Should I take this year’s N3 test?

I've wanted to take N3 for a long time now. The last time I took the test was 2018, and it was harder than I expected. Mainly wanted to see how it is, so it wasn't pointless. I planned on retaking it this year, but the price was jacked up to $100 from $60 so it made me reconsider. Should I take the test anyway to have an official indicator of my ability, or just do some old tests in the comfort of my house and move on to N2? I think I can manage a passing score, but listening comprehension is my worst part.

I keep hearing anything below N2 is useless. So Japanese employers don't care if you have N3? At least it's an indicator of someone's ability, no? Just to be clear: my current job has no use for Japanese. I'm still holding out hope that someday, I'll apply for a job that uses Japanese, like game translator or something similar. But I don't see myself applying for that kind of job any time soon. So taking N3 has mainly to do with personal satisfaction, and little to do with job. I guess it's also a precaution. Better to have something on my resume than nothing.

Perhaps I'm worrying too much? Should I sit this one out?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Ultimately it is your decision.

From a job perspective, especially if your goal is something like game TRANSLATOR I don’t think N3 is useful, even N2 might be too low for a job involving translation.

I was in a position in Japan hiring people, and although the job didn’t involve translation our minimal requirement was N2, and yes, without a certificate that you have N2 it would have been nearly impossible to get by HR. Actually HR would have liked only N1, but there were never enough candidates so we interviewed N2 as well if everything else was spot on.

Regarding doing N3 officially or doing an old test at home, to gauge your current ability; I think at home you are more likely to trick yourself. E.g. stop the clock for a bit, get distracted by something/someone, have a sneaky look at the test before starting…. And just in general not having the same nerves as in a room full of other hopefuls.

But you had that experience already when you first attempted N3.

Back then, had you done some tests as preparation at home? Did you pass those (comfortably) but not the official test?

Honestly, back then, I was very underprepared. I had a feeling I wasn't prepared enough, too. But I took the test anyway, just to see how it is, mainly, and hoped for a lucky pass. I ended up with half the total score, lol. XD It's only when I was taking the test that I truly understood how much I was not ready for it, even more than I thought. Since then, I've been going through more studying materials and old tests. And for the most part, I think I do quite okay, but still missing questions every now and then, or forget words than I have seen before. Just the listening part is where I am hopeless.

Well, registration period is over, anyway. Guess I'll study for N3 a little longer, then jump to N2 next year. =w=