Hello! This is Keith. I have received the results of my attempt at the Kanji Kentei Level 7. This test is the level that an elementary student should be at by the time they complete the 4th grade. They should be able to read and write 640 characters, including knowing a lot of vocabulary and being able to get the おくりがな correct.
Let me say that for level 8, you need to get 80% to pass but for level 7, you need only 70% to pass. The average score for level 7 is 84.3%. Level 7 is greater than Level 8, by the way.
As expected, I scored 95%. I got every question correct on reading (読み). You have to actually write the readings. And I got every question correct where you have to write the correct Kanji character.
Again, the hardest part of these Kanji tests is not the reading or writing, but the vocabulary. There are a lot of words that can be made from all these different characters.
My score was 190 points out of 200 possible points. I missed 5 questions.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I passed Level 1 of the JLPT
This, however, is only the beginning. Now I can take more control of what I study... and no more doing past exams!
Monday, February 1, 2010
A reply to Kosuke: Why I study for the Kanji Kentei
Hi Kosuke. Thanks for your concern. Sorry for the words that I wrote which are disturbing you. I only mean to show that I have no delusions that this kind of study is going to have a permanent effect.
By way of example, I had been preparing for the level 8 test last spring but I missed the registration deadline so I didn't take the test in June. At that time I was doing quite well on the past tests and could have passed the real one easily. After that time, I did not study any more. About 5 months later, I started to prepare again for the level 8 and my proficiency sunk to a failing level. I had to work my way back up.
Maybe the same thing will happen again. I don't know. I have a 日本語 journal over on Vox, and recently I have started writing in it. If I keep up this habit, then I won't forget how to write Kanji. Kanji is not something we can study once and learn, and then set aside, and expect it will be there for us forever. Kanji is much more like physical fitness. If you want to be able to write Kanji, you have to do it regularly. So that is the purpose of my Vox blog. To keep Kanji fit.
You ask, what's my purpose for taking the Kanji tests? The purpose is to have a certification that shows I have studied Kanji and can read and write Japanese. The certification is especially important for employment. Without it, you can talk all you want about your Kanji ability, but some interviewers will just doubt you anyway. I think all Japanese people know how difficult it is to keep up handwriting skills in this computerized era where we don't need to write by hand anymore. If Japanese people find it difficult, then of course they will have a hard time believing that you (whomever you are), a foreigner, finds writing Kanji easy. Why should they believe you? They have their own experience so they know it's not easy. But if you at least have passed Kanken tests, then you can prove that you have Kanji ability equal to a Japanese. Even if you've forgotten how a word is written, the certification backs up what you say. With no certification, if you've said you can write Japanese but then you get stuck on a word, you just look like a fool. Who will get more respect? The person who strongly said he can read and write Japanese but then gets stuck when he tries to show it, or worse, writes it wrong. Or the person who has passed the certification test and doesn't need to show that he can write.
Think about it? Why would any Japanese person believe that you can read and write Kanji? If they ask, how can a learner convincingly tell them, yes I can? Simply saying yes is not very convincing, so without some proof, you either have to talk big or show the money. Just talking does nothing to rid the doubts. So, I think being able to say that you've passed the Kanken (level 2 or whatever) allows you to remain humble and satisfy the inquisition, as well as avoid being put on the spot to prove it.
If one is not taking the certification test for this purpose, then one does not need to take it at all. If you have the self-discipline to study Kanji for a short period every day, you can get quite far. If you don't, then probably the test is not going to really help, because after you finish getting the certifications, you probably will stop writing Kanji and they will slowly slip away. Being able to read does nothing to keep up the ability to write.
Everybody needs to realize that writing Kanji is a lifetime commitment. Are you willing to keep up with it? If not, then just save your time and stick to reading only and composing on the computer.
By way of example, I had been preparing for the level 8 test last spring but I missed the registration deadline so I didn't take the test in June. At that time I was doing quite well on the past tests and could have passed the real one easily. After that time, I did not study any more. About 5 months later, I started to prepare again for the level 8 and my proficiency sunk to a failing level. I had to work my way back up.
Maybe the same thing will happen again. I don't know. I have a 日本語 journal over on Vox, and recently I have started writing in it. If I keep up this habit, then I won't forget how to write Kanji. Kanji is not something we can study once and learn, and then set aside, and expect it will be there for us forever. Kanji is much more like physical fitness. If you want to be able to write Kanji, you have to do it regularly. So that is the purpose of my Vox blog. To keep Kanji fit.
