How should you review kanji before JLPT test day?

In the last week, stop adding new kanji and review the ones you already have, with extra time on look-alikes and words whose readings you keep missing. New kanji learned five days out tend to blur with the ones you know.

What to do in the final week

1. Pull your misses. Go through cards or notes you got wrong in the past month. That list is worth more than a full deck review.
2. Pair look-alikes. 待/持, 未/末, 績/積. Review them side by side. See similar-looking kanji.
3. Read words, not single kanji. The test asks for readings of words in sentences. Say 会社, 学校, 三本 out loud.
4. Do one timed set from the official sample questions or the Official Practice Workbook, at the real section length.
5. Keep listening going. It has its own minimum score. See JLPT pass marks.

What happens on the day

These are from the official FAQ and section table:

• It’s multiple choice on a computer-scored answer sheet. Four options for most questions, three for some listening ones.
• Sections run on fixed times. At N3, vocabulary takes 30 minutes, then grammar and reading 70, then listening 40.
• You must sit every section. Missing one means a fail.
• The test paper stays in the room.

Bring what your test site’s voucher lists; the rules are set locally.

During the kanji questions

• Read the whole sentence. Context often rules out a reading.
• Watch for near misses: small っ, long vowels, voiced sounds.
• Don’t spend long on one item. Mark a best guess and move on.

Kanji Mnemonics (my app, so weigh my opinion accordingly) covers N5 through N1 with one keyword, one story and one picture per kanji, readings and example words, a flashcard quiz in both directions and progress per level. It works offline. Lesson 1 is free; the rest needs Pro (weekly, monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase). See the app page, the App Store listing or all my apps. The flashcard quiz runs in both directions, which suits a last-week review of misses.