JLPT N1 exam-day guide
JLPT N1 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Test voucher (受験票)
Bring the voucher issued to you, with your photograph attached as required by the provider. Check the name, test level (N1), venue, room and registration number printed on it. If any detail is wrong, contact the provider before test day. [needs_review: confirm the exact photo specification and whether a printed or electronic voucher is accepted - confirm with the provider]
Photo ID
Bring the identification document the provider lists as acceptable at your venue. Requirements differ between countries and between test sites. [needs_review: confirm which ID types are accepted and whether the voucher alone is sufficient - confirm with the provider]
Two or more pencils (HB or No. 2)
All answers are marked on a machine-readable answer sheet, so bring spare sharpened pencils. Sharpen them the night before.
Eraser
A clean eraser that removes marks completely - smudged or half-erased marks can be misread.
Small pencil sharpener
A manual sharpener is useful for a 110-minute first section. [needs_review: confirm whether sharpeners are permitted on the desk at your venue - confirm with the provider]
Wristwatch (non-smart, silent)
Not every room has a visible clock, and the proctor's time announcements may be limited. Turn off any alarms. Smartwatches and watches that beep are usually prohibited. [needs_review: confirm whether a watch may be worn or must be left in your bag - confirm with the provider]
Fully charged phone, switched off and stowed
You need it for travel and emergencies, but it must be powered off (not just silenced) and inside your bag throughout the test. A phone that rings or vibrates during the test can lead to invalidation.
Directions, timetable and fare card
Note the venue entrance actually used on test day, since large sites have multiple gates and the hall may be a long walk from the station.
Light lunch or snack and a drink
There is a break between the first section and the listening section. [needs_review: confirm whether food and drink are allowed in the test room; at many venues they are not - confirm with the provider]
Layers of clothing you can adjust
Exam halls are often colder or hotter than expected. Avoid hats, hoods and anything that covers your face or ears unless the provider permits it.
Nothing extra on your desk
Only writing implements, eraser, voucher and watch should be out. Bags, notes, textbooks, dictionary devices and study sheets go into your bag as instructed.
Sleep and travel buffer
Plan to arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes before the reporting time. [needs_review: confirm the exact reporting time and the cut-off after which late arrivals are refused - confirm with the provider]
Plan the day
Confirm the venue address, the hall or room number and the reporting time from your voucher. Do a trial run of the route mentally or online, and decide which station exit and gate to use. Check that your photo is attached to the voucher and that your ID is valid and not expired.
Shift from learning new material to consolidating. Review your own error log: kanji readings you repeatedly miss, grammar patterns that pair with specific collocations, and the reading question types that cost you the most time. Do one timed reading set and one timed listening set, then stop.
Start moving your sleep schedule toward the test-day pattern, especially if the test is in the afternoon and you normally study late at night. Listening performance in particular drops sharply when you are short of sleep.
Pack the bag: voucher, ID, pencils, eraser, sharpener, watch, directions, fare card, tissues. Lay out clothing. Check the weather forecast and prepare for rain, since wet candidates may be asked to leave umbrellas outside the room.
Do only light review - skim vocabulary and grammar lists for 30 to 60 minutes, then close the books. Re-read the pacing plan for the reading section and the instructions for the listening section. Avoid alcohol and heavy screen use, and go to bed at a normal hour.
Eat a proper meal; the first section runs 110 minutes with no food break. Leave with a buffer of at least 30 minutes beyond your calculated travel time for delays and for finding the correct building.
Do not cram new content. At most, glance at a short list of your own recurring mistakes. Arrive, check the room and seat assignment, use the restroom before entering, then switch your phone completely off and put it away.
Fill in your registration number and other required fields on the answer sheet before you begin answering. Confirm that you are marking the answer column that matches your booklet or question numbering. Then work in order, marking answers as you go rather than saving them for the end.
Keep to a time budget: move briskly through vocabulary and grammar, then give the bulk of the remaining time to reading, taking the short passages first and leaving the long integrated passages for last. Do not let one hard question consume several minutes - mark your best guess and move on. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a question blank.
Stay calm and stop discussing answers with other candidates. Use the restroom and take a few deep breaths. Do not review vocabulary aggressively - protect your attention for listening.
Read the answer options for each question during the pause before the audio begins, noting the point of comparison between them. The audio is played once only. Mark as you listen and commit to an answer before the next question starts; if you miss something, guess and refocus immediately rather than dwelling on it.
Stop writing immediately when instructed. Confirm that your answer sheet has your registration number and that no blanks remain. Leave test materials on the desk and take only your belongings, as directed.
Rules to check
Bring the voucher with the photograph attached and the identification the provider specifies. You may be refused entry without them, and the accepted ID types vary by country - confirm with the provider.
Arrive before the reporting time. Candidates who arrive after the cut-off may not be admitted and may not receive a refund - confirm the exact cut-off with the provider.
Switch mobile phones and all other electronic devices completely off and keep them in your bag for the whole test, including breaks in the room. A device that rings, vibrates or is used during the test can lead to your result being invalidated.
Do not talk, pass anything, or look at another candidate's paper once the test has started. Follow the proctor's instructions about when you may open the booklet and when you must stop writing; continuing to mark after the stop instruction can invalidate your answer sheet.
Keep only permitted items on the desk. Do not bring notes, textbooks, dictionaries, electronic dictionaries, translation devices or smartwatches into the room.
The listening section is played once and cannot be repeated or paused. If you arrive late you may miss part or all of it, and the section will not be replayed for you.
Scoring: N1 is scored out of 180, split into three sections of 60 points each - language knowledge (vocabulary and grammar), reading, and listening. To pass you need both an overall score of at least 100 and at least 19 points in every section, so a single very weak section can fail you even with a high total. Scores are reported as scaled scores rather than raw marks, and there is no deduction for wrong answers.
Your result is issued to you individually after the test; do not expect a score on the day. [needs_review: confirm the results announcement date and the method for obtaining your score report and certificate - confirm with the provider]