Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
Japanese for JET: a practical study plan with JLPT practice
Pair JLPT study with the Japanese you want to use at school, in your community and in everyday conversations.
- Start with
- Your current ability
- Study for
- Understanding + use
- Review with
- One fresh task
Do you need to know Japanese for the JET Program?
The UK JET FAQ distinguishes the roles: ALT applicants do not need Japanese proficiency, while CIR applicants need high-level Japanese, with N2 or equivalent as the stated minimum. Read your own country’s current guidance before making an application decision.
For study planning, choose a task you want to manage in Japanese. Reading a timetable, confirming a meeting and explaining a change are useful goals because you can check whether you completed them.
Choose a starting point you can explain
The JLPT has five levels, from N5 through N1. It assesses language knowledge, reading and listening, and does not directly test speaking or writing. Use official sample questions to inspect the demands before choosing your study materials.
Try a small selection without looking at the answers. Note whether the difficulty came from an unfamiliar word, a grammar relationship, a passage detail or the audio. Choose a starting level from that evidence, rather than from the title you would like on a certificate.
A manageable week: study, use, revisit
This is a suggested routine, not an official JET schedule. In a 25-minute session, spend five minutes recalling previous words, ten on one reading or grammar task, and ten using the same language aloud or in a short message.
Alternate the final activity across the week: ask about a time, explain a plan, then confirm a change. End the week with a fresh example. Shorten the session if necessary; keep the independent attempt and the review.
Turn one sentence into a useful exchange
Original practice: 会議は何時からですか。 means “What time does the meeting start?” If the answer is 三時からです。, confirm it with 三時ですね。 (“Three o’clock, right?”). Then change the time and practise again without reading your notes.
You are practising a sequence: ask, understand and confirm. Reading the sentence correctly is one step; producing it and understanding an unexpected answer need their own practice. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback on clarity and appropriateness.
For CIR goals, add explanations and writing
Take a short public notice and identify who it is for, what action is needed and when. Give a spoken summary, then write a brief reply asking about one unclear detail. Review both with someone who can give informed Japanese feedback.
Use JLPT practice to identify gaps in comprehension. Keep a separate record of speaking and writing tasks, because success on a reading exercise cannot show whether your explanation was clear to another person.
Decide what your next session should fix
Write one specific observation after practice: “I understood the time but missed that the room changed.” Your next task can then focus on change expressions and checking details.
If your longer-term plan includes corporate recruitment, keep employer assessment preparation separate from language study. SPI practice becomes relevant when a named role asks for it; your day-to-day Japanese routine can continue alongside it.
Try it yourself
Read this original message: 会議は三時からです。場所は二階です。 What time does the meeting start, and where is it?
Show the answer and explanation
It starts at three o’clock, on the second floor.
三時 gives the time and 二階 gives the floor. To extend the task, say the details aloud, then ask a partner to change one detail so you can confirm it again.