JLPT guide
Which JLPT level should you take?
Start from what the certificate is for — then check your guess against a real paper.
There is no entry requirement and no order you have to follow. You may sit any level, and you may skip levels. That freedom is exactly what makes the question hard, so here is a way to decide that does not rely on guessing.
Start from why you are taking it
The right level depends far more on what the certificate is for than on how much Japanese you know.
| If you need it for… | Aim at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A visa points application | N2 or N1 | N2 and above is where most points tables begin. |
| Work in a Japanese company | N2 | The level most job listings name. |
| Study at a Japanese university | N1 | Usually required outright. |
| Care and service work in Japan | N3 or N4 | Commonly the stated minimum. |
| Proof of progress for yourself | The next one up | A near-term target beats a distant one. |
If the certificate has a job to do, aim at the level that does it. If it does not, aim one level above where you are now.
Then check it against a real paper
Self-assessment is unreliable in both directions, and there is a faster test: sit a paper.
- Under about 40% — this level is too far off for the next sitting. Drop one.
- Around 50–65% — the right level to work towards. Close enough that study moves the needle, far enough that it still needs doing.
- Over about 80% — you are likely revising rather than learning. Consider the level above.
Check the sections, not the total. A pass needs a minimum in every section, so a score of 70% built from a strong reading mark and a poor listening mark is not the pass it looks like.
Should you skip a level?
Skipping is allowed and often sensible. Two considerations:
- N5 and N4 are worth little on paper. Almost no employer or visa scheme asks for them. Their value is as a deadline that makes you study, which is a real value — but if you need a certificate for something, aim higher.
- N3 to N1 is the jump to be careful about. The vocabulary roughly triples and N1 reading is dense, fast and long. Going N3 → N2 → N1 costs one extra sitting and is the more reliable route for most people.
Both sittings, and the deadline that actually matters
The JLPT is held twice a year, on the first Sunday of July and the first Sunday of December. July is not offered in every country; December is held everywhere the test runs.
The date that decides your year is not the exam — it is the application deadline, which falls months earlier and is set country by country. Missing it means waiting six months. Check with your own test centre rather than assuming, and put that date in a calendar now: the countdown on the home page of this site shows the next sitting, but it cannot know your country's deadline.
Still not sure?
Take the level you think is slightly too hard. The JLPT is not cumulative — failing costs you the fee and nothing else, and the result slip tells you exactly which section to work on. That is far more useful than passing something you already knew you could pass.