Questions on Shodan test

[nodachi]

This is a ways off for me, but very soon if I think about all the studying I need to put in before it arrives.

What sort of questions are on the Shodan written test, and what sort of vocabulary should I be cramming into my head so that I can answer them when the time comes.

I have not been in Japan long. I can read hiragana, katakana, and am in the process of learning kanji. However, because I have not studied for a long time, my vocabulary is still rather weak.

I apologize for such an awkward question ("what vocab should I cram into my head") but I would be grumpy if I knew the answers to the questions, and just wasn't able to answer because I did not know a few important vocabulary.

[Will]

http://www.kendo-usa.org/reference/studyguide.htm

It's an english study guide for the promotional exam.

[Confound]

Will, the American exam and the Japanese exam are different.

No-dachi, having completed the sho-dan exam recently, let me allay your fears: They don't look at the written test. I kid you not. Between the collection of tests and the announcement of pass or fail, there were approximately 40 minutes. Bear in mind that there were 110 shodan, 80 ni-dan and about 40 or 50 san dan applicants, each one with a written test. How could it be possible to give a thoughtful look at each paper individually?

If you're still worried, the first question will always be 'why did you begin kendou'. Think that one over carefully, it's the only one they look at. Here are some questions that have appeared on the test in the past:

Name and describe parts of the shinai (simple explanation)
Name and explain each kamae (again simlpe explanation)
Explain kirikaeshi

Those are the only three I know of, but there are undoubtedly many more. If you're studying with your school, good luck to you. If you're studying outside your school, and you regularly go to nomikais with all the upper yudansha, the word will get around that a foreigner is taking the test. If you're lucky, someone with English proficiency will be there to have a one over of your test. In my case, it was a really old guy, Chiba-sensei, who had drunkenly sung 'O my darling Caroline' at the last nomikai, to prove that he was indeed an English teacher after the war. (He then proceeded to regale everyone with tales about being a fighter pilot DURING the war, which was far more interesting.)

I digress.

In short, I was worried about it before hand as well. Let the written test go. Someone will inform you of the questions at least a week in advance. In the mean time, work on your kata. That's where most who fail. That and the keiko.

c

[nodachi]

Thanks for the advice. It is encouraging to hear that most fail at the kata, because even though I still have lots of technique to polish, at least my kata are pretty good. Not perfect though, of course.

So if they inform you of the questions a week in advance, does that mean it is like a take home exam, or can I bring in my responses written on paper like a Japanese language cheat sheet, or do I just need to practice writing my responses so that I can punch it out fairly well from memory the day of the exam?

I think I will be able to write enough when the time comes, but part of me will always be nervous until that day comes. My grammar is not so good. Mada amari kakimasen.

[nodachi]

Oh ya... when you say simple explanation, say on explain each kamae, how long of a response are they looking for? Will a sentence or so do, or do they want a paragraph, or a page?

Every type of test has different expectations of length, and I have yet to have this experience.

[toreisu]

Nodachi,

If you're worried about cramming terms to complete the test, keep your answers to a minimum. There are no length requirements on the responses and if the tests are still run as they were when I took my shodan test in Japan, you won't have a ton of time to write your answers. Make yourself the cheat sheet, use it to study and keep it handy just in case. The day I took the test, we found out just as we were getting ready for the written that it could be "open book." Unfortunately, I had left my cheat sheet in my car and couldn't take advantage of that unexpected allowance, but I would have written more if I could have. As for the judges not bothering to read the responses, I am sure they'll be interested to read what the "gaijin" had to say, so DO think about what you write...both for yourself and also out of respect for your sensei/dojo.

[toreisu]

Two questions I had on my test were to define maai, and describe what zanshin is. Good luck! :)

[Confound]

Toreisu,

WhenI took the test, those were san dan questions. I told Nodachi not to worry about the written part because it is not the most important, and right now he needs to worry more about technical things. As he stays in Japan longer, his Japanese will get better (hopefully), which willmake the written test less and less of a problem.

In the end, hardly anyone fails the written test. You only needto write about 2 sentences about each kamae, and then tell why you started kendou. It's hardly rocket science.

c

[nodachi]

Japanese is getting better little by little everyday. And... first grade kanji down. Only a couple thousand more to go!!! :)

[Confound]

Nodachi,

There's actually a hand book out there with all the possible questions for every single dan grade, and the expected answers. If you're really concernedin a year or so, ask one of your sempais, I'm sure one of them will have it. The book is in Japanese, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand. I'm guessing that as you are studying kendou, you're picking up kendou related kanji along the way, so when the time comes, I'm sure it won't be too difficult for you.

c

[roar]

when I did shodangrading in kyoto, the questions were in english. The funny part is, they missed on the spelling. It was only one question: "describe the proper way to grip the tsuba"
I went up to the guy in charge, asked if it was a spelling error, and that was it. I passed the written test. :p

[roar]

Another one: A guy I know, passed all the written tests up to godan iaido, answering in his own language, which hardly any japanese speak. His iaido is good though.

[Confound]

Roar,

You had questions in English? That's a bonus. I was lucky too that way, a nice old man, who went to a few nomikais I attended with my teacher, came to the exam to look at my paper. He was an English teacher after the war. He's a pretty cool guy, and not a bad singer. (After a bit of beer and sake he really rips into old English children's songs. It's pretty funny to see an elderly man singing 'O my Darling Caroline' with a beer glass in one hand and a chopstick in the other.)

c

[2muchryt]

you mean he thinks its "caroline" and not "clementine"?
hakubeli haundo wa, nihon jin desu ka?

from what i have seen in my limited kendo experience is that the written tests in kendo are all from a set of "kendo shinsa" questions publishished by the IKF. the answers are available in print or online in english or japanese.

[KhawMengLee]

where?