Test format and sections

All sections are multiple choice. The test has two test sections — Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading and Listening — but the Language Knowledge・Reading section is split into two separately timed sub-sections for N3, N4 and N5.

Test sections and test times (official)

Level	Language Knowledge (Vocabulary)	Language Knowledge (Grammar)・Reading	Listening	Total
N1	—	110 min	55 min	165 min
N2	—	105 min	50 min	155 min
N3	30 min	70 min	40 min	140 min
N4	25 min	55 min	35 min	115 min
N5	20 min	40 min	30 min	90 min

Change notes (official):

• N1 Listening was shortened to 55 min from the December 2022 test (previously 60 min).
• N4/N5 Vocabulary and Grammar・Reading times were shortened from the December 2020 test (N4: 30→25 and 60→55; N5: 25→20 and 50→40 — the pre-2020 values are from the earlier official table).
• The time allotted for each section may change; the Listening time may differ slightly depending on the length of the recorded material.

Test item types by level (official matrix)

○ = present, ― = not present at that level.

Test section	Item type	N1	N2	N3	N4	N5
Vocabulary	Kanji reading	○	○	○	○	○
Vocabulary	Orthography	―	○	○	○	○
Vocabulary	Word formation	―	○	―	―	―
Vocabulary	Contextually-defined expressions	○	○	○	○	○
Vocabulary	Paraphrases	○	○	○	○	○
Vocabulary	Usage	○	○	○	○	―
Grammar	Sentential grammar 1 (selecting grammar form)	○	○	○	○	○
Grammar	Sentential grammar 2 (sentence composition)	○	○	○	○	○
Grammar	Text grammar	○	○	○	○	○
Reading	Comprehension (short passages)	○	○	○	○	○
Reading	Comprehension (mid-size passages)	○	○	○	○	○
Reading	Comprehension (long passages)	○	―	○	―	―
Reading	Integrated comprehension	○	○	―	―	―
Reading	Thematic comprehension (long passages)	○	○	―	―	―
Reading	Information retrieval	○	○	○	○	○
Listening	Task-based comprehension	○	○	○	○	○
Listening	Comprehension of key points	○	○	○	○	○
Listening	Comprehension of general outline	○	○	○	―	―
Listening	Verbal expressions	―	―	○	○	○
Listening	Quick response	○	○	○	○	○
Listening	Integrated comprehension	○	○	―	―	―

Question counts by level (approximate, official)

Official "Composition of test items": per-type counts are a guideline (小問数) — the actual number per sitting varies slightly. Per-level breakdowns: n1.md · n2.md · n3.md · n4.md · n5.md.

Level	Vocabulary	Grammar	Reading	Listening	Total
N1	25	20	26	37	108
N2	32	22	21	32	107
N3	35	20	16	28	99
N4	35	25	14	28	102
N5	35	22	13	24	94

How the day is structured

• N1/N2: one continuous Language Knowledge(Vocabulary/Grammar)・Reading block, then Listening.
• N3/N4/N5: Vocabulary block, then Grammar・Reading block, then Listening. The Vocabulary and Grammar・Reading sections are separate test booklets with their own timings.
• Answers are marked on an answer sheet. You must take all sections of the level you registered for; missing a section means automatic failure (see scoring).

Sources

• https://www.jlpt.jp/e/guideline/testsections.html — official table and change notes (verified via Wayback Machine 2024-12-24 snapshot; live page was rate-limiting automated access)