A Summer Study Plan for the December JLPT
The summer is the best time to get ahead for the December JLPT, which in many countries is held on the first Sunday of December. A good plan uses the free weeks of July and August to fill gaps in vocabulary, kanji and grammar, then switches to timed practice from October, so you arrive in December with the knowledge in place and the speed to use it. The first job is practical: check when registration opens and closes for your test centre, because abroad it is often in late summer and easy to miss. This guide gives a phase-by-phase plan, a weekly routine and tips for keeping going once term or work starts again.
First: check registration
Registration dates differ by country and test centre, and popular centres fill up. Look up the official JLPT site and your local host now, put the deadline in your calendar and register as soon as it opens. See registering for the JLPT abroad.
The plan, phase by phase
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| July | Take a practice test to find your weak areas. Start daily vocabulary and kanji with spaced repetition. |
| August | Work through the grammar for your level and read short texts every day. Listen daily. |
| September–October | Review weak grammar, do section-by-section practice and start timing your reading. |
| November | Full timed practice tests, review of mistakes, and a light final week. |
See JLPT practice tests, time management tips and the last month before the exam.
A summer week
- Every day: 20 to 30 minutes of flashcards and 15 minutes of listening. See flashcards and spaced repetition.
- Three or four days: a grammar point with example sentences, and one reading passage.
- Once or twice a week: a lesson to check questions, practise using new grammar and correct mistakes.
- Once a week: a short timed section, such as one reading or listening part.
For level-specific plans, see the N5, N4, N3, N2 and N1 study plans.
If you also took the July test
July results usually arrive in late summer. If you are waiting, keep studying for the next level rather than stopping; if you didn’t pass, December is a good second chance, and your score report shows which sections to focus on. See failed the JLPT?
Keeping going in the autumn
Most plans fall apart in September, when school or work gets busy. Keep the daily flashcards and listening even on busy days, fix a regular lesson time, and protect one longer study session at the weekend. See the JLPT while working full-time.
How Hanabuddies can help
Our native Japanese tutors teach one-to-one online, in English. We can check your level, build a plan from summer to December, and run timed reading and listening practice with clear explanations of every mistake. Your first 15 minutes are a free trial.