The JLPT has always been a hot topic among international residents in Japan. Many, including myself, have questioned if it’s a) worth taking and b) actually a decent indication of Japanese proficiency.
Even with the new laws passed, it’s a bit too early to tell exactly how they’ll affect us international residents working in Japan—software developers in particular.
I think this is a good time to step back and take a look at the JLPT from a more grounded perspective. What are the proven benefits of taking and passing the JLPT? Who would actually find it helpful, and who would find it to be a waste of time?
I took the N1 in 2017, a few years after starting my career in Japan. Although I didn’t exactly enjoy the process, I’m glad I took the test, because it actually did benefit me in ways I didn’t expect.
At the same time, plenty of my friends and colleagues in Japan have never taken the test and have still built perfectly successful careers without it. So whether it’s worth your time just depends on your priorities. If you’re on the fence, I hope this article can serve as a reference and help you decide.
What is the JLPT?
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) was introduced in 1984 and is administered by the government-affiliated Japan Foundation and JEES. It’s by far the oldest and best-known standardized Japanese test and, for better or worse, it’s become the most popular benchmark for measuring Japanese ability.
Of the five different levels ranging from N5 (easiest) to N1 (most difficult), N2 and N1 are considered the most useful to have as they indicate business-level fluency.
The test has had some minor revisions over the years, but what hasn’t changed is that it tests the following skills via multiple-choice questions:
- Vocabulary, grammar, and kanji recognition
- Reading
- Listening
This makes sense given the logistics: over one million people take the test each year. It would be unrealistic to add reading and writing sections that require human review, without drastically raising the costs of running the test.
Many people (including myself!) don’t believe the JLPT is a great reflection of “real-time” communication skills. It’s not terribly uncommon for people to pass the N1 with flying colors and still struggle with actual conversations.
The alternatives
That being said, there isn’t really a perfect alternative. The Business Japanese Test (BJT) is another well-known test that some employers recognize, but like the JLPT, it only tests passive skills.
The TOPJ is a newer exam that focuses more on practical skills, and is even recognized by the Japanese government. Unfortunately, it’s only available in a few countries in Asia and isn’t nearly as recognized by employers in Japan.
The Praxis and OPI are two well-established tests that actually measure speaking skills, but they’re only used in the US for certifying World Language teachers, and are completely unknown in Japan.
Side note: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages has gained more traction in recent years, with some companies listing B2 or C1 as the preferred levels for positions that require business-level Japanese.
The benefits of passing the JLPT
Whether you like the test or not, there are definitely incentives for certain people to take it. I tend to consider these benefits in three different categories.
The concrete benefits
The JLPT website has a comprehensive list of all the official benefits. Some notable ones are:
- It gets you on the fast track to permanent residency. Passing the N2 or N1 gets you 10 points or 15 points respectively when applying via the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) path.
- International students enrolling in Japanese universities are usually required to take the Exam for Japanese University Admission, but certain universities waive this for N1 holders.
- For aspiring medical professionals (doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists), the N1 is required to take the licensing exams.
Most of these probably aren’t that relevant if you’re reading this article, with the exception of permanent residency, which is a huge perk if you’re planning to stay in Japan long term. The standard permanent residence application requires you to live in Japan for 10 consecutive years, but there are ways to bypass that and apply much sooner.
I wouldn’t have been eligible had I not gritted my teeth and taken the test a few years beforehand. My case was a lucky accident, but if you’re considering getting permanent residence in the future, check how many points you have. If you find you’re only 10 to 15 points away, think about what else you can do to get more points. If passing the JLPT seems like the most reasonable way to do it, then it might be worth considering.
The uncertain benefits
Passing the N2 or N1 may help you get a job that requires Japanese proficiency.
. . . That’s pretty much it. This is where the JLPT’s usefulness becomes an endless debate. It can make your resume stand out, and “I passed the N1” might look more convincing than just writing “I’m fluent” or “I’m business level” on your resume.
I myself did take the N1 in preparation for a job hunt. Before I worked in tech, I was looking for jobs that required Japanese, like project management and translation. I figured that having a JLPT certification would help, so I begrudgingly studied for it and eventually slapped it on my resume.
Did it actually help me land my next job? To this day, I honestly don’t know. I applied for as many jobs as I could find, and got plenty of rejections. The job I ended up getting was a translation position, and the job description asked for N2-level proficiency or above.
When I applied, they gave me an actual translation and interpretation test. Not once was my JLPT certificate mentioned. Maybe having the N1 made my application stand out in the beginning, but I can’t say that with absolute certainty.
