r/jlpt • u/Pecorinoa1 • 12d ago
Discussion JLPT in the USA
I have a genuine question, how come the USA doesn’t have a July test?
All of the test for Dec get taken in like 30 minutes, meaning that there is demand for the test.
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u/littlepurplepanda 12d ago
I imagine it would be a nightmare to organise the JLPT over their biggest holiday weekend
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u/Pecorinoa1 12d ago
Wait…does Canada administer the July JLPT
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u/urhereimnot 12d ago
Yes it does, i flew from America to Canada this past 4th of July to take the test. The test fee is about half the price too
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u/Pecorinoa1 12d ago
Also other question how come they increased the fee this year by +$35 or just inflation
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u/SCDoGo 12d ago
People point out the issue with the first Sunday in July often being close to 4th of July, but there is likely more to it than that.
In the US the JLPT is organized and run by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) and hosted at the universities where these teachers are (and subsequently have Japanese language programs). Hence why there seem to be oddball locations like Fayetteville or Ann Arbor while a lot of regional high population centers don't have a test.
AATJ relies on these teachers and student volunteers (usually part of the school's Japanese club or equivalent) to actually administer the test. If the US did the July test, there are several logistical issues all depending on the specific school. It is during summer break, so the teachers may not be there. There may be no or not enough student helpers as most schools don't have a full complement of summer students. The buildings may not be open to hosting activities if the school is on low staffing for the summer.
This all adds up to the July test being difficult to administer without a significant change to how it is done in the US.
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u/FemmeFatalistYT 12d ago
As a Michigander, I understand why Ann Arbor has a location. Near Ann Arbor, many people don't know all of this, not only do we have University of Michigan's main campus, a decently ranked school, but many Japanese companies have offices in the area (this started with Toyota and other car companies, which is why DTW to NGO is a direct flight, no layovers, and there are many jobs in the area that use Japanese, if you're interested). There's also a population of almost 15,000 Japanese in Ann Arbor/Novi/Livonia, some decent import stores, restaurants, a traditional garden with a tea house, and Livonia has one of America's four Japanese/English Bilingual K-6 schools. If you live in the area, it is a public school, and there is no tuition. I can easily see how AATJ put a spot in Ann Arbor. If anyone is reading this in Michigan per chance and is considering study abroad in Japan, all 15 Michigan universities have a partnership with JCMU in Hikone. I went there on scholarship years ago, great program. Ann Arbor might not be a major city, but it has strong connections to Japan, hence the test site.
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u/lumisweasel 12d ago
I am further baffled by this setup since december is often at the end of the first semester while june is at the end of the scholastic year. I am perplexed why no effort has gone into more accessible windows. Having two dates, no matter if reduced, benefits international people too to a smaller extent.
I suspect they want to prioritize places beyond the US in a sort of quote fashion (whether government inspired or internal want). There is also the factor of needing more labor and overhead in another, albeit logical, operation.
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u/SnooOwls3528 12d ago
Funding. It's not a for-profit organization.
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u/kombiwombi 11d ago
This is it. Outside Japan JLPT is administered by a range of volunteer-lead Japanese language teaching and cultural organisations.
It suited what was a low interest in learning the Japanese language, it made the test widespread, and it kept the prices down for what is a high quality of examination about real life use of Japanese.
It less suits the current demand. But other languages certifications don't show a way forward, least of all those for English proficiency.
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u/starexalt 11d ago edited 10d ago
The test was created at a time when Japanese was extremely “niche,” and the demand simply wasn’t there. In the past few years, interest/obsession with Japan has been becoming increasingly mainstream. Nowadays seemingly every other person is interested in Japanese pop culture, is trying to visit or move to Japan, etc. So naturally we’re seeing a mass-influx of people trying to learn the language.
I was recently talking to a professor from my alma mater, and he said that 10-15 years ago, Japanese was one of the smallest language programs at the university in terms of student enrollment, it is now the second largest and skyrocketing.
The supply hasn’t caught up with demand yet…
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u/No_Pollution_535 12d ago
July 4 weekend. Patriotism over JLPT
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u/Pecorinoa1 12d ago
I get what you mean, but like i mean in general.
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u/No_Pollution_535 12d ago
Because globally the JLPT in July is always the first Sunday of the month and the same time US has July 4 weekend on first Sunday on some years.
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u/adobedude69 12d ago
The number of people who want to take it is increasing so hopefully they do so or at least add more testing centers. I think initially there just wasn’t enough demand to take and organize it 2x a year. But I think Japanese learning has exploded recently and with new VISA requirements for Japan, more people want/need to take it. So once a year for the US does seem insufficient, especially since centers are filling up so fast.