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J-CAT
Nov 2, 2013 19:07:58 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 2, 2013 19:07:58 GMT
The quiz we used seemed okay, so this is just a suggestion, but would anyone be interested in me trying to create a placement text for Japanese, based on the placement tests we give students before we teach them English? Being based on an EFL test, it won't fit Japanese exactly, but it would remove some of the guesswork and allow students to pair up a little more closely. The problem with the current one is just that people who tend to underestimate themselves will mark themselves considerably lower than someone with bags of confidence, who might lean towards over estimating their ability at each skill level.
It's just a suggestion though.
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J-CAT
Nov 2, 2013 20:44:06 GMT
via mobile
Post by Bokusenou on Nov 2, 2013 20:44:06 GMT
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J-CAT
Nov 2, 2013 22:51:50 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 2, 2013 22:51:50 GMT
If that's free to take, that might be better than me trying to throw something together. The only difference would have been that mine would have mainly focused on verbal skills, (listening and grammar) because the use of online tools like rikaichan make our ability to read and write online a little misleading, often worlds apart from how we'd write with pen and paper, or read a magazine. These skills are therefore far less likely to hinder our ability to communicate in written form, for the purpose of studying together. Still, if something already exists, I'd rather not take the time to try to design my own (which would have to stop short of advanced anyway: kinda hard to assess someone's ability at a level I'm not proficient at!).
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J-CAT
Nov 2, 2013 22:58:46 GMT
Post by Bokusenou on Nov 2, 2013 22:58:46 GMT
Yeah, it's free to take and has listening and grammar sections, although it takes about 30 minutes to do, so it might be overkill for a language partner placement test.
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J-CAT
Nov 3, 2013 0:15:27 GMT
via mobile
Post by Jembru on Nov 3, 2013 0:15:27 GMT
Oh, I might have a go myself then. I'm at work now, so it will have to be when I'm home (and will unashamedly use rikaikun for the reading sections ^^). I'm stressing over whether I should be concentrating on N3 or N2 material right now, because I studied some N2 grammar before I was at N3 level (because of a podcast I used to listen to a few years ago), so it's sometimes a bit confusing to feel where I should be. Textbooks are expensive and I want to spend wisely! I guess we could just start trying to pair off and play musical partners until we get it right. I miss reisei. He was a perfect studybuddy for me. We had different strengths and weaknesses, so had plenty to learn from one another, but averaged out at a similar enough level that we could hold a verbal conversation without too many misunderstandings. I hope he comes back one day
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J-CAT
Nov 3, 2013 0:26:32 GMT
Post by Bokusenou on Nov 3, 2013 0:26:32 GMT
Yeah, I've been thinking of giving it a try myself. The only thing I don't like is that it says it can take up to 72 hours for them to email the password to take it, and you can only take the test once every 6 months. Other than that it seems pretty comprehensive (besides a lack of speaking and writing sections, which would probably be too hard to score automatically on a test like this), and I like that it goes beyond N1 level.
Yeah, I miss reisei too...
EDIT: It looks like it's flash based, so there's no way to use Rikai on it.
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J-CAT
Nov 3, 2013 23:20:32 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 3, 2013 23:20:32 GMT
I think this section should maybe be moved to make a new thread (Jade?? I'm too noob to do it!お願いね!). I think I'll wait until someone else takes this test, so I can ask about the kanji, like.. if the instructions use furigana or readable kanji (I can read JLPT instructions, so if they're worded similar to that, I'd manage). If not, I should maybe wait until my reading is better, otherwise it may well be that I DO know the grammar or vocab, but can't read it so fail like the big old noob I am ^^ I don't mind failing the reading section, because I openly admit to being terrible at reading, but failing EVERYTHING because I'm a kanji noob, would suck. My confidence is flaky at the best of times.
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Post by Jade on Nov 3, 2013 23:29:29 GMT
I'll move this once I'm back in front of my computer.
I'm also waiting on my password from the J-CAT thing so I'll let you know how that goes when I do.
