Japanese Proficiency Exam

has anyone taken this ?
(level 1 or 2) if so how did you pass and how long did it take you to study for this exam?
thankyou

I took level 1 last year but failed by about 10%. I studied pretty intensly for about 6 months or so specifically for the exam. I passed level 2 a few years ago which took me a good 9 months or so of studying pretty hardcore and only just passed it.
Didn't take level 1 this year but might do so again next year and think I might have to put in a few solid months of study.

oh ok!
i am studying for the level2 proficiency this time next yr bc vocational schools accept that as a minimum... but i guess its gna have 2b pretty intense aswell?!
thanks 4ur reply and gud luck in th future!
nat

I forgot to mention that I passed 2kyu after living in Japan 3 years and regular study. But I studied about 9 months or so just for the exam. And I took 1kyu about 3 years after that. So, although I wasn't studying specificall for the exam, the time spent in Japan also helped me.
I am sure there are plenty of people here who have 1kyu and have a much better understanding of the language than me though!

I failed JLPT2 after 1.25 years of living in Japan, scoring somewhere in the 50s(%), and I probably failed JLPT1 after 2.25 years (score pending). After 2 years, I can easily pass JLPT2. Besides a handful of kanji and elementary, written grammar, I didn't know much before moving here, so perhaps 2.5 years would be a decent guess at overall study time.

The higher levels of the JLPT not only require knowledge of Japanese, but also test-specific studying. The character/vocab section includes some "interesting" question formats and not all of the grammar is particularly common. Familiarity with the test format and contents is essential, even for native-speakers.

Do note that there are some potentially significant changes coming in 2010, so most people starting their studies now will likely be taking the new JLPT for 1 and 2.