About the NAT Exam
What is NAT (日本語学力テスト)?
The Japanese Language NAT-TEST is an examination that measures the Japanese language ability of non-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 Proficiency Test (JLPT).
Levels and Sections of the Exam (試験のレベルとセクション)
An Exam with Five Levels ( 5 つのレベルの試験)
The Japanese Language NAT-TEST has five levels. The easiest level is 5, and the most challenging level is 1. Each level corresponds to its respective level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (N5 to N1).
Levels 1 and 2 of the exam contain the following sections: Language Knowledge (reading/vocabulary/grammar) and Listening. Levels 3, 4, and 5 of the exam contain the following sections: Language Knowledge (reading/vocabulary), a second Language Knowledge (grammar, reading comprehension), and Listening.
*The Japanese Language NAT-TEST is based on the same standards as the JLPT. For more detailed information on the NAT-TEST guidelines, please see “Classified Catalogue of 10000 Japanese Vocabulary Words”(１万語語彙分類表) and “Vocabulary Guidelines Indexed by Chinese Character” (語彙別漢字基準表), which are published by Senmon Kyouiku Publishing Co. Ltd.
The Three Sections of the Exam (試験の三つのセクション)
The exact organization and content of the exam differ slightly for each level; however, a basic guide to the content on the NAT-TEST is as follows:
Language Knowledge (reading and vocabulary)
Language Knowledge (grammar, reading comprehension)
Listening Comprehension ( リスニング理解力)
Including the breaks between each section, the entire exam will take approximately half a day to complete.
Testing Time and Number of Questions (試験時間と問題数)
Level 1 / 1Q (レベル1/1Q) & Level 2 / 2Q (レベル2 / 2Q)
Level 3 / 3Q (レベル3 / 3Q) & Level 4 / 4Q (レベル4 / 4Q)
Level 5 / 5Q レベル5 / 5Q
* The exact time allotted for the listening section may differ slightly based on the length of the recordings.
Scoring Section, Maximum Score, and Pass Marks
Level 1 / 1Q レベル1/1Q
Level 2 / 2Q レベル2 / 2Q
Level 3 / 3Q レベル3 / 3Q
Level 4 / 4Q レベル4 / 4Q
Level 5 / 5Q レベル5 / 5Q
Passing Criteria ( 合格基準)
To pass the exam, the examinee must score more than the Sectional Pass Marks on each Scoring Section of the exam as well as achieve an overall score that exceeds the Overall Pass Mark.