<p>Are there any other non-Japanese, or non-fluent speakers of Japanese, that got a 5 on this exam?</p>
<p>I am a caucasian female, and took this exam in the 10th grade. </p>
<p>I recently received a 5 on the test, and I can't find anyone who doesn't fit the above criteria that has as well. </p>
<p>Also, feel free to share your experience... What score did you receive? What was challenging? What seemed easy?, etc.</p>
<p>Wow as a sophomore?
I am planning to take AP Jap junior year.
Congrats on your 5.</p>
<p>I think two sophomores at my school took AP Japanese. I don’t know what they got, though. (One is Chinese and I think the other one is Japanese.)</p>
<p>I’m taking it senior year and hopefully I’ll get the same score! 
(I’m terrible at speaking, but decent at everything else…)</p>
<p>anniemac, may I ask when and how you started studying Japanese?</p>
<p>DANG! Congratulation on your 5. Please give me some advice for the AP Japanese Exam since I am going to take the exam next year. I would like to ask what textbook you used for AP Japanese and how you were able to memorize 410 kanjis for the AP exam.</p>
<p>I taught myself basic stuff from watching movies in 7th and 8th grade. I learned basic kanji and kana to understand things in the movies too…</p>
<p>Then I enrolled in Honors Japanese 1 in freshman year. Which was basically “do math homework and sleep” time. Since Japanese is such a small program at my school, the honors and regulars were mixed, and I knew most all of first semester.</p>
<p>I went into the summer intending to take an accelerated chemistry course to get some free periods in sophomore year. I was WAY too stressed out because the course started the day after finals ended. So my family and I found a summer abroad program in Japan. I went for 7 weeks, and studied relatively hard, though the immersion was key.</p>
<p>My school has one giant log up the asses of its administration, so I had a lot of difficulty convincing the language dept. chair that I was qualified to even take the tests to move up 2 years… But eventually they let me take them, and I passed the semester finals for years 2 and 3 in the first week of school, and they let me move up to AP Japanese 4. </p>
<p>I studied for the test. I didn’t ever feel stressed out in the class. It was basically an easy A… just watch lots of dramas and movies… know the kanji on the AP list… The college board samples show you EXACTLY how the test is formatted. They tell you EXACTLY what type of problems are on the test.</p>
<p>Good luck all :D</p>
<p>Oh and response to jerrry:</p>
<p>I used “Yookoso: Continuing Japanese” in class. We didn’t even finish it because our class was way too slow O-o I also used Essential Kanji by PG O’Neill as a dictionary. </p>
<p>I’d say if you understand all the grammar and 70-80% of the vocab on there. You’re set. Just make sure to practice compare and contrast writing prompts, etc.</p>
<p>I felt really crappy about speaking portion, but I felt awesome about listening, writing and reading. KNOW KANJI IT HELPS EVERYTHING IN LIFE. Learning kanji can also help you figure out 熟語 that you may not know, but you may know a few of the kanji that they are comprised of.</p>
<p>Also… practicing essays is key. Know how to transition your thoughts, and type fluidly (as in, be able to communicate your ideas through writing in Japanese without having to think TOO much about how to construct your sentences,etc.)</p>
<p>I think the essay was only about 500 characters… but you have to make them count. Don’t stray from the topic, and try to use advanced vocabulary that is “above and beyond” basic Japanese for the 5. Also, all of these skills used in the essay portion can be very helpful in the spoken presentation: quick outlining, staying to the topic, advanced vocab, etc.</p>
<p>I mean, really, 70% of my Japanese education was either self-study, or experiential. The best way to learn a language is at your own pace … So be prepared to study outside of class if you want to get the 5…</p>
<p>Thank you very much, anniemac. It’s a good thing I have Yookoso: Continuing Japanese right now. However, I’m worried about the listening portion. How fast does the speaker speak? Like hella fast or conversationally moderate like in the anime?</p>
<p>Um… listening…</p>
<p>They are pretty fast. It is just about the speed a native would talk at.
