BJT vs JLPT N2: why I chose BJT and scored 406 in three weeks
I needed N2-level Japanese for my visa, I had missed the July JLPT, and my last test was N4. Here is what I found out about BJT, and what the difference with JLPT really felt like.
- 406 my score, first attempt
- 3 weeks from decision to result
- N4 my last JLPT
- 4 vs 1 attempts before my deadline
Short answer
I needed 400 or more. On my first attempt I scored 406. Three weeks from decision to result. For me BJT turned out to be easier than N2 would have been. It is not easier for everyone, but it rewards what you already use every day at work.
My situation
I run a business in Japan, and for my visa I needed Japanese at N2 level by April next year. I had missed the July JLPT. That left exactly one chance: the December exam.
One attempt at N2 felt risky. The last test I had taken was N4. My spoken Japanese was around N3, but I would have had to skip N3 and pass N2 straight away, with a large amount of kanji still ahead of me and a lot of grammar that is easy to mix up. I had never really studied keigo either.
And honestly, I did not want to spend half a year preparing for one exam day. I was already reading and sometimes writing business emails in Japanese. I wanted something that would count that experience.
The maths that changed my mind
BJT, the Business Japanese Proficiency Test, can be taken on almost any day, and you can retake it after three months. I had about nine months before my deadline. That is room for three BJT attempts, and I could still keep the December JLPT as a backup.
Three BJT attempts plus one JLPT is four chances. That is better than one.
There was a second advantage. Because I could sit BJT almost immediately, the first attempt would tell me my real level. If I reached 400 straight away, I would save months.
What I had heard before
Online I found two opinions. Some people said BJT is harder than JLPT and you need N1 before you try it. Others said it is easier. I was not even sure BJT was something I could pass: my keigo was weak and there were many kanji I did not know yet. So I decided to find out for myself.
What I found: four differences
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The vocabulary is much narrower
JLPT N2 draws kanji, words and grammar from every kind of topic. BJT stays inside business: trade, sales, deliveries, warehouses, meetings, schedules. The set of words and kanji you need is still large, but it is limited and it repeats. If you already work in Japanese, you have met much of it.
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You cannot fail it
JLPT is pass or fail: you either get N2 or you do not. BJT always gives you a score from 0 to 800, and strong parts can make up for weak ones. I understood spoken Japanese well and could quickly find the part of a text that answered the question. On the questions where you pick the right kanji or grammar form, I probably made mistakes, but my other answers carried me.
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Keigo is the heart of it
Once you work through keigo step by step, who is raised, who is lowered, how you talk about your own company to a client, a large part of the test opens up. It is one topic you can study in order, not a hundred small ones.
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Two big blocks instead of many small ones
For me BJT came down to two things: keigo and business vocabulary. JLPT N2 felt like many unrelated topics with different kanji and different grammar. For someone who already works in a business setting and listens well, the amount to learn felt smaller.
BJT and JLPT N2 side by side
| JLPT N2 | BJT | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Pass or fail | Score 0–800, levels J5 to J1+ |
| Content | General Japanese: kanji, vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening | Japanese at work: calls, meetings, emails, charts, keigo |
| Format | Paper | Computer, 80 questions |
| Dates in Japan | July and December | Almost any day |
| When you know | About 7 weeks later | When you finish |
| Retake | 6 months | After 3 months |
| Fee in Japan | ¥7,500 | ¥8,000 |
| For visas | N2, N1 | 400 counts like N2, 480 like N1 |
What the test itself is like
BJT has 80 questions and takes 105 minutes: listening for 45 minutes, listening and reading together for 30 minutes, and reading for 30 minutes. For me it felt like one long listening block of 75 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of reading.
I will write about the test day itself, what the room was like and what surprised me, in a separate article.
My result
I needed 400 or more. On my first attempt I scored 406. I did not need the other three attempts.
The result was on the screen as soon as I finished, and I had the score report in my hands before I left the building. From the day I decided to try BJT to the day I had my score: three weeks.
Three weeks from decision to result. No waiting for a letter.
406 is level J3 on the BJT scale, but it is above the 400 line that immigration rules treat like N2. My result is my own; yours will depend on your level and your preparation.
Who I would recommend BJT to
- You are around N3 or above and you use Japanese at work, even a little.
- Your listening is stronger than your kanji.
- You need N2-level proof soon, and you do not want everything to depend on one exam day.
- Your visa rule accepts BJT: check it first. If an employer or a rule asks for JLPT by name, BJT will not replace it.
For me BJT turned out to be easier than N2 would have been. It is not easier for everyone, but it rewards what you already use every day at work.
I built the mock exam I wish I had had.
Full 80-question BJT mocks with a score forecast and every mistake explained in your language. Start with three free questions.