The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験 nihongo nōryoku shiken) is a test commonly used to gauge the language ability of Japanese Language students.
The test is held twice a year in Japan, on the first Sunday of both July and December. The applications for July generally become available during early March and have a Late April deadline. For the December test, the application period usually stretches from early August through late September. Applications are available at select bookstores, with Kinokuniya in the Parco (near Otsu's Zeze station) the most convenient place to acquire them within Shiga. Visit the following website for more information about the tests: http://www.jees.or.jp/jlpt_e/index.htm
As of 2011, there are five levels of the test, with N5 testing the most basic Japanese, to N1 being the most difficult. Each level has its own requirements.
N5:
N5 is roughly equivalent to the previous JLPT 4. The participant is expected to know around 100 kanji and 800 words. The total duration for N5 is 105 minutes broken into three sections: 25 minute vocabulary section, a 50 minute reading (grammar) section, and a 30 minute listening section.
N4:
Similar to the previous JLPT 3, the N4 asks the test taker to have knowledge of approximately 300 kanji and 1,500 words. The time for the N4 is 125 minutes. It is divided into three sections: a 30 minute vocabulary section, a 60 minute reading (grammar) section, and a 35 minute listening section.
N3:
One of the reasons that the test was updated in 2010 was due what many believed was a drastic jump in difficulty between JLPT 3 and JLPT 2. The gap between the two was filled by the new N3. N3, like N4 and N5, has three sections. With a 30 minute vocabulary section, a 70 minute reading (grammar) section, and a 40 minute listening section, N3 comes to 140 minutes in total.
N2:
With the former JLPT 2 as its equivalent, N2 requires knowledge of around 1000 kanji and 6000 words. At 155 minutes, N2 is broken down into only two sections. One of those sections is a 50 minute listening section, and the other section combines the previous levels’ vocabulary and reading sections into one larger section. This more intense section is 105 minutes in length.
N1:
Slightly harder than its predecessor, JLPT 1, N1 is the hardest of the five levels, traditionally only passing 30% of those who attempt it. The taker is expected to be able to use all of the general use kanji (常用漢字 jōyō kanji) as well as roughly 10,000 vocabulary words. Clocking in at 170 minutes, N1 has a 110 minute reading section (vocabulary and grammar) as well as an hour long listening section.
Studying for the JLPT
Please visit this thread in our forums for tips on preparing for the JLPT.