Voices from Teachers
NJEによりリスニング、リーディングの評価が個別に見られるため、去年は全体的に弱かったリーディングに力を入れた結果、どのレベルの生徒も大幅にリーディングのスコアを伸ばしたりと、一年間の学習の結果に結びつきました。また、去年度はレベル2で銀賞を受賞した生徒が、今年度2023年度はレベル3を受験し、ブロンズ賞を取るなどNJEは生徒たちのチャレンジの目標、励みになっています。さらに、Proficiency重視のカリキュラムで教える本校教員にとりましても、多くの生教材を取り入れながらの語学学習のあり方を模索する機会ともなっております。
田代友子先生 (Las Vegas Gakuen)
Every spring, all of the students enrolled in my Japanese classes participate. The NJE provides a low-pressure environment where students can test their skills without fear of penalty. Moreover, strong performances are recognized with certificates, which I proudly display to showcase my students’ hard work and dedication to learning Japanese. The scores also allow me as a teacher to gauge their strengths and weaknesses, and it is interesting to see how students analyze their own performance within the two interpretive skills being assessed: reading and listening.
Iya Nemastil sensei (Dublin Jerome HS, OH) – More about Iya Sensei’s Japanese program, visit here.
Voices from Students
I wanted to see what I knew, my progress, and my level. Stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something new was the best thing I did for this exam. It showed me what more I needed to learn, and how far I’ve progressed since I started learning Japanese. I was glad I did it and was proud of myself even though I knew I may have gotten some questions wrong.
Valentina R (Middle school, Level 1)
I wanted to test my Japanese skills and see how they could apply in a real-life scenario. I am glad I took the NJE because I saw how I still needed to learn more, but that also made me realize that I can understand Japanese in a real-world sense! The exam is very well organized and is an enjoyable challenge. I would highly recommend this exam as it was very encouraging and showed me my level of Japanese.
Joseph R (Middle School, Level 1)
I was able to use the practice exams to get a realistic idea of actual Japanese such as flyers, email, business conversations, etc. These practices improved my overall reading fluency and listening, making the exam experience a lot better as well as my understanding of Japanese outside of just textbook readings. I plan to continue to use these study methods to prepare for the next level of exams.
Joseph Z (College, Level 1)
I had a great experience taking the AATJ! I was in JAPN103 at the time of taking the exam, so I took the first level exam, but it was much easier than I expected. I felt accomplished seeing my growth so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing how I’ve improved when I take a higher level next time.
David E (College, Level 1)
NJE supported me in solidifying my knowledge and confidence in my reading and listening skills. The testing experience was both enlightening and engaging, offering valuable insight into new cultural customs. The test preparation provided was excellent, instilling a strong sense of readiness and confidence. I plan to continue testing myself with NJE as I improve my Japanese skills.
Liz’e S (College, Level 1)
In class quizzes and tests are thoughtfully constructed to only include grammar and vocab we’ve previously studied. But on the NJE, it feels like almost the test purposely included a few vocabulary words that a beginner learner probably wouldn’t have studied to encourage students to try and understand dialogue without 100% comprehension. In this way, I enjoyed how it mimicked real life interaction with a language where you won’t know every word but can still figure out the gist of what is happening.
Griffin C (College, Level 2)
This test is a good gauge on your level of knowledge because of the reading and listening sections. In my experience, during the test there were some sections in both reading and listening that would challenge me, but there were some that were easy. The challenges made me realize I must study more for my future goals!
Gavin G (High school, Level 3)
Although there was vocabulary I didn’t know, the NJE helped me grow as a student. I kept challenging myself to maintain my Japanese skills. The speed in the listening section was faster than I was used to, but I could still understand the phrases I knew, demonstrating my ability to adapt to different speaking speeds. I would definitely do it again if I have the chance.
Sarah L (High School, Level 3)
Taking the NJE exam, despite being difficult, was a fun experience. I got to test my current skills in listening and reading in Japanese. As I discovered how far I have come in learning another language, I was even more so motivated to continue my studies.
Ketevan P (College, Level 3)
In general, the test was not so difficult. The vocab and grammar were both fine, but parts related to Japanese culture made me struggle a lot. The topics of the question were interesting, though, as they were all about our daily lives. I had a pretty good experience doing the test, but if the interface of the test can be improved a bit, that would be awesome. Because all the questions are at the same page, it feels uncomfortable for having to scroll back and forth to check.
Anne Z (College, Level 3)