You ask, what's my purpose for taking the Kanji tests? The purpose is to have a certification that shows I have studied Kanji and can read and write Japanese. The certification is especially important for employment. Without it, you can talk all you want about your Kanji ability, but some interviewers will just doubt you anyway. I think all Japanese people know how difficult it is to keep up handwriting skills in this computerized era where we don't need to write by hand anymore. If Japanese people find it difficult, then of course they will have a hard time believing that you (whomever you are), a foreigner, finds writing Kanji easy. Why should they believe you? They have their own experience so they know it's not easy. But if you at least have passed Kanken tests, then you can prove that you have Kanji ability equal to a Japanese. Even if you've forgotten how a word is written, the certification backs up what you say. With no certification, if you've said you can write Japanese but then you get stuck on a word, you just look like a fool. Who will get more respect? The person who strongly said he can read and write Japanese but then gets stuck when he tries to show it, or worse, writes it wrong. Or the person who has passed the certification test and doesn't need to show that he can write.
Think about it? Why would any Japanese person believe that you can read and write Kanji? If they ask, how can a learner convincingly tell them, yes I can? Simply saying yes is not very convincing, so without some proof, you either have to talk big or show the money. Just talking does nothing to rid the doubts. So, I think being able to say that you've passed the Kanken (level 2 or whatever) allows you to remain humble and satisfy the inquisition, as well as avoid being put on the spot to prove it.
If one is not taking the certification test for this purpose, then one does not need to take it at all. If you have the self-discipline to study Kanji for a short period every day, you can get quite far. If you don't, then probably the test is not going to really help, because after you finish getting the certifications, you probably will stop writing Kanji and they will slowly slip away. Being able to read does nothing to keep up the ability to write.
Everybody needs to realize that writing Kanji is a lifetime commitment. Are you willing to keep up with it? If not, then just save your time and stick to reading only and composing on the computer.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Speedanki
A really good place to study (if you wish) vocabulary for the JLPT is at Speedanki.com. Speedanki has the Kanji vocabulary for each level of the previous JLPT. The old 4 levels. As you probably know, the JLPT will now have 5 levels. But still, the vocabulary you need to know is not going to change all that much.
I will begin preparing for the Level 1 JLPT. Speedanki has 1228 cards at that level. Other vocabulary you need to know at that level which wasn't on lower levels is vocabulary written in Katakana or Hiragana.
What's my plan? How will I use Speedanki? I'm going to do 10 new flashcards a day. That's pretty easy. I'll review up to 10 previous days' words, which makes 100. I think if I "master" the words on the first day, and then see them again for 10 days, they should be pretty well stuck in my memory.
Here's how I do it: I go through 10 cards from the unread deck which is where all of them are initially. After trying to guess and checking the answer of the card, I click on the "read" option which moves it to the "read" deck. After I have done this for 10 cards, I then move to the Read deck. Then I go through them a couple of times until it's no longer a challenge. This usually takes 3 or 4 times through.
After that, I study the Familiar deck, which will have no more than 100 cards. After 10 days, every day, 10 cards will move from Familiar to Mastered and 10 cards will move from Unread to Read.
That will take me about 4 months to get through the deck of cards for level 1. After that, I'll have about 3 or 4 weeks I think, to whip through them all again and see how well I remember them and which ones need refreshing. I'll also want to start reading news articles every day at that time in order to rev up my reading speed and sentence comprehension.
Then I'll take the JLPT in July. I'll consider it a practice test just to see how close I am to passing. If I continue reading every day until December, I think I'll be ready to pass the test by then.
I will begin preparing for the Level 1 JLPT. Speedanki has 1228 cards at that level. Other vocabulary you need to know at that level which wasn't on lower levels is vocabulary written in Katakana or Hiragana.
What's my plan? How will I use Speedanki? I'm going to do 10 new flashcards a day. That's pretty easy. I'll review up to 10 previous days' words, which makes 100. I think if I "master" the words on the first day, and then see them again for 10 days, they should be pretty well stuck in my memory.
Here's how I do it: I go through 10 cards from the unread deck which is where all of them are initially. After trying to guess and checking the answer of the card, I click on the "read" option which moves it to the "read" deck. After I have done this for 10 cards, I then move to the Read deck. Then I go through them a couple of times until it's no longer a challenge. This usually takes 3 or 4 times through.
After that, I study the Familiar deck, which will have no more than 100 cards. After 10 days, every day, 10 cards will move from Familiar to Mastered and 10 cards will move from Unread to Read.
That will take me about 4 months to get through the deck of cards for level 1. After that, I'll have about 3 or 4 weeks I think, to whip through them all again and see how well I remember them and which ones need refreshing. I'll also want to start reading news articles every day at that time in order to rev up my reading speed and sentence comprehension.
Then I'll take the JLPT in July. I'll consider it a practice test just to see how close I am to passing. If I continue reading every day until December, I think I'll be ready to pass the test by then.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kanji Kentei Level 7
This is Keith here... I will be taking level 7 of the 日本漢字能力検定 (にほんかんじのうりょくけんてい) on February 12th. I am preparing for the test, which is different than studying Kanji. Why is it different? Because I'm simply taking copies of the test that were administered in the past. I have special books with those.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Kanji Kentei Level 4
I'm taking it with my students at the Junior High School I work at in 2 weeks! Is anyone else taking it? 頑張ってね！
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