I haven’t seen too much anime… I watched live-action, since anime tends to not have appropriate dialect and grammar…</p>
<p>That’s why I recommend watching live-action television. Look on the collegeboard website for audio samples. You can take notes on scrap paper during the test, and the audio repeats, but it moves along quickly, and you don’t know the questions you will be asked about the audio beforehand. SO you have to remember what the audio said, or write it down, and answer the questions as best you can.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the information.</p>
<p>Which dramas/movies would you recommend to a newbie? Most of my Japanese experience outside of class comes from anime and Japanese music (over half of which comes from anime…), so I would like to diversify the content. xP</p>
<p>(Any genre is fine.)</p>
<p>^I should have asked that question, too. My outside Japanese experience also comes from anime and Japanese music (but most are Vocaloid).</p>
<p>Sorry for late response.</p>
<p>It depends on what your tastes are in television/movies, but here are some I enjoyed. I would play these while doing math homework XD</p>
<p>Hanazakarino Kimitachi he
Hana Yori Dango
Liar Game
Okuribito (Departures) (movie)
Nobuta wo Produce
1 Litre of Tears (Ichi Rittoru no Namida) – Be prepared to cry. Hard. I never cry at TV shows, but I was bawling for 2 eps straight towards the end >.<
Atashinchi no Danshi
Buzzer Beat!
LIFE
Linda! Linda! Linda!</p>
<p>Also, check out dramas produced by the NHK. (NHK = Nippon Housou Kyoukai = 日本放送協会）The Japanese government funds the annual production of a television drama that focuses on the history and culture of Japan. These are very popular in the country, and are usually factually accurate. Downside? The language used in these dramas is rather archaic, and the dialogue makes frequent use of the ‘honorific’ and ‘humble’ forms. </p>
<p>(you will need to generally understand those forms for the AP test, but don’t worry about mastering them. Youkoso has a very good outline of the language at each level of politeness: Casual (ーだ）Polite（ーです）Humble/Honorific（でございます/でいらっしゃいます）</p>
<p>So, watch NHK if you’re interested in history and culture (you DO need to know topics in Japanese culture in order to have well-rounded presentations/writing samples), but watch modern-day dramas to catch on to how normal Japanese people talk. … Well, not all of the characters talk normally ^^;</p>
<p>Some of them can be ridiculous, melodramatic, or overly romance-y, but if you can understand the general plots without subtitles, then you’re well on your way to a 5. Try to make these more of a study tool than a fangirl/fanboy obsession or excuse to not do homework or legitimate work. </p>
<p>Once again, kanji practice is crucial, so don’t rely solely on dramas. Try writing down specific vocabulary words that you might hear, and then looking them up on jisho.org … Make sure you dictate the words correctly… </p>
<p>Also, try translating song lyrics or newspaper articles. Song lyrics can be difficult since they try to be “edgy” and “artsy”, and therefore barely make sense to a native. Go to google.jp and browse through the news articles. You don’t have to read at this level, but it’s good practice, and there’s TONS of articles easily available.</p>
<p>Anyways. Just make sure you practice all areas I had little to no speaking practice in America… so it would help to have a friend that is also studying for the exam to speak with.</p>
<p>Congrats!:D</p>
<p>I also got 5 on AP japanese, but my Japanese American friend got 4…
Like you, I’m not Japanese. I’m moved from South Korea 4 yrs ago.
It has been 5 years after i decided to study Japanese.
I have been studied JLPT and i didn’t really know about AP Japanese until junior year.
And my taiwanese friend persuaded me to take AP Japanese.
I was taking chinese class also, so i thought i might get 3 or 4…
And…when i took AP japanese exam, i was reading questions on computer screen…
it just disappered in few seconds! i was in hurry…'cuz im slow reader.
i think i did well on reading, but not speaking and writing…(again time limit-_- while i was typing, next problem appeared…)</p>
<p>I watched a lot of dramas, read books/manga in japanese, and spoke to Japanese friends
That helped me a lot. </p>
<p>studying jlpt is also good way to improve your japanese skill.
im currently studying for jlpt level2:) and im going to be senior this fall.</p>
<p>for people who are going to take it, im telling you.
