JFM – Sakura Saku

Taking the July 2022 JLPT During the Pandemic: What Made this Experience Unique

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the bi-annual JLPT has been canceled in the Philippines four times. That’s about two years.

The agonizing, long wait has been frustrating for those who have been wanting to obtain official certification in Japanese language proficiency. Of course, that included me.

Fortunately, the Japan Foundation Manila (JFM) announced the resumption of the JLPT starting with the July 2022 exam. There were significant changes, such as fewer available test levels and the implementation of health and safety protocols.

Here’s a recount of my experience taking the JLPT during the “new normal.”

Japanese Language Proficiency Test: What It Is, How to Apply, and MORE

The most widely recognized Japanese language exam in the world is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Its primary objective is to measure and certify the proficiency of non-native Japanese speakers.

There are five levels of the JLPT, with N5 being the easiest and N1 being the hardest. Note that the difficulty progression becomes steeper as you move through the levels. As an example, you could take six months to attain N5 level coming from a zero background, but it might take you a few years to get from N2 to N1.

The 3 Best Japanese Language Schools in the Philippines

So, you’ve decided to take language classes in a school. But where should you enroll? There are so many Japanese language classes to choose from! Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, more programs offering online Japanese classes have sprung out, thus increasing available options.

Most schools or services that you’ll come across offer only until JLPT N4 level. These are usually courses that are purely conducted online or are offered by small TESDA-accredited institutions and by universities such as UP and Ateneo.

The tuition fee ranges from Php4,000 to Php10,000 for N5-N4 bundled courses. It’s nearly impossible to enumerate them all here, but if you are interested in these cheaper course offerings, you can find most of them through Facebook.

In this post, I have listed the three most renowned Japanese language schools in the Philippines.