Umm… yeah. I did it again (/ _ < ). I did say two weeks back that my next post would review some apps related to JLPT but the busybody I am, I didn’t get time to do so. So here’s the review.

The N5 JLPT app I am talking about is by V-Next software. It’s been very helpful to me. It has got 4 sections in all – Kanji, Vocabulary, Grammar and Search. This app basically is for testing yourself. It has predefined time for particular number of questions (for example 5 minute for 30 questions) and after you take the test it gives you details of no. of questions you attempted, got correct and incorrect.

For Kanji section, there are 5 types of time settings – 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 words in various time limits. This section was the most helpful. But here is a twist. It mostly contains KUNYOMI of the kanji ONLY. That’s why, it is not solely enough for a person preparing for JLPT. BUT, if you keep reviewing kanji from this app, you would become master of distinguishing between onyomi and kunyomi.

What I used to do was, I used to take a test as soon as I  would wake up. That reminds me, the English meaning are also not given in this section. That means, you’ll have to go to a dictionary to check out the meaning of a kanji you are encountering for the first time. But that was fun and educational in a way too.

Next comes vocabulary section. Word with very difficult kanjis are given and you need to figure out the meaning in English. Another drawback – no furigana is available for you. Just the kanji and four options in English. Although they do provide kana after the test is finished and you need to check the solutions. I didn’t use it much (though I should’ve). Again, six type of word and time setting – 30, 50, 70, 90, 100, 200 words.

Next is grammar. Until and unless, you don’t know the rules, this section is pretty much useless. They have got lots and lots of examples for the related grammar point but again, one needs to actually know stuff, y’know?

Search is, as name suggests, simple search. They claim to have around thousand words and you can search by English or Japanese.

Yup, so this is pretty much all about it. But the best part is, it’s completely offline. Yeah, sometimes, you don’t get internet access and sometimes you don’t want to use it (mainly to save battery in my phone), that’s when these kind of apps are really a life saver.

This actually might not be the best app out there but with very less memory and time consumption, this worked wonders for me. Just 5 minutes a day. Even reviewing anki flash cards takes a lot more time than this. That’s why I love this app.