ALWAYS LOOK AT THE TIME!
i missed few problems because of time limit…
and…always make sure about how many words you’re typing…(my friend didn’t know about it at all…cuz she didn’t read the problem carefully…)</p>
<p>Wow, I finally visit back this thread and am really surprised!
CCers actually know about anime & Vocaloid. LOL
But I guess it’s nothing to be surprised about since Japanese class usually teaches about anime (this is how I know about it). A friend of my told me about Vocaloid. (The voices are weird btw)</p>
<p>@ OP
Wow, you started your Jap track in 7th grade?</p>
<p>So basically you **have<a href=“essentially”>/b</a> to watch Japanese movies/dramas?
That will take a lot of time.
But I guess it is for the best. My listening skills are only average. I understand what my teacher is saying if she speaks slow but when she speaks in normal speed, I only get some.</p>
<p>Question: Do you have to speak in Japanese accent or just barely so that natives will understand you will be fine?</p>
<p>^Our Japanese class doesn’t really watch that much anime, other than a few movies in the first year class.
^^Which JLPT level do you think AP Japanese is equivalent to? I’m thinking of preparing for the JLPT as well.</p>
<p>@aqua:</p>
<p>I think “starting my Japanese track” sounds a bit too intense XD All I learned before high school was 50 basic kanji, katakana, and hiragana. I didn’t know much grammar. I just knew words from watching movies or from what I learned from kanji (Like numbers, for example)</p>
<p>I still took Japanese 1 like everyone else during freshman year, but it became more of a naptime… >.> heheheh… So it’s definitely possible to take the AP test in 10th grade, even if you started normally.</p>
<p>You don’t HAVE to watch them. See, for me, I didn’t think about the AP test while watching them. I’m a big fan of Asian dramas!!! I didn’t just watch Japanese, but Taiwanese and Korean as well (though Japanese is the best imo :D)… </p>
<p>So don’t force yourself to watch dramas if you don’t like them. I recommended it for people who cannot study abroad in Japan [that is MUCH more important in accelerating Japanese than any kind of self-study]. It’s actual natives talking at faster paces about (usually) things that happen in real life.</p>
<p>(As opposed to anime, in which a lot of the topics can be fictional and not that useful. Like, it’s great if you can name all the jutsu and ninja terms in Naruto… But that won’t help you on the exam. Also, as said before, anime can be a problem for a beginner if you can’t identify dialects,etc. For example, some characters will replace “Su” with “Chu” to sound cute. This can mess up your listening a bit… Also, many characters will speak in Kansai dialect, and even other minor dialects [Okinawa, Okawa], for humor. These can be intelligible with standard Tokyo dialect, but it depends on how heavy the accent is.)[/rant]</p>
<p>And, do you have to talk in a perfect Japanese accent? No. But be as CLOSE as possible. Don’t say Desoo instead of desu. Don’t butcher words with “tsu”. Pronounce words like “Toyota” and “karaoke” correctly when speaking Japanese. It’s not “Carry-o-kee-”, it’s kara-okay. “R” sound should have that hint of “L” in it too. Like ramen isn’t RAH-men, it’s more like ‘lah-men’…but with japanese ‘r’ sound… Hard to explain, but hopefully you can listen to it and understand if you don’t have this down. These are just general things that should be perfect before you take the exam. People in Japan make fun of Americans with awkward, boisterous Japanese just as much as Americans make fun of “flied lice”. </p>
<p>Anyways, I sense that there are many people in this thread that are anime fans. Just FYI, many of my favorite dramas are based off of anime or manga. The plot is never exactly the same as the anime, but if the original cartoon was popular enough for millions to be spent in turning it live-actiong, then either way it’s probably pretty good.</p>
<p>I think reading manga RAWs is helpful though. Once you get good enough, try looking up RAWs. Even if it might not always be about relevant topics, it’s the best kanji practice you can probably get via the internet. The furigana is usually above the kanji, so you can look them up quickly, and the reading tends to be easier than a news paper, depending on to whom the manga is targeted towards. </p>
<p>For example, stay away from “seinen”, “josei”, and “mature” manga…((NONE OF YOU SHOULD BE READING ANY SORT OF HENTAI O_O)) Not only can they be inappropriate, they are also intended for Japanese who are in or have graduated university. Though the topics might be more realistic, there usually isn’t furigana above the kanji, and there is usually very difficult kanji.</p>
