zaza
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 25
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Post by zaza on Jan 28, 2020 9:11:07 GMT 9
Glad to see others have now got their interview dates!! Mine is coming up and I am equally apprehensive, haha. Thanks for all the useful info in this thread so far but I was also wondering if you guys (current or ex-CIRs) could outline the format of the interview as you experienced it. Obviously there'll probably be some variation from country to country but I was just curious. Do you walk straight in and get given the text? Or warm up questions first? I'm trying to visualise, haha. Hahahaha
In my case (country: Canada), all my interviews flowed pretty much the same way: - Get to interview location and "check in" - Sit and wait; usually there will be other people, like 1-3 - Someone comes to get you and brings you to your room
- Enter room and sit, interviewers introduce themselves - English questions (just regular interview stuff or questions based on your application)
- If they make you do a mock lesson, it'll be in the English section - Japanese interview questions - Read text and answer a few questions (One time, they did make me do the ALT test as well, for some unknown reason) - You get to ask questions here, but not too many
- Bye
Interview location was always the same university (but different buildings through the years); if you're not familiar with your interview location and it's big like that, it's worth going in advance to see where to go (and where there's like bathrooms and stuff for last-minute prep, for example)
Thank you for this list! My interview is on Sunday so I am really trying to get in the right mindset for it. Can you remember what some of the Japanese interview questions were like? Were they similar to the ones you were asked in English?
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Jan 28, 2020 9:28:02 GMT 9
Hahahaha
In my case (country: Canada), all my interviews flowed pretty much the same way: - Get to interview location and "check in" - Sit and wait; usually there will be other people, like 1-3 - Someone comes to get you and brings you to your room
- Enter room and sit, interviewers introduce themselves - English questions (just regular interview stuff or questions based on your application)
- If they make you do a mock lesson, it'll be in the English section - Japanese interview questions - Read text and answer a few questions (One time, they did make me do the ALT test as well, for some unknown reason) - You get to ask questions here, but not too many
- Bye
Interview location was always the same university (but different buildings through the years); if you're not familiar with your interview location and it's big like that, it's worth going in advance to see where to go (and where there's like bathrooms and stuff for last-minute prep, for example)
Thank you for this list! My interview is on Sunday so I am really trying to get in the right mindset for it. Can you remember what some of the Japanese interview questions were like? Were they similar to the ones you were asked in English?Oh wow, they're so early now! (Mine were always in February) ((Edit: Oh wait, I guess Sunday is February!!))
Unfortunately, I can't really remember any specific questions that much. I feel like they were pretty generic interview stuff and that's why, though...
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Post by 🍅™️ on Jan 28, 2020 9:47:45 GMT 9
zazafor my Japanese questions, they happened to be more about my history with/connection to Japan! I had studied abroad and interned in Japan, and had a research trip to Hokkaido coming up (to study the Ainu culture) and my interviewer was really interested in the research trip in particular. Just things like why that trip? What research topic, etc. So if your interview would follow the same route as mine, the interviewer(s) would likely ask you about your connection to Japan? (also I interviewed in Chicago in the States, and the general interview process I had followed the same schedule as Aya Raincoat mentioned! Although I didn't have a mock English lesson, and for reference, I had to go into a seperate room for my Japanese portion of my interview)
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zaza
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 25
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Post by zaza on Jan 28, 2020 9:58:33 GMT 9
zaza for my Japanese questions, they happened to be more about my history with/connection to Japan! I had studied abroad and interned in Japan, and had a research trip to Hokkaido coming up (to study the Ainu culture) and my interviewer was really interested in the research trip in particular. Just things like why that trip? What research topic, etc. So if your interview would follow the same route as mine, the interviewer(s) would likely ask you about your connection to Japan? (also I interviewed in Chicago in the States, and the general interview process I had followed the same schedule as Aya Raincoat mentioned! Although I didn't have a mock English lesson, and for reference, I had to go into a seperate room for my Japanese portion of my interview) Ah okay, sounds good! I have had few opportunities to use my Japanese since I came back from studying abroad, so I am glad the questions aren't complicated.
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Post by beniyuri on Jan 28, 2020 10:28:39 GMT 9
Oh the format in Canada is same as the one in US at least in my state.
