These are the tips from the students who passed Grade 2 exam.

Philippa Symington - 3rd March 2003

This was my second time of taking 2 kyuu so I knew my weaknesses and felt more comfortable with taking the exam.


After the first attempt, I realised that I hadn't appreciated the length of the exam, so this time I did timed sections of the paper. This was particularly relevant for the reading section, which I had guessed most of at first attempt.


While practising these, I made lists of the many kanji I couldn't read, which slowly became more familiar.


I did the same for the grammar section, for which I practised using books published by the examining board.


I knew the grammar rules well and also the types of questions likely to appear by the time the exam came.
Since these questions can be answered quicker, in section three I answered the second half of the paper first, giving me the confidence to tackle the beginning.


Even then, my reading was too slow to get through more than one and a half passages. I should have read some Japanese daily before the exam to improve my speed.


I was very lucky to pass.


My knowledge of kanji would not be described as perfect but from the lists I'd made, my recognition was not bad.
I hadn't paid enough attention to how the kanji is read however, and long or short 'o's for example was still mystery in the exam.


With the slowness of my reading preventing me from completing the third paper, I therefore only got just over half marks in the first and third papers.


Thankfully, the listening section compensated.
This was the most enjoyable part of the exam, also the easiest to practise for; watching Japanese videos, chatting to Japanese friends and listening to tapes of Japanese stories.


To scrape through like I did, I'd recommend concentrating on your strengths. To have a solid base, there's no substitute for daily revision of old papers.


Paper 1: 54/100
Paper 2:90/100
Paper 3: 105/200
Total:249/400 (62%) Pass