Chiba Entrance Japanese study plan
Chiba Entrance Japanese · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Reading comprehension (読解) & Language knowledge: vocabulary, kanji, grammar (言語知識)
Score one full past paper under real timing to record per-section baselines in reading, listening, listening-reading, writing and language knowledge
Read 12 expository passages of 700-900 characters and mark every clause whose meaning you cannot restate in one sentence
Drill 120 kanji compounds and 150 vocabulary items pulled from those passages on a spaced schedule (days 1, 3, 7)
Time 20 minutes of daily silent reading and record characters-per-minute so week 6 improvement can be measured
Your checkpoint
A one-page baseline sheet with five section scores plus a 270-item personal error deck (120 kanji, 150 vocabulary).
Reading comprehension (読解) & Listening comprehension (聴解)
Read 10 opinion-and-essay passages at a 12-minute cap each and write a single-sentence statement of the author's main claim
Answer 60 content-match questions and label every wrong option as over-general, reversed, out-of-scope or unsupported
Shadow 20 minutes of news-style audio daily, focusing on sentence-final forms and contractions
Transcribe five short listening passages by hand and circle each word you misheard
Your checkpoint
A 60-question error table sorted by distractor type, plus 10 timed one-sentence passage summaries.
Listening comprehension (聴解) & Listening-reading integration (聴読解)
Complete 15 listening-reading task sets, always reading the chart or figure before the audio begins
Take shorthand notes for 10 tasks using symbols and arrows only, then rebuild full sentences from the notes
Identify the three figure types (bar, line, table-with-conditions) that cost you the most time and redo six of each
Do daily 5-minute dictation of numbers, dates, prices and comparatives, which carry most listening-reading answers
Your checkpoint
A 15-set listening-reading score log with note-taking samples and a ranking of your slowest figure types.
Reading comprehension (読解) & Writing and expression (記述)
Outline a 400-character writing task in 5 minutes, draft in 22 minutes and self-check in 3 minutes, twice
Apply a fixed two-part structure: restate the prompt's issue, then state and support a position with one concrete example
Memorise 25 connective and hedging expressions and force at least six of them into each draft
Re-read two drafts a day later and rewrite the weakest paragraph, cutting every sentence that repeats the prompt
Your checkpoint
Two complete 400-character essays with self-scored rubrics (structure, task fulfilment, grammar range, accuracy).
Listening comprehension (聴解) & Writing and expression (記述)
Write a 200-character summary after each of five short spoken passages, keeping only claims the speaker actually made
Finish listening sections with 30 seconds left by skipping items you cannot decide within 8 seconds and returning later
Build a personal list of 40 misheard sound pairs (long vowels, geminates, voiced-unvoiced) and test recall daily
Draft one full 400-character essay from an audio prompt to practise note-to-text transfer
Your checkpoint
Five 200-character listening summaries plus one 400-character essay written from audio notes.
Listening-reading integration (聴読解) & Reading comprehension (読解)
Sit one full mock under exam conditions and compare each section against the week-1 baseline
Lift reading speed to at least 400 characters per minute without dropping content-match accuracy below 70 percent
Redo every missed listening-reading item while listening a second time and write the exact phrase that decided the answer
Practise the order-of-attack rule: answer figure-comparison items before narration-only items
Your checkpoint
A full mock score report showing week-1 versus week-6 accuracy for every section.
Listening comprehension (聴解) & Language knowledge: vocabulary, kanji, grammar (言語知識)
Review 80 grammar patterns, writing one original sentence for each pattern that failed on the mock
Drill 60 quick-response listening items and cut hesitation to under 3 seconds per item
Consolidate 100 confusable vocabulary pairs (transitive/intransitive, similar kanji) into paired recall cards
Re-listen to two full listening sections at 1.25x speed, then again at normal speed to confirm comprehension
Your checkpoint
A grammar-and-vocabulary log of 140 reviewed items with the 20 still unstable flagged for week 8.
Reading comprehension (読解) & Listening comprehension (聴解) & Writing and expression (記述)
Sit two complete timed mocks on separate days and score every section the same day
Rewrite the two weakest writing drafts with a strict 30-minute limit and no dictionary
Run a 90-minute error review covering only flagged items from weeks 6 and 7
Rehearse the exam-day routine: section order, time checkpoints, and a 60-second reset routine after a hard passage
Your checkpoint
Two final mock score sheets and a one-page exam-day checklist with per-section time targets.
Milestones
Week 2: Reading accuracy at least 55 percent on timed passages; listening accuracy at least 50 percent; error table shows fewer than 30 percent out-of-scope mistakes.
Week 4: Half-length mock: reading and listening each at least 60 percent, listening-reading at least 55 percent, and both writing drafts scoring 3 of 5 or better on the self-scored rubric.
Week 6: Full mock: reading at least 65 percent at 400 characters per minute, listening at least 65 percent, listening-reading at least 60 percent, language knowledge at least 75 percent.
Week 8: Final mock at or above target on every section: reading 70 percent, listening 70 percent, listening-reading 65 percent, writing 3.5 of 5, language knowledge 80 percent.