N3 in eight weeks
The bridge level: everyday Japanese at natural speed, about 650 kanji.
| Vocabulary | 30 min |
| Grammar · Reading | 70 min |
| Listening | 40 min |
| Total | 140 min |
Pass mark 95 / 180, and every section has a minimum: Vocabulary & grammar 19 / 60 · Reading 19 / 60 · Listening 19 / 60.
N3 has the highest pass mark relative to its level, and the hardest questions here are collocations and look-alike kanji rather than grammar.
Plan on about 35 minutes a day. Clear your due reviews first, then do the week’s task.
- Week 1
Find your gaps
A full mock test now shows which section to spend the next seven weeks on.
- Take a full N3 mock test, in exam orderStart mock →
- Write down your weakest section — every later week leans toward it
- Clear your due reviews every day from now onReviews →
- Week 2
Vocabulary and kanji
The cheapest marks on the paper: you know them or you don't, and they come back with reviews.
- Vocabulary practice, a set a dayPractise →
- Look-alike kanji: check both characters, not just the first
- Deep dive JOC-1106Read →
- Week 3
Grammar forms
Grammar questions turn on one choice — a particle, a direction, a connector. Learn the contrasts, not the list.
- Grammar practice, a set a dayPractise →
- For every miss, say why each wrong choice is wrong
- Deep dive JOC-1022Read →
- Week 4
Sentence building and short reading
★ questions reward a method: build the whole sentence first, then count.
- Reading practice — short passagesPractise →
- Star (★) questions: write the full order before choosing
- Deep dive JOC-1006Read →
- Deep dive JOC-1024Read →
- Week 5
Halfway mock test
Compare against week one. The section that moved least is your target for the rest.
- Second full N3 mock testStart mock →
- Redo every question you missedReview →
- Week 6
Reading stamina
Most people run short of time, not knowledge. Time every set.
- Timed reading sets — note how long each passage takesPractise →
- Read something real for ten minutes a day — a deck chapter countsDecks →
- Week 7
Listening, and a last weak-spot pass
Listening only improves by listening. Little and often, every day this week.
- Listening practice every dayPractise →
- Final full N3 mock test at the weekendStart mock →
- Deep dive JOC-1025Read →
- Week 8
Exam week: rest and review
Nothing new now. Keep what you have fresh and arrive rested.
- Only your due reviews, plus one light mixed setReviews →
- Check your test voucher: venue, reporting time, what to bring
- Sleep. The listening section is last, when you are most tired
- Your test voucher (受験票), with the photo attached if your centre asks for one.
- Photo ID, if your test centre requires it.
- Pencils and an eraser — check your voucher for which are allowed.
- A watch that is only a watch. Phones and smart watches must be switched off and put away.
- Arrive early: latecomers can be refused entry once a section has begun.
- Something to eat between sections — the breaks are short.
Your test voucher has the final word. Official information: jlpt.jp.