N5
80 / 180Pass mark
You can read hiragana and katakana and handle set phrases. Around 800 words and 100 kanji.
Course
JLPT N5 – N3
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test is the certificate employers and universities ask for by name. It runs twice a year, which makes the deadline unforgiving.
How the JLPT works
The JLPT has five levels, N5 being the easiest and N1 the hardest. It is a paper-based, multiple-choice test held on the first Sunday of July and the first Sunday of December. Inside Japan every level is offered at both sittings; outside Japan, smaller test sites often run December only — so check your local registration page before you plan around a July date.
Unlike JFT-Basic, there is no speaking or writing production. But there is a rule that catches people out, and it is the reason most near-miss candidates fail.
Which level should you take?
N4
90 / 180Pass mark
You can follow slow everyday conversation and read simple writing. Around 1,500 words and 300 kanji. This is the level most employers treat as a starting point.
N3
95 / 180Pass mark
You can handle everyday Japanese at close to natural speed. Around 3,700 words and 650 kanji. The bridge level, and the biggest single jump in the ladder.
The rule that fails people
Passing the JLPT takes two things at once: the overall pass mark, and a minimum score in every single section. Clear the total but fall below the minimum in one section — listening, usually — and you fail the whole level, no matter how good the rest was.
This is exactly backwards from JFT-Basic, where only the total counts. It is why our JLPT students spend far more of their time on their weakest section than on their strongest, even when that feels unproductive.
What each sitting looks like
N5 and N4 run in two blocks; N3 runs in three.
| Block | Japanese | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Language Knowledge (Vocabulary) | 言語知識（文字・語彙） | Kanji readings, spelling, and word choice in context. |
| Language Knowledge (Grammar) & Reading | 言語知識（文法）・読解 | Grammar forms, sentence building, and passages that get longer at every level. |
| Listening | 聴解 | Played once. The section that decides most near-miss results. |
The course
We work backwards from July or December — and we are honest about whether the next sitting is realistic.
- Phase 1
Close the gaps
A diagnostic mock in week one. Whatever it exposes becomes the first month of your plan.
- Phase 2
Grammar and vocabulary to level
The full grammar list for your level, drilled in sentences rather than memorised as a table.
- Phase 3
Reading speed
Most students can answer the reading questions. Fewer can answer them in the time allowed. That is a trainable skill, and we train it.
- Phase 4
Listening and full mocks
Daily listening, then full timed mocks under exam conditions until every section clears its minimum.
JLPT questions
Should I take JFT-Basic or JLPT?
If your goal is the Specified Skilled Worker visa, JFT-Basic is usually faster — it is A2 level and held almost every month. If you need a certificate for an employer, a university or a language school, they will usually ask for JLPT, most often N4 or above. Many of our students do JFT-Basic first for the visa and JLPT afterwards for the career.
Do I need JLPT if I already passed JFT-Basic?
Not for the SSW visa itself — JFT-Basic satisfies the language requirement. But JLPT N4 or N3 opens more jobs, better pay and the route to changing status later, so most of our students come back for it once they are settled.