After joining the team, I found that some of my teammates had the N1, some had the N2, and some had none. So my answer to “Did it help?” is still a resounding “Maybe!”
Some companies may use application tracking systems that scan for keywords like “JLPT,” “N1,” and “N2.” For big companies that receive a lot of applicants, having a JLPT certification can make your application stand out a little more from the rest, and help you get to the interview stage where you can actually prove your ability to communicate in Japanese. But at the end of the day, it’s completely dependent on the individual company.
In extreme cases, a company or recruiter might completely reject candidates simply because they aren’t N1-certified. This did actually happen to a fellow TokyoDev contributor who applied for tech positions while attending a language school.
When preparing your resume, there are a number of different language proficiency metrics that you can use other than the JLPT. If you haven’t taken the exam, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting “business level” or “CEFR B2” on your resume instead. That should be enough for most employers to recognize that you’re a Japanese-speaking candidate.
It’s best to think of the JLPT like any other kind of industry-recognized certification. Just like a Kubernetes or AWS certificate, it may boost your resume and make you stand out a bit, but it’s almost never strictly necessary.
This is why I personally don’t think “It’ll help me get a job” is the best reason to take the JLPT if you’re still on the fence. I believe that the following section is the one that actually matters the most.
The intangible benefits
There are several reasons to take the JLPT that, while not delivering any measurable advantage, can still improve your life.
- When you sign up for the test, you’ll have a specific goal with a concrete deadline.
- You’ll feel accomplished and proud of yourself after passing a genuinely difficult exam.
- Your Japanese will improve!
Simple enough, right? These sound really obvious but I think all of them—especially the first point—are really undervalued. This is because intermediate and advanced Japanese learners are very likely to hit a plateau, where they either feel like they aren’t improving, or they get too complacent at their current level.
The intermediate plateau is a real, documented phenomenon in language learning, and I myself was stuck there for a long time. After I moved to Japan and got settled, I reached a point where I felt that my Japanese was good enough to get by and handle most things at my job. But since there wasn’t any pressure to keep improving, I lost all motivation and my Japanese completely stagnated for years.
An embarrassingly long time later, I signed up for the JLPT. That finally gave me some much-needed pressure and got me out of my comfort zone, back to actively studying again.
As mentioned earlier, the JLPT gets a lot of well-deserved criticism for being a highly academic test. It only tests passive skills, and sometimes covers obscure vocabulary and grammar that aren’t common in daily life. So if your goal is strictly to learn conversational skills, this is definitely not the test for you. You’d be much better off spending your time and energy making friends and learning through immersion.
On the other hand, if your goal is to learn more academic Japanese, improve your reading skills, and learn things you wouldn’t pick up during your usual routine, then the JLPT might be exactly what you need. I personally noticed that after moving to Japan, my speaking skills increased dramatically through natural exposure, but my reading skills lagged behind. Signing up for the N1 forced me to practice reading way more than before, and I finally started to improve thanks to that.
While the data is a bit old and certainly not definitive, I do think that those who chose “To measure my own level of proficiency” had the right idea. As a Japanese learner, it’s best to take the JLPT for your own sake rather than for someone else’s.
So should you take the JLPT?
If you’re interested in the JLPT for job-hunting purposes, then the answer depends on how much work experience you have. A N2 or N1 certificate is definitely nice to have on your resume, but studying for the test will take up your precious time, so consider the opportunity cost at your current career stage.
If you’re a well-established software developer with several years of experience, your limited time is likely better spent brushing up your technical skills and aiming for roles that don’t require high levels of Japanese. The latest TokyoDev Developer Survey notes that English-heavy roles often correlate with better conditions and pay, but they almost exclusively target experienced developers.
However, things change if you’re early in your career, as the survey results also indicate that entry-level roles almost universally require Japanese proficiency. Having a JLPT certificate doesn’t automatically mean fluency, but it could be the keyword that helps a company or recruiter notice you.
Outside of the job-hunting context, if you feel like your Japanese abilities are holding you back at work or in your daily life, focus on improving your conversational skills first. Learn through immersion, audio, TV shows, shadowing, and by actually meeting people in real life. The JLPT isn’t your top priority here and can happen later.
Finally, if you’re already an intermediate Japanese learner and genuinely want to challenge yourself, then yes, the test is absolutely worth your time. Do it for the love of learning Japanese, study hard, and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back when you’re done.