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J-CAT
Nov 3, 2013 23:43:58 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 3, 2013 23:43:58 GMT
That's a point, I should at least apply for my password! Whether or not I plan on using it, I had better at least HAVE it! lol
I like the idea of this test. I think I'd like to take it every 6 months INSTEAD of spending money on the JLPT. I mean, a lot of people take the JLPT to verify that they've achieved a particular level, right? My hope, is that eventually, my gift of the Japanese gab will be evidence enough that I've mastered the language (saying as I have NO intention of using the language for work). Until then though, it would be nice to have a test that gives me an idea of what I can and can't do, as I can direct my study based on that.
There's one more thing I'd like to know when you take it. Is it all multiple choice? I really, really hope not. I got a very surprising result on the JLPT N2 mock (enough to pass even, although it was fewer questions, so this probably wouldn't have worked in the exam itself) and I KNOW a lot of my correct answers were educated guesses/process of elimination and I honestly had no idea about that particular grammar or word in reality. I don't want to be graded on my ability to use logic, or to make a lucky guess, but on my actual ability to use and understand Japanese, even if that means I burn my textbooks, lock myself in the cupboard under the sink and eat dried porridge for a week.
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Post by Jade on Nov 3, 2013 23:51:27 GMT
The sample questions you can try are multiple choice so I'm assuming it's multiple choice all the way through.
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J-CAT
Nov 4, 2013 3:00:32 GMT
via mobile
Post by Bokusenou on Nov 4, 2013 3:00:32 GMT
I'm pretty sure it's all multiple choice, since write-in questions are harder to grade automatically... Jembru has a good point about the JLPT vs. J-CAT. Since the latter is free, online, and goes farther than N1, it might be more useful for the purposes of goal setting.
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J-CAT
Nov 4, 2013 13:21:54 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 4, 2013 13:21:54 GMT
I took a look at the sample questions. It wouldn't load after the first listening sample and I'm not a fast enough reader, so kept running out of time on the reading questions. I've still got my password, so I can always come back and try again another time. I really, really don't want to focus my attention on reading, but I think it's something I'm going to seriously have to think about. At least I can keep going back and checking the sample questions to see if I can read and answer in the time they give. I'm a very slow reader in English too though (I read at speaking speed; actually saying the words in my head as I would if I were reading out loud. I was tested for dyslexia as a kid and I don't have it, so I think I'm just unnaturally dumb).
I loved the fact that it uses video too, that's so cool!
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J-CAT
Nov 6, 2013 1:16:49 GMT
Post by Jembru on Nov 6, 2013 1:16:49 GMT
I give up.. I can't take the tedium!! I just don't care enough. I really want to take the test, but these words.. these pointless freaking words.
I thought it wouldn't hurt to go through N3 vocabulary lists and start adding words I know but can't read, to my kanji deck on anki (I won't add new words unless I learnt them in use, because otherwise my brain won't retain them. It's as though it doesn't recognise them as parts of a language, and they just end up marked as 'leech'). The problem is, these words.. I learnt them years ago and have since NEVER used them in a conversation; 郵便局、横断歩道, well, I guess I used 歩道 on the way back from the Teikyo fesitival, to complain that it was too narrow to walk side by side, but I KNOW those kanji (actually it's just the first 横, that I can't recognise still, and really, when on earth would I need to know how to write that? Never, that's when..
I like kanji, I do, I just don't consider them to be that important to my personal goals and resent being told what to learn, so sod it. I'm just going to keep on learning kanji by grade, even if that means I'm years away from being able to read well enough, or fast enough, to take this test. (T_T)
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J-CAT
Nov 6, 2013 4:15:02 GMT
Post by MidoriAbby on Nov 6, 2013 4:15:02 GMT
Well, I took my J-CAT test today. I got my scores, Listening: 60 Vocab: 48 Grammar: 56 Reading: 44 Total: 208 This put me in the Intermediate-high, JLPT N2 category. While I was very happy with this, I feel like I still have a while to go since I'm still learning N4 and N3 vocab and kanji. My listening and grammar are very good, while my vocab and kanji still need lots of work. I think I'll take this again next year and see where my progress goes.
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J-CAT
Nov 6, 2013 4:15:56 GMT
Post by MidoriAbby on Nov 6, 2013 4:15:56 GMT
Also Jembru, the question instructions do have furigana
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