JLPT Study Guides & Strategy
Practical, no-nonsense study plans and section strategies for the JLPT — what you need to know, how to schedule it, and the mistakes that fail most candidates.
Passing the JLPT is a planning problem
The JLPT rewards steady coverage, not heroics. Each level has a fairly well-defined scope — a set of grammar points, a kanji count, and a vocabulary range — and a sectional pass mark you have to clear in each part, not just overall. That means a brilliant reading score can't rescue a weak listening score. The candidates who fail usually aren't lazy; they just spent their time unevenly and ran out of runway.
The guides here walk through, for each level:
- What's actually on it — realistic scope for grammar, kanji, and vocabulary.
- How to schedule it — working back from your exam date.
- Section strategy — where the points are and how to not lose easy ones.
- The common traps that fail most candidates at that level.
The fastest way to make a plan is to find your weak spots first: take a free mock test and let the diagnosis tell you what to prioritise.
Not sure how big the task is? See how long it takes to study for each JLPT level, or start from the JLPT exam overview to understand the format you're preparing for before you build a schedule.
Study guides by level
N4
- How to Pass JLPT N4: A Complete Study Plan (from N5) — A realistic plan to pass JLPT N4 — how much vocab, kanji and grammar you need, a 3-month schedule, section strategies, and the mistakes that catch most beginners.
N3
- How to Pass JLPT N3: A Complete Study Plan (from N4) — A realistic, section-by-section plan to pass JLPT N3 — how much vocab, kanji and grammar you need, a 4-month schedule, section strategies, and the mistakes that fail most candidates.
N5
- How to Study for JLPT N5: A Beginner's Plan (from Zero) — A complete beginner's plan to pass JLPT N5 — kana first, then ~800 words, ~100 kanji and core grammar, with a realistic 3-month schedule and section strategies.