Japanese Mastery: JLPT N2-N1 and teaching

The upper JLPT levels: what N2 and N1 measure

In simple words

The JLPT is like a ladder with five steps. N5 is the bottom step and N1 is the top. In course 6.6.3 you reached the middle step. Now we climb the last two, and we learn to help other people climb too.

Before this course: Japanese Fluency: reading and work Japanese (course 6.6.3). You can already read texts in です・ます (desu/masu) and だ・である (da/de aru) style, use about 60 kanji, link ideas with から (kara, because), ので (node, because), たら (tara, if/when) and ても (temo, even if), build long noun-modifying clauses, and use workplace keigo (respectful and humble language). Here you aim for the top: JLPT N2 and N1, and teaching others.

Key facts

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has five levels. N5 is the easiest and N1 the most difficult. The official site says N1 and N2 measure understanding of Japanese "used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life", and N3 is a bridge between N1/N2 and N4/N5.
N2 (official summary, in short): you understand Japanese in everyday situations and, to a certain degree, in many other situations. You can read clearly written articles and commentaries in newspapers and magazines, and follow conversations and news spoken at nearly natural speed.
N1 (official summary, in short): you understand Japanese in a variety of circumstances. You can read logically complex and abstract writing such as newspaper editorials and critiques, and follow conversations, news and lectures at natural speed, including the relationships between people, the logical structure and the essential points.
Test sections and times:

Level	Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar) and Reading	Listening
N1	110 minutes	55 minutes
N2	105 minutes	50 minutes

Scoring at N1 and N2: three scoring sections, Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar), Reading and Listening, each scored 0 to 60, for a total of 0 to 180.

Level	Overall pass mark	Sectional pass mark (every section)
N1	100 of 180	19 of 60
N2	90 of 180	19 of 60

To pass you need both: the overall pass mark and at least 19 in every section. A low score in one section means you fail, even with a high total.
Scores are scaled scores (based on Item Response Theory), not a simple count of right answers, so results can be compared between test sessions.
Answers are on a multiple-choice sheet scored by computer. Most questions have four choices; some Listening questions have three.
The JLPT has no speaking or writing section, and the official FAQ says there are no plans to add them. You must practise those skills yourself (Lesson 6).
The JLPT does not publish official lists of vocabulary, kanji or grammar for each level (they stopped after the 2010 revision). It publishes level summaries and sample questions instead.
A JLPT certificate does not expire, but some companies and schools set their own time limits.
CEFR reference (from the December 2025 test): people who pass N2 or N1 also see a CEFR level for reference only. It covers only the skills the JLPT tests (not speaking or writing).

Level passed	Total score	CEFR reference
N2	90 to 111	B1
N2	112 or more	B2
N1	100 to 141	B2
N1	142 or more	C1

The test is held twice a year, in July and December. The 2026 dates are 5 July and 6 December. Some cities outside Japan hold only one of them, and 2027 dates were not yet on the official page when this course was checked: look up your city on jlpt.jp.

Example (worked scores)

Mia takes N2 and scores 30 / 35 / 30. Total 95. 95 is at least 90 and every section is at least 19, so she passes, with the CEFR reference B1.
With the same scores at N1, she would fail, because 95 is below 100.
Ken takes N1 and scores 55 / 50 / 18. Total 123, but Listening (18) is below 19, so he fails.
Ana takes N1 and scores 50 / 48 / 45. Total 143: she passes, with the CEFR reference C1.

Example (dialogue)

A: 「N1と N2、どちらを受けるか迷っています。」 (N1 to N2, dochira o ukeru ka mayotte imasu. I can't decide whether to take N1 or N2.)
B: 「過去の問題を時間を計って解いてみましたか。」 (Kako no mondai o jikan o hakatte toite mimashita ka? Have you tried solving past questions with a timer?)
A: 「はい。読解は大丈夫ですが、聴解が弱いです。」 (Hai. Dokkai wa daijōbu desu ga, chōkai ga yowai desu. Yes. Reading is fine, but listening is my weak point.)
B: 「各科目に基準点があるから、聴解を毎日練習したほうがいいですよ。」 (Kaku kamoku ni kijunten ga aru kara, chōkai o mainichi renshū shita hō ga ii desu yo. Every section has a minimum score, so you'd better practise listening every day.)

