Nat Exams

Overview of the Exam

The Japanese Language NAT-TEST is an examination that measures the
Japanese language ability of students who are not native Japanese speakers.
The tests are separated by difficulty (five levels) and general ability is
measured in three categories: Grammar/Vocabulary, Listening and Reading
Comprehension. The format of the exam and the types of questions are
equivalent to those that appear on the Japanese Language Ability Test (JLPT).

The best way to prepare for the JLPT

The format of the Japanese Language NAT-TEST and questions that appear on
it are based on the Japanese Language Achievement Test for Non-Native
Speakers, which also conforms to the guidelines of the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test (JLPT). When students are entering a Japanese university or
applying for a college student visa, they often take the JLPT as a general way
to measure their language ability. Because the NAT-TEST conforms to the
guidelines of the JLPT, it is also an excellent way to prepare for that exam. (For
example, Level 5 of the NAT-TEST is equivalent to N5 of the JLPT) One other
advantage the NAT-TEST has is that while the JLPT is only held twice a year
(once a year in select countries), our exam is held six times a year so you can
use it to get a more detailed measure of the progress of your Japanese ability.

Levels and sections of the exam

There are five levels of the Japanese Language NAT-TEST. Level 5 is the
easiest followed by levels 4, 3, 2, and then level 1, which is the most difficult.
The difficulty of each level corresponds to its respective level (from N5 to N1)
on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
Levels 1 and 2 have a Language Knowledge section, which includes reading,
grammar and vocabulary, a Reading Comprehension section and a Listening
section. Levels 3, 4 and 5 have a Language Knowledge section, which includes
kanji and vocabulary, a second Language Knowledge section with grammar
and reading, and then a Listening section. On the day of the exam, it will take
several hours for test takers to complete the test.