A few questions about the Exam.

[josh_mac]

hey, could you answer a few questions for me? thanks in advance
are the questions written in English?
for the listening segment do you listen to a tape and can you give me an example of what is said?
thanks, sorry if they seem obvious:|

[richvh]

There are sample questions available for download here. As you can see, the entire test is in Japanese.

[josh_mac]

in that case, if I am taking the 4 kyuu test will the vocabulary in the questions be that which I should have learnt for the test?
thankyou

[Zeo]

Yes, it would. If not the test would be kinda hard, ne? :p

[josh_mac]

^^ good point.
just thought of this, in the test do you have to know on and kun readings? thanks

[Zeo]

Hmm..
Well, when you learn the kanji for the JLPT, you learn both the ON and KUN readings. Don't you?
I have never taken the test though, but I'm pretty sure you're going to meet both ON and KUN in the test.

But when you learn kanji, don't only learn KUN and then jump back later to learn ON, that would only make it hard for yourself. Learn both when you are working on a kanji.

Good luck with your stidies.
- Zeo

[richvh]

From the sample questions I've seen, the test is more concerned with words than on and kun readings. Example:
来週　いきます。
来週　　１　らいしゅう　　２　れんしゅう　　３　こいしゅう　　４　こんしゅう

Edit: corrected typo in answer 1 (thanks for spotting it, Kates.)

[Kates]

>_> The right answer isn't one of your choices, rich!

Rich is right though, josh. The test doesn't ask you "What is the ON-yomi for XX kanji?" It will give you a word, most likely a compound-kanji word (like the one in rich's example) and you have to chose the correct reading. So if you don't know that the ON-yomi for 来 is "RAI" then you could possiably get it wrong. Zeo gave good advice--learn ON and KUN-yomi when you learn a new kanji. Learn everything about the new kanji when you study it! Don't just focus on one part (ie, reading or writing it or whatever).