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difficulty of N3 exam

aki0193

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6 Sep 2014
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I have a question about the difficulty of N3 level exam, about the vocabulary part precisely
I have been studying vocabulary using
窶伉坂?堙懌?堙??堙淒津ェナ澱N3
ナスツィ窶堋ゥ窶堙ァナ?o窶堋ヲ窶堙ゥN3 Vocabulary
and I also memorized most of the words listed on the following page:
http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt3/vocab/VocabList.N3.pdf
And here is my question:
Is it enough to pass vocabulary part?
Recently, I came across one mock exam and I found quite a few words I had never seen using any of the materials i mentioned above.
this made me confused about N3 actual difficulty. Can anyone help?
 
There is no way to 100% prepare for one of these tests. I tried to study the level above the one I was taking, and it made it easier. But the truth is, the preparation tests are made independent of the texts, so they will never quite predict the actual test.

The best way to know your chances is to buy a text of past exams, and take them to see if you get the 60% needed. Those texts are pretty cheap.
 
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Thank you for your reply. I think that is true, I sometimes try to learn N2 vocabulary too as it is the higher level but I am still quite unsure about the exam structure. According to Scoring Sections, Pass or Fail, Score Report | JLPT Japanese-Language Proficiency Test I need at least 19 points to pass each part. That means i can pass vocabulary part with just 19 correct answers? I know it might be quite a stupid question but I have never taken JLPT before :D
 
Thank you for your reply. I think that is true, I sometimes try to learn N2 vocabulary too as it is the higher level but I am still quite unsure about the exam structure. According to Scoring Sections, Pass or Fail, Score Report | JLPT Japanese-Language Proficiency Test I need at least 19 points to pass each part. That means i can pass vocabulary part with just 19 correct answers? I know it might be quite a stupid question but I have never taken JLPT before :D

So if you get a book of past tests, you'll have an idea of the real structure, and can do practice versions.
 
So if you get a book of past tests, you'll have an idea of the real structure, and can do practice versions.

oh but I have just tried 日本語能力試験 模試と対策 N3 there were 2 sample exams and I did pretty well. I also took sample exam on the offical jlpt website. If i buy another set of exams it will take whole september before the book arrives at my home and I am thinking of applying for December term. Any comparison with sample tests I could find in 日本語能力試験 模試と対策 N3? Or only the past exam book you recommended would show my passing ability?
 
Just take the test then. If you can pass the samples, there is a fair chance you'll pass the proper one.
 
The JLPT uses a scaled scoring system so there isn't a simple correspondance in terms of number of points per question.

There also is no longer any set vocabulary list, so you cannot guarantee that only words on a set list will appear. This was deliberately done to discourage cramming from word lists. Just something to be aware of.

That said, I agree with nahadef - if you do okay on sample tests, you'll probably be fine. Try doing one under timed conditions if you haven't already, because for many people time management is an issue, particularly for the reading section.
 
I'm sure at least 80% of vocab list comes from the official vocab list release for old kyuu. N3 is pretty unpredictable, some 1 kyuu words even appear on the test. Just remember all the words for 2 kyuu (somewhere around 3000) and you'll be fine on vocab.
 
maybe its 3000 words from a pool of 8000-10.000, I find it really hard to be able to express yourself or comprehend level 2 communication with only a 3000 word vocabulary.
 
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