JLPT levels explained: which one to sit, and the rule that fails people

These are the official descriptions, condensed. Note that every level is defined in terms of reading and listening only — that is not an omission in this article, and it matters later.

N5 — reading typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji; following slow everyday and classroom speech.

N4 — reading passages on familiar daily topics in basic vocabulary and kanji; understanding daily conversation spoken slowly.

N3 — the bridging level. Reading concrete material on everyday topics and grasping headlines, with harder texts becoming manageable given context; following near-natural everyday conversation.

N2 — newspaper articles and commentary on a range of topics, following the writer's intent; near-natural-speed conversation and news.

N1 — logically complex and abstract writing across varied topics; natural-speed lectures and news, including the logical relationships between points.

The practical read: N5 and N4 are studied levels, N3 is where the exam stops being about material you were taught and starts being about material you were not, and N2 is the first level that means something to an employer.

Every level is scored out of 180. The official overall pass marks are: N1 100, N2 90, N3 95, N4 90, N5 80.

N3 requires more points than N2. This is not a mistake and it does not mean N3 is harder. The levels are scored on their own scales and the structures differ — N1, N2 and N3 have three scoring sections of 0–60 each, while N4 and N5 have two, a combined Language Knowledge and Reading section of 0–120 plus Listening of 0–60. A total from one level is not comparable with a total from another, so the pass mark is not a difficulty ranking.

The useful conclusion is a negative one: do not choose your level by comparing pass marks. Choose it against the level descriptions above and against what you actually need the certificate for.

Passing requires two things at once, not one. You need the overall pass mark and you need to clear a minimum in every scoring section — the sectional pass mark. It is 19 out of 60 in each section at N1, N2 and N3, and at N4 and N5 it is 38 out of 120 on the combined Language Knowledge and Reading section plus 19 out of 60 on Listening.

The official wording is unambiguous: if there is even one scoring section below its sectional pass mark, the examinee has failed “no matter how high the total score”.

Do the arithmetic on that. At N2 you could take 60 in vocabulary and grammar, 60 in reading, and 18 in listening — 138 points, well past the 90 you needed — and fail. The people this catches are not weak candidates. They are readers: self-taught learners with big vocabularies who have listened to very little Japanese.

So the single highest-value question to ask before booking a sitting is not “am I N3 or N2?” It is “which is my weakest section, and is it above the floor?” Sit a timed official practice paper and look at the sections separately. An average is exactly the wrong summary of a test scored this way.

There is no speaking section and no writing-production section. The scoring sections are Language Knowledge (vocabulary and grammar), Reading, and Listening. That is the whole exam.

Two things follow, and the second one costs us money to say.

A JLPT certificate is not evidence that you can hold a conversation. N1 holders who freeze in a meeting are common enough to be a genre of complaint. If your goal is talking to people, the JLPT measures something adjacent to it and an employer reading your certificate may be assuming more than it says.

If your only goal is to pass, conversation lessons are not the efficient way to buy it. We sell conversation practice, so read that in the direction that costs us: for exam points specifically, your money goes further on timed reading practice, listening volume and someone who will drill your weakest section. Buy conversation because you want to speak Japanese, which is a better reason anyway.

This is where the level choice usually gets decided, because the requirements are written down rather than felt.

Immigration points. Under Japan's points system for highly skilled professionals, N1 is worth 15 points and N2 is worth 10, against the 70 points the preferential treatment requires.

Visas and status. N5 or higher satisfies admission requirements at Japanese language institutions for student visa holders. N4 or higher is the language benchmark for Specified Skilled Worker (i). N2 or higher is used for higher-education admission and is the benchmark for the Business Manager and Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services statuses.

Licensing. N1 is required for overseas medical professionals — physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, veterinarians and others — seeking Japanese national licensure.

If none of those apply to you, be honest that the certificate is for motivation and a line on a CV. That is a perfectly good reason to sit it; it is a bad reason to sit N1 instead of N3.

The test is held twice a year, on a Sunday in July and a Sunday in December — in 2026, 5 July and 6 December. It is operated by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services.

The trap is in one sentence on the official site: outside Japan, some cities hold the test only in July, or only in December. If your nearest centre is a once-a-year centre, a failed sitting costs you twelve months rather than five, and that should change which level you register for — under-registering by one level is cheap insurance when the retry is a year away.

We are not printing a fee. There is no global JLPT price: fees are set by the local host institution in each country, and the only correct number is the one your own test centre publishes.

Pick the level from the descriptions and from what you need it for, not from the pass marks. Then sit one full timed official practice paper and read your section scores, not your total. If any section is near its floor, that section is your entire preparation plan until it is not.

Official past papers and practice material are published by the exam's own organisers. Start there, before buying anything from anyone, including us.

And nobody can promise you a pass. Anyone who words it otherwise — a school, an app, a teacher, us — is selling you something they do not control.