Step by step

Open the official level summary on jlpt.jp and read the N2 and N1 descriptions. Write in one line which one sounds like you today.
Do one official sample question set (on jlpt.jp) for your target level, with a timer.
Score each section separately and write the three numbers.
Find your weakest section. That section gets the most study time, because every section must reach 19.
Write a 12-week plan: daily grammar (Lesson 2), vocabulary (Lesson 3), one timed reading (Lesson 4) and 15 minutes of listening (Lesson 5).
Check the official test dates and the application period for your city.
Check: you can say your target level, your weakest section, and your test date.

Watch on YouTube

How I beat the JLPT N1/N2 reading sectionsOhazassu Japan · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01The upper JLPT levels: what N2 and N1 measure

LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:15

Voice

Read the video script

[Host] "The JLPT has five steps. N1 is the top."
[Text on screen: N1: 110 + 55 minutes / N2: 105 + 50 minutes] "N1 takes 110 minutes for language knowledge and reading, then 55 for listening. N2 takes 105 and 50."
[Text on screen: Pass = total + 19 in every section] "To pass, you need the total score and at least 19 in every section."
[Text on screen: 基準点 (kijunten) = minimum score] "Kijunten means minimum score. One weak section can fail you."
[Host] "Find your weakest section first. That is where your study time goes."

Try it now

Do one timed official sample set for N2 or N1. Write your three section scores, your weakest section, and a one-week plan to fix it. Then write one sentence in Japanese about your goal, for example 「12月に N2に合格したいです。」 (Jūnigatsu ni enu-ni ni gōkaku shitai desu. I want to pass N2 in December.)

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Japanese Mastery: JLPT N2-N1 and teaching" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "The upper JLPT levels: what N2 and N1 measure".

What the lesson teaches:
- The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has five levels. N5 is the easiest and N1 the most difficult. The official site says N1 and N2 measure understanding of Japanese "used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life", and N3 is a bridge between N1/N2 and N4/N5.
- N2 (official summary, in short): you understand Japanese in everyday situations and, to a certain degree, in many other situations. You can read clearly written articles and commentaries in newspapers and magazines, and follow conversations and news spoken at nearly natural speed.
- N1 (official summary, in short): you understand Japanese in a variety of circumstances. You can read logically complex and abstract writing such as newspaper editorials and critiques, and follow conversations, news and lectures at natural speed, including the relationships between people, the logical structure and the essential points.
- Test sections and times:
- Level - Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar) and Reading - Listening
- N1 - 110 minutes - 55 minutes
- N2 - 105 minutes - 50 minutes

The exercise I'm working on:
Do one timed official sample set for N2 or N1. Write your three section scores, your weakest section, and a one-week plan to fix it. Then write one sentence in Japanese about your goal, for example 「12月に N2に 合格したいです。」 (Jūnigatsu ni enu-ni ni gōkaku shitai desu. I want to pass N2 in December.)

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.

I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "The upper JLPT levels: what N2 and N1 measure" from the course "Japanese Mastery: JLPT N2-N1 and teaching".

Here's what the lesson says:
The JLPT is like a ladder with five steps. N5 is the bottom step and N1 is the top. In course 6.6.3 you reached the middle step. Now we climb the last two, and we learn to help other people climb too.

The activity:
Do one timed official sample set for N2 or N1. Write your three section scores, your weakest section, and a one-week plan to fix it. Then write one sentence in Japanese about your goal, for example 「12月に N2に 合格したいです。」 (Jūnigatsu ni enu-ni ni gōkaku shitai desu. I want to pass N2 in December.)

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.

Open Claude

Sources

JLPT, N1-N5: Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level: www.jlpt.jp/e/about/levelsummary.html
JLPT, Scoring sections, pass marks: www.jlpt.jp/e/guideline/results.html
JLPT, Test sections and test times: www.jlpt.jp/e/guideline/testsections.html
JLPT, Four key points (scaled scores, test dates): www.jlpt.jp/e/about/points.html
JLPT, CEFR reference indication: www.jlpt.jp/e/about/cefr_reference.html
JLPT, FAQ: www.jlpt.jp/e/faq/index.html

My notes

I learned this