Hi friends,

I am totally new to Japanese and preparing for JLPT 3 directly. I am planning to appear for JLPT 3 by this December 2009. I already have joined a class where they have given me the Kana Workbook, Basic Japanese book (the one can be found at http://www.basic-japanese.com/), Renshu, Kotoba and a grammar work book. These are all the books created by the institute themselves.

As of now I only know Hiragana, Katanakana, 60 kanji’s from JLPT 4, 350 Vocabulary (as mentioned by my institutions work book which I don’t believe are focused specific to the JLPT examination. I am not complaining, I have cross verified it with the previous questions papers and I hardly find those vocabularies.) I am quite scared about this JLPT 3 examination and hence this post… I really need a systematically prepared book to guide me to get through this JLPT 3. I asked my nihongo no sensei and they said the books they give is enough for the time being as they are planning to do only JLPT 4 till August and start with JLPT 3 since then. I can not imagine wasting time only on JLPT 4 till August and start 3 kyuu by September. I am certain that I will not be able to study 3 kyuu portion from Sep-Nov. I actually am quite not satisfied with the content of those books and I would like to have a proper guide for my JLPT 3. I don’t want a book or fllashcard listing the kanji for JLPT 3 because I can get it online from sites like jlptstudy.com, etc. I don’t want previous exam papers either because I got them.

What I need is a

From various forums, I understand that Unicom’s 3 Kyuu Grammar is one recommended book. Well, that’s on the grammar side. I found this site http://www.thejapanshop.com/home.php?cat=267 listing all the available books for JLPT 3. I am quite not sure which one to shed my money on. Could someone guide, please?

If you’re totally new to Japanese, spend the first 6 months learning all you can about everyday language. This should bring to passing level 4. After that, complement your knowledge specifically with what you’ll need for level 3.

The 4 level system will change to a 5 level system, but only in the summer of 2010. So, in your case, it’s about whether to go for 3 in December or the new 3 (a little higher) in the summer of 2010.

Neither of which will necessarily be easy, by the way.

1. Outside of Japan, it is impossible to do the JLPT 3 or 4 exams in summer.
2. If I’ll do JLPT 3 this December, will it be later seen as JLPT 3 or as JLPT 4 (after the upcoming exam changes)

Plenty of grammar tools on my http://www.JapanesePortal.co.uk :-)

BTW, you can check out my NihongoUp Japanese learning game which contains many exercises to prepare one for all levels of the JLPT :)

My understanding is 4 and 3 are relatively easy to prepare for. 2 is extremely difficult in comparison. There is a bigger jump in what you need to remember.

Check this site out http://www.guidetojapanese.org/

If you have any questions about the above site, I would be happy to help you.

The 完全マスター（かんぜんマスター） books are perfect for all levels of Japanese. The 4kyuu/3kyuu grammar book, other than the explanations and formations, is entirely in Japanese, but it doesn’t involve any difficult kanji. I think it includes listening for the questions.
I haven’t used the 日本語500問（にほんご500もん） book before, but it looks promising for grammar, vocabulary, and kanji.
I’ve heard many many good reviews about 合格できる日本語能力試験4・3級（ごうかくできるにほんごのうりょくしけん4･3きゅう）. It’s a compilation of all areas tested on the JLPT, and includes listening comprehension.
If you want to test yourself, 3級日本語能力試験：試験問題と正解（３きゅうにほんごのうりょくしけん：しけんもんだいとせいかい） has the 2004, 2005, and 2006 exams.

I think however, you certainly need to build-up on your kanji and vocabulary a lot by December. MLC Meguro has a few items for download as well. At the bottom, it also indicates the approximate amount of hours, kanji, and vocabulary you should know for each exam.

Try your hardest! And if anything, I’m sure you can find a good teacher to help you on here. ^^