Exam Diary - Alister Logan

July 2006

I am studying for the Level 4 JF exam this December as I always work better when there is something to aim for.

I have recently taken the Japanese GCSE which I did not find too difficult however the JF exam is a lot more challenging.

Paper 1 (Vocabulary and Kanji) is not too bad but the listening paper is very difficult. They talk much more quickly than in the GCSE exam and they do not repeat the question which means you have to concentrate and get all the information the first time round.

The grammar paper also appears to be more testing than at GCSE standard however I am sure both papers will become simpler with more practice.

At the moment I am preparing for the exam by writing out flash cards for all the words I do no know on the vocabulary list. I write the word and an example sentence on each card, but not the English translation.

I have also learnt the kanji in a similar way, writing the pronunciation in hiragana and giving an example sentence. I also write down any words I do not know when doing rephrasing or reading excises and make notes if I did not understand a sentence.

To practice my listening skills I have ordered the Minna no Nihongo listening book and CD which I will work though over the summer.