So this might be a weird question with one month to go till the JLPT 4.
I'm doing self study and I can do all the grammar points, conjugations, etc. But when doing an actual mock test, I can't seem to remember anything. I try to remember what form to use where, and other than the easy ones (kara, +nai, +naide kudasai, made, ya+nado, tekudasai, etc) I just draw a blank.
I can then go on Renshuu or my textbook, check the grammar and then answer fine. I've been studying since mid July '09.
Has anyone else experienced such a disconnect between understanding and doing exercises in your textbook (I use Genki 1) but when tested on everything make many mistakes?
I did the 2003 jlpt3 test yesterday and got 87% vocab/kanji but my grammar was only 65%. I did pass with a 69% overall on this test but this was not under any stress, other than the listening part which was full of tricks.
This can be tricky. I'm sure everyone has had the same experience as you are now. You study and study and then get to a question that you 'should' know, but, just can't recall. This is especially true with 'grammar'. We tell ourselves we're learning grammar, but, we're actually memorizing sentence patterns. In most cases, the textbooks present the sentence pattern in a very narrow context and then present a few examples that illustrate what the author wants you to understand -- not necessarily the full range of usages and nuance of a particular pattern.
What ends up happening is we associate our understanding of a particular pattern to the set of examples that went along with it and our thinking loses flexibility. This is especially true with beginner texts that want to get you up and running and able to say something and feel good about it before you lose interest.
So, I guess my suggestion is -- when you read an example, don't care too much about the content of the example itself. Try to understand _why_ a particular pattern is being used. A lot of times you can be tempted to read an example and think 'oh, hey, I understand what's written' -- but that's a lot different than understanding why it was written that way.
I don't know if this is useful. It's mostly based on my own opinion and experiences throughout my studies. Good luck on the test!
Yes, you are right, I believe I have been learning sentences and not the patterns, even though I assumed I was learning the patterns. I guess this is the sentence mining I have heard about, where people remember sentences with the grammar and not the actual grammar per se.
It's going to take me awhile to try and get out of that mindset and I'm happy that you made me realize this.
This is why I wanted to attempt the jlpt at level 4 instead of doing 3 next year and skipping 4, it helps me see how I am studying by myself and if it's sufficient to become proficient.
Don't worry, you'll be fine. If you really did that kind of score on level 3, 4 will be an absolute breeze for you. I never took 4 to be honest, but there is a fairly decent jump between the two. You still have a month as well, just review, use this site and don't cram in the last two days before the test and you'll have no problem I bet. Actually during the practice tests before 3 I was doing OK on the the first and third parts, but I kept failing the listening by one question. When it came time to actually take the test, however, I ended up with a 91% on the listening. I felt comfortable going into the test and I think that helped me a lot. Good luck, I'm going to give level 2 a shot this year...
Thanks for the kind words, sadly I made a typo and it was the 2003 jlpt4 test ;)
I'm a bad procrastinator and I'm trying to kick myself into high review gear this month but it's hard, I'd rather do Renshuu.org than study grammar out of a book :(
I would have skipped 4 this year and did 3 next year, but since I am doing self study, I thought it to be a good motivator and gauge on if my study method is OK.
Going to attempt the 2004 one tomorrow to see if this week of grammar learning has helped.
Good luck on level 2, I hear it's a big jump from 3 to 2...
Ah...haha, well at least you passed it. When I took the practice tests, I would go through and underline anything I didn't know and then after the test go back and look up the words/grammar points. I then put them on word cards, which I think helped a decent amount. Even if you don't pass it, it still got you to study more than if you didn't sign up at all I bet, and then you can give level 3 a shot next year regardless of whatever you do. I highly recommend the どんなときどう使う 200 Expressions book for level 3 and 4. I listed it on this site, it is a great tool to use along with a real study book such as Genki or whatever you are using. The explanations are almost always very easy to understand. Again, best of luck.
As for level 2, yeah... the jump is huge. I don't expect to pass to be honest but I'm studying about as much as I possibly can to see how I do. Aside from the daily renshuu.org stuff, I try to do at least 3 hours a day of grammar stuff, my body is taking a beating though. Only a few weeks left to try and keep it up, haha...
