It’s been a while since my last entry. Now that uni exams are over, I’m starting to study for the Japanese Proficiency Exam attempting level 1 for the 3rd time which is in early December. This Japanese Language Proficiency Exam is an internationally recognised exam to measure Japanese abilities and the certificate is useful when working in Japan. However unlike previous years, this year, they have renewed the exam and it is aimed more at measuring practical skills. So this means incorporating a lot more everyday Japanese in comprehension, listening and grammar. The passing level every year has been around 70% and every time I just miss the mark, but supposedly this year they have lowered it so hopefully will pass it.
In the past I remember there were a lot of old grammar points I had to learn which were hardly used by Japanese people. When I asked my host family to explain them, they had no clue. Since this exam is completely multiple choice, I wonder exactly how much Japanese proficiency they can measure. Of course this exam can’t measure everything and has its limits, but I find it also very helpful. On the good side, it helps my keep up with my Japanese and reminds me of some structures which I have learnt in the past and have easily forgotten. I think for the past few years, somehow I have always looked forward to this exam at the end of the year which gives me a break from everything else. Once I pass this though, I will have to find another thing to study – maybe another language.
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