<p>Which brings me to the other question about the JLPT.</p>
<p>Worry about AP test first, JLPT second. AP test is more relevant to high school students, and requires more effort. JLPT tests only listening and reading [most likely because that’s the easiest to grade…], whereas AP tests listening, reading, writing, and speaking. But if I had to estimate… I would say that the AP test is somewhere between levels N4 and N3. If you’re using JLPT study materials, study for it as you would N3, since that’s the harder level.</p>
<p>However, even if one passes a high level of the JLPT does not mean that can live in Japan comfortably. Sure, you can read 2000 kanji, and thousands more compounds, but can you verbalize that? Can you talk like a normal person, or do you talk like a textbook? Do you have to talk slow? Also, do you know how to produce those kanji by hand? The AP test is done entirely on the computer, so you do not need to write the kanji by hand; however, if you intend on continuing with Japanese, it’s very important that you can write. </p>
<p>For some people, going to Japan, or having their career or education connect with Japan, is not the goal. Some are diehard fans that just want to watch movies without subtitles, some just wanted to pass their language requirement and Japanese seemed cooler than Spanish. 
</p>
<p>I kid. Spanish is pretty kickass too.</p>
<p>Now having said that, you have to consider WHY you want to take the JLPT before taking it. I would say that taking levels N5, N4, and N3 is a waste of time. I think the practice tests are valuable if you want to try your reading and listening skills, but you won’t NEED those tests for anything relevant in life. </p>
<p>The purpose of the JLPT is to show that you have a certain amount of proficiency in the language. For example, if you’re applying to a university, you should have passed the JLPT 1 with relatively good marks. (You only need 60-70% to pass… But I think one would need higher grades than that to function well in a university setting). Some jobs will say “JLPT 2 or higher”. For now, in high school, that doesn’t matter too much unless you just want to see how well you did. To that, I can only say “It’s your money”.</p>
<p>So, if you ever want to live or work in Japan, N2 and N1 can be very important.</p>
<p>Hmm. Since I’ve been referring to these levels a lot… I can give a general outline about what they actually mean.</p>
<p>Since the revision of the JLPT, the levels changed from 4, 3, 2, 1 to N5, N4, N3, N2, N1.</p>
<p>Only reading comprehension and listening skills are tested.</p>
<p>N5 is the easiest. Elementary level, know about 100 kanji.</p>
<p>N4, “can understand daily life conversations if spoken slowly. Can read simple materials aimed at foreigners”, know about 300 kanji.</p>
<p>N3, “Can understand native materials if written with simplified vocabulary and kanji. Can follow everyday conversation with natural speed”, 600-700 kanji. [Study for this one if you plan on taking the AP test… It’s a bit above the level of the AP test, but the listening section on the AP is FAST, though you only need to know about 400+ kanji]</p>
<p>N2, “Can read written materials on general topics and understand conversations and news at natural speed” [I’m currently studying for this one. This is probably the most accessible and useful test], 1000 kanji. (All kyouikukanji)</p>
<p>N1, “Can understand speech in a variety of challenging situations. Can grasp nuance and progression of ideas in abstract and complex materials.” 2000 kanji. (All jouyoukanji) [This one is difficult, but knowing the standard 2000 kanji will get you really far in the language]</p>
<p>Anyways. Long post >_> Sorry… But I hope it helped ~</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>All or most or some? I would say most though, so my preferences are specifically Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, and GUMI.</p>
<p>LOL,
It seems I really need to do some research.
I didn’t know what JLPT is, but I do now from googling and your information. This is the first time I heard of manga “raws”, but I can guess what it is based on the “raws.”</p>
<p>
There’s a bunch of words I don’t know here. LOL. I googled it of course.
Seriously!!! I never know these types of manga exist!!! LOL</p>
<p>@jerry
Um I don’t know, I just know Vocaloid and only heard it once on the friend’s iPod.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>lol A prospective AP Japanese taker and didn’t know what raws and josei and seinen are? lol
This is the first time I meet one.</p>