visit Japan.
Administration
In Japan, the JLPT is administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) through the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES). Overseas, the Japan Foundation co-proctors test administration with local cultural exchange and/or educational institutions, or with committees specially established for this purpose.
Test format
The revised test pattern was implemented in 2010. The test consists of five levels: N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5, with N1 being the highest level and N5 the lowest. No Test Content Specification is published as it is discouraged to study from kanji and vocabulary lists.
| Level | A summary of linguistic competence required for each level |
| N1 | Advanced Level: The ability to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances.ReadingOne is able to read writings with logical complexity and/or abstract writings on a variety of topics, such as newspaper editorials and critiques, and comprehend both their structures and contents. One is also able to read written materials with profound contents on various topics and follow their narratives as well as understand the intent of the writers comprehensively.ListeningOne is able to comprehend orally presented materials such as coherent conversations, news reports, and lectures, spoken at natural speed in a broad variety of settings, and is able to follow their ideas and comprehend their contents comprehensively. One is also able to understand the details of the presented materials such as the relationships among the people involved, the logical structures, and the essential points. |
| N2 | Pre-Advanced Level: The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations, and in a variety of circumstances to a certain degree.ReadingOne is able to read materials written clearly on a variety of topics, such as articles and commentaries in newspapers and magazines as well as simple critiques, and comprehend their contents. One is also able to read written materials on general topics and follow their narratives as well as understand the intent of the writers.ListeningOne is able to comprehend orally presented materials such as coherent conversations and news reports, spoken at nearly natural speed in everyday situations as well as in a variety of settings, and is able to follow their ideas and comprehend their contents. One is also able to understand the relationships among the people involved and the essential points of the presented materials. |
| N3 | Intermediate Level: The ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree.ReadingOne is able to read and understand written materials with specific contents concerning everyday topics. One is also able to grasp summary information such as newspaper headlines. In addition, one is also able to read slightly difficult writings encountered in everyday situations and understand the main points of the content if some alternative phrases are available to aid one’s understanding.ListeningOne is able to listen and comprehend coherent conversations in everyday situations, spoken at near-natural speed, and is generally able to follow their contents as well as grasp the relationships among the people involved. |
| N4 | Elementary Level: The ability to understand basic Japanese.ReadingOne is able to read and understand passages on familiar daily topics written in basic vocabulary and kanji.ListeningOne is able to listen and comprehend conversations encountered in daily life and generally follow their contents, provided that they are spoken slowly. |
| N5 | Basic Level: The ability to understand some basic Japanese.ReadingOne is able to read and understand typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana, and basic kanji.ListeningOne is able to listen and comprehend conversations about topics regularly encountered in daily life and classroom situations, and is able to pick up necessary information from short conversations spoken slowly. |
Scoring
Passing is based on scaled scores calculated using item-response theory—raw scores are not directly used to determine passing, nor are they reported, except in rough form in the “Reference Information” section. Raw scores are converted to a standard scale, so that equivalent performance on tests from different years and different levels of difficulty yields the same scaled score. The scaled scores are reported, broken down by section, and these are the scores used to determine passing.
In addition, a “Reference Information” section is provided on the report card; this is purely informational – for the examinee’s future studies – and is not used in determining if an examinee has passed. The grade given is based on the raw score, and is either A, B, or C, accordingly as the raw score was 67% or above, between 34% and 66%, or below 34%. This reference information is given for vocabulary, grammar, and reading on the N4 and N5, and for vocabulary and grammar (but not reading) on the N1, N2, and N3. In both cases, this breaks down the score on the “Language Knowledge” section into separate skills, but in neither case is performance on the listening section analyzed.
Pass marks
Passing the test requires both achieving an overall pass mark for the total points, and passing each section individually; these are based on the scaled scores. The sectional scores are to ensure that skills are not unbalanced – so one cannot pass by doing well on the written section but poorly on the listening section, for instance. The overall pass mark depends on the level and varies between 100/180 (55.55%) for the N1 and 80/180 (44.44%) for the N5. The pass marks for individual sections are all 19/60 = 31.67% – equivalently, 38/120 = 19/60 for the large section on the N4 and N5. Note that the sectional pass levels are below the overall pass level, at 31.67% instead of 44.44%–55.55%: one need not achieve the overall pass level on each section. These standards were adopted starting in July 2010, and do not vary from year to year, with the scaling instead varying.
Pass marks for individual sections
| Level | Overall pass mark | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar) | Reading | Listening |
| N1 | 100 points | 19 points | 19 points | 19 points |
| N2 | 90 points | 19 points | 19 points | 19 points |
| N3 | 95 points | 19 points | 19 points | 19 points |
| Total possible | 180 points | 60 points | 60 points | 60 points |
| N4 | 90 points | 38 points | 19 points | |
| N5 | 80 points | 38 points | 19 points | |
| Total possible | 180 points | 120 points | 60 points |
Test sections
| Level | Test section (test time) | Total duration | ||
| N1 | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading (110 min) | Listening (60 min) | 170 min | |
| N2 | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading (105 min) | Listening (50 min) | 155 min | |
| N3 | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) (30 min) | Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading (70 min) | Listening (40 min) | 140 min |
| N4 | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) (30 min) | Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading (60 min) | Listening (35 min) | 125 min |
| N5 | Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) (25 min) | Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading (50 min) | Listening (30 min) | 105 min |
Note: “Vocabulary” includes kanji and vocabulary (previous 文字・語彙)
Estimated study time
Study hour comparison data for students residing in Japan, published by the Japanese Language Education Center:
JLPT Study Hour Comparison Data 2010-2015
| Level | Students with kanji knowledge (e.g. speakers of Chinese) | Other students (no prior kanji knowledge) |
| N1 | 1700–2600 hours | 3000–4800 hours |
| N2 | 1150–1800 hours | 1600–2800 hours |
| N3 | 700–1100 hours | 950–1700 hours |
| N4 | 400–700 hours | 575–1000 hours |
| N5 | 250–450 hours | 325–600 hours |
