Subjectively, when I started my regular learning around 3 months ago, I was definitely working at the edge of my abilities all the time, which was exhausting and frustrating at times.
Now, JLPT material of my level often feels somewhat familiar, and while I never understand everything, I often get the "gist", especially in texts, which feels nice!
By the way, the tests in Düsseldorf and Berlin were booked out super quickly when I applied in July...
...so I took a train up to Copenhagen! 🇩🇰
And can now report on the latest innovations in making a city friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians! :D
Here's a technique I first heard about in a @notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com video: Make the sidewalks stretch out over streets coming in from the side – cars may still drive there, but it feels more like they're the "guests". Absolutely love it!
A similar thing happens in this roundabout: It's made for bikes, first and foremost!
Oh yeah sure, cars also can use it, but the cobblestones force them to slow down. Clever!
Some roughly paved areas have these smooth strips. Probably mainly built for wheelchair users or strollers? But also kind of nice to ride a bike on.
Not easy to see in this photo, but the left and right side of this street has smoother paving – a nice and noticable difference, especially on my folding bike with smaller wheels!
I also used the famous "Cykelslangen" for the first time – a bike-exclusive bridge! It's a really nice experience.
Didn't take a photo of it, so here's one from Wikimedia Commons! (Jakob Munk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cykelslangen.jpeg)
My Japanese test is over! It went about as well as I expected! :D
The vocabulary section felt harder than in the practise tests, and tested many words I simply didn't know. I ran out of time towards the end, so I had to pick some answers randomly...
Maybe also because I counted how many answers I was pretty sure of: 15 of 28 = 53%! I don't feel too bad about that.
@blinry@chaos.social
… and when you'll travel to Japan you'll end in a pizzeria with a Neapolitan cook 🤣
The grammar & reading section went alright, and I understood many things! ✨
I think this was my best section. There also were a couple of texts I didn't have time to fully comprehend, so I took some guesses.
For listening, I think our test supervisor was more nervous that many of us – they seemed a bit worried that the audio playback would fail! But it worked just fine.
The task-based comprehension questions seemed to go okay for me, while I made many educated guesses in the "quick response" section.
For listening, I think our test supervisor was more nervous that many of us – they seemed a bit worried that the audio playback would fail! But it worked just fine.
The task-based comprehension questions seemed to go okay for me, while I made many educated guesses in the "quick response" section.
The base rate for passing the N4 tests seems to be around 40%, and I think I was a bit underprepared, so I'd give myself a 1/3rd chance of passing? The other test takers I talked to afterwards seemed more confident, at least.
Results will be available at the end of January... so now I wait.
Thanks for cheering me on, everyone! :D This was fun!
The base rate for passing the N4 tests seems to be around 40%, and I think I was a bit underprepared, so I'd give myself a 1/3rd chance of passing? The other test takers I talked to afterwards seemed more confident, at least.
Results will be available at the end of January... so now I wait.
Thanks for cheering me on, everyone! :D This was fun!
blinry
