JLPT in New York 2008

[OddAndersen]

So.. just curious.
Are there any other users of this site that plan to take the JLPT in New York this December?
I passed level 3 last year and am trying for level 2 this year (which given my limited study time might be fairly ambitious...)

[zakojanai]

I am, but I can't figure out where to register. Can you help me out?

And I'll be taking level 2 as well.

[OddAndersen]

Hi,

You can register at http://www.jflalc.org/?act=tpt&id=8

The test takes place at Columbia University. I was there last year for 3 kyuu. As far as I remember there was a lot of participants, especially Asians (or of Asian heritage) at the higher levels.

[zakojanai]

Thanks. I actually figured that out about 5 minutes after I posted that. And I took 2kyu last year in Japan and failed by 1 percent (grrr). When I took 2kyu, the room was at least 90% Asian (mostly Chinese and Koreans).
This year shouldn't be a problem but since I'm back in the U.S. I'm afraid my listening will fall off.
Good luck with the test! And don't neglect the reading. That's what killed me last year. However, if my listening had been as good as it was on the practice tests I would have passed. I still don't know what happened there.

[OddAndersen]

Hi,

Thanks for your tips. I am mailny concerned about the kanji and grammar part. I have read several Japanese books (with much effort) and listen regularly to the JapanesePod101 podcasts, and hope(?) that will help somewhat on the reading and listening comprehension respectively. As I don't get around to speak Japanese very often, most of my knowledge and vocabulary is passive - unfortunate certainly, but on the other hand that's what you are tested in anyway.... If you lived in Japan previously, I guess you might have an edge in expressing yourself. I am currently ploughing through a grammar book specially designed for the JLPT 2 kyuu.

When I saw the participants last year, I wondered whether quite a few of them could really be of Japanese descent but born and/or raised in the US.

[samihu]

I'll be taking the 2kyuu this year in NY! This will be my first time taking the JLPT. I'm excited. And feeling somewhat overwhelmed...

[OddAndersen]

Hi,
So you will be going straight for the 2 kyuu?
I guess you have been studying quite a while without bothering testing yourself then (or at least not using the JLPT...)
You have any reason for taking it other than just to see where you stand? (Which is more or less my own motivation).

[samihu]

Yeah, I've been studying on and off for about 7 years. It's only over the past year I've gotten really serious about it though. I decided the 3kyuu would probably be too easy...although the 2kyuu is definitely a bit of a stretch...

It's definitely mostly about seeing where I stand, but I figure it also may come in handy eventually.

[Rizu]

Hey Odd, I was at 3kyuu last year too (and passed!). I just remember how uncomfortable those chairs were with the little desks.

Sadly I didn't have time to devote to studying this year so I won't be at 2kyuu. But best of luck!

[OddAndersen]

Hi Rizu,

Yeah I remember those awfully small desks and hard chairs. And that we weren't allowed to leave before the time was out... the last 30 minutes I sat more or less sleeping in my chair.

I saw you stayed in a hotel - did you have to travel far to take the test? Perhaps you could do some sight-seeing here too, if you don't frequent NYC often.

I've been living here for the past two years, but it was the first time to see Columbia University.

[Rizu]

Fortunately the hotel was only a few stops down the subway, so it wasn't far at all. But it was so cold! Remember it snowed that morning?

I've been to NYC a few times before but my fiancee hadn't, so on Saturday we hit Times Square and had lunch, then Rockefeller Center to visit the Nintendo World Store and Kinokuniya and to check out the tree (wall-to-wall people!) and also the Book Off down on 41st Street. We only had Saturday, and Sunday was devoted to the test and traveling home, but we were exhausted afterwards. The crowds were just too much that time of year, so the weekend was enough.

Columbia was nice from what I saw. They had a huge student center where we grabbed some dinner, and my fiancee found a comfortable spot with his laptop while I was taking the exam

[heinlich]

Columbia in Winter has a special 雰囲気, especially when you are taking a test. I've been there three times and it snowed twice on the test day. So, according to my experience, the possibility of snow is 67%
right now I am living in NYC, but at that time not. Even though I had been to NYC many times before, a one-day short trip there still gave me a feeling that NYC was a よくしらない町.