I passed the JLPT N4

I have some good news! I passed the Japanese Language proficiency test N4! Passing the JLPT N5 greatly boosted my confidence as someone who struggles with learning languages. I needed to dig deeper and persevere through many disappointments but here I am fully buzzed again after passing the N4 and ready to take a bite into the JLPT N3 this summer.

Stop studying Japanese – study for the JLPT

Mental rollercoaster and pandemic aside I realised in 2021 that self-studying for the N4 wasn’t going to cut it and I needed an in-person Japanese teacher. No shade for those who learn well online or with other learning tools but no amount of online studies, flashcards etc could break me through that ceiling my Japanese level seemed to be stuck at – at least when it relates to the JLPT. It was frustrating because my everyday Japanese was improving but I could not pass the damn test. That’s when I stopped studying Japanese and started studying for the JLPT. Having a teacher to meet with once a week really unlocked another level of understanding past the very basics. I could ask questions, I could be given targeted drills and most of all there was structure to the learning that I NEEDED.

JLPT N4 passed – now to the next step

My Japanese teacher had also spent time living abroad (South Korea and Canada) and learning other languages and that was so important as she could relate to my struggles as a fellow language learner with experience living in another country where you couldn’t speak the language. All that said – I am happy that I passed the JLPT N4 it took me multiple tries but I did it and I am going to ride this high right into the summer and smash the JLPT N3. I am open to any tips or tools so feel free to leave a comment, join my Discord community or tweet me @jamaipanese.