Placement Test

I just took the placement test today. The sections were writing, reading and interviewing. I thought I did pretty well on the paper test myself.

But then I went into the interview. They asked me tons of questions, all of which I could answer about half correctly. In that, I understood all the questions but I could only form half my answer in Japanese. I usually left off the end of the sentence (which isn’t unusual in Japanese)

Afterward, the interviewers told me how I did...

*sigh* I don’t take even the kindest of criticism well. I’m just like Michael Scott from the office :P

They showed me the graded test. They said that I did very well with the multiple choice section but I failed miserably when it came to writing. They said that throughout the interview, I showed that I clearly understood what was being asked but was never really able to answer in a proper sentence.

She said that it seems there’s a division in my brain. On one hand, I know how to take the test and I know what the right answer is when the choices are given to me. But that doesn’t transfer into the other side of my brain that has been trying to survive in Japan these past three years. That side of my brain will just string a few words together and hope the meaning comes out clear enough for someone else to say “OH! I understand, you’re trying to mean this”.

Now, I have told many people this. There are tons of people here who constantly tell me my Japanese is great and I always respond with the same answer: Sure I can hear and understand but I have trouble saying what I want to.

It’s one thing to say it about yourself. It’s another to hear someone else tell you the same thing.

*sigh*

So in the end, they’re gonna put me in a somewhat lower level class than I should be in. They said that it’ll probably be easy for me but I need to really polish up the basics or I’ll always sound like a dumb foreigner when I speak (<-- my own words, not the interviewers. HA!)

And I think she’s right. I do really have an issue with the basics but I know that when I get into that class, it’s going to be child’s play! But my vocabulary and kanji are so low right now…I’m just a mixed batch of all different kinds of random Japanese. I’m here to get back on track and that’s what this school is gonna do.