Now that I have sat down and think about it... The Japanese article was easy and short.(JLPT N1 or N2 of the reading portion is harder) I was just too nervous to think carefully. My spoken Japanese is so rusty though but I felt the Japanese part was shorter than I expected. I dunno if that is a good sign or not orz
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Jan 28, 2020 10:35:14 GMT 9
Oh the format in Canada is same as the one in US at least in my state. Now that I have sat down and think about it... The Japanese article was easy and short.(JLPT N1 or N2 of the reading portion is harder) I was just too nervous to think carefully. My spoken Japanese is so rusty though but I felt the Japanese part was shorter than I expected. I dunno if that is a good sign or not orz In general, the interviews are very short. I think ALT ones are about 15 minutes, and CIR ones, 30. That means maybe 15 minutes are in Japanese, but that includes reading the text, so it makes sense that it would feel fast, especially when you're nervous. That being said, my longest interview was probably an hour, and most of it was Japanese (it's the one where I had to do the ALT Japanese test, plus I had to "argue" about my answer to the development question on the text)
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Post by Leita on Jan 28, 2020 11:05:06 GMT 9
I don't think it would hurt to do mock interviews either. Of course some people are fine without it though (see above). Before my interview I asked a couple hulemdos to practice with me and I gave them a list of questions to ask, and it helped me form my thoughts and feel less nervous. I was so so nervous the day before my interview, so I asked a hulemdo and they called with me for about an hour and did mock interview with me, which helped me gather my thoughts and calm down. Anyways, do what's best for you~ Now I just laugh about it but I was such a nervous mess before my interview looking back on it. I couldn't sleep. I tried and did a little bit but I ended up waking up multiple times throughout the night. Then in the morning I tried to eat but I felt nauseous because I was nervous and ended up throwing up right before I left for my interview hue >_>. And I got lost on the way there and started running outside trying to find the consulate. But all that considered I was able to act calm and hulemdoly during the interview itself and got shortlisted.
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leximaha
Tried natto; not a fan
Posts: 59
CIR Experience: Former CIR
Location: Nagano
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by leximaha on Jan 28, 2020 12:59:56 GMT 9
Congrats on everyone getting through to the interview stage! I can't believe it's been a year since I interviewed XoX I was like Leita and was a nervous wreck throughout the month of January, and on the day of my interview there was a massive blizzard so basically I thought my life was going to end that day for many reasons (-v-; ) Leading up to the interview, I tried to study and do 読解 practice as much as possible. I also did a couple mock interviews beforehand to polish what I wanted to say. In my case, my Japanese professor knew one of the interview panelists, so a few months before I met with him to just pick his brain about what makes a good JET Candidate. Honestly, the interview itself was quite easygoing and the panel was hulemdoly! I just tried to harness my most professional self and answer the questions to the best of my ability. At the beginning of the Japanese section, I messed up reading the very first kanji #killme But then I bounced back, read the rest just fine, and answered the 感想 questions fairly well. Also my interviewer was curious about my quidditch career so that might've helped ease the interview tension vibes (笑) To summarize: - Practice 読解 (Reading it out loud as well) - Express your 感想 out loud too just to get some practice for that in as well - Do mock interviews - Remember why you are passionate and excited to be on JET, show them that! - Even if you're nervous, know that that's normal. - がんば!
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Post by Aqua on Jan 28, 2020 13:47:22 GMT 9
Hello everybody else who is in the process of preparing for the interview. I'm not panicking so much as much as I'm wondering if I'm doing enough to prepare for it... I've hardly done anything like doing mock interviews and the like, but I've been going over some of the questions and trying to really think to myself how I'd answer them I guess. Looking through my SOP as well in order to best prepare for some of the question they might ask in reference to it: for example I mentioned two Japanese books I'd read (one by Miura Jun and the other by Asou Keiko). I also guess I need to get my photo taken for the Interview Voucher sheet thingie. Have my FBI form and Health sheet ready... Also in light of the JLPT results coming later I suppose it's too late for them to be used as 参考? In addition I'm trying to think of genuine questions to have ready for the end of my interview, but I'm worried if they sound too formulaic. I guess I'll try to put my mind to it while exercising one of these upcoming days or so. I feel like trying to develop more a 'readiness' in spite of questions in specific is the more proactive move, but I don't want to let any lack of preparation trip me up.I guess I'm just worried about whether I'm doing enough and what that might entail...
My country sends a pretty small number of JETs each year and an even smaller number of CIRs (usually only 2-4people). So, the community is really close, I'd say I know 90% of the names/faces of Irish CIRs who are currently in Japan and a good few past CIRs too. I ended up asking questions about what kind of things past CIRs have gone on to do afterwards career-wise, and my interviewer really seemed to like it. He told me about specific people like "Hey, do you know _____ newsreader? They're an ex-CIR" etc. and he got really excited telling me about it. And then I just kinda made a comment about how interesting it is to see how far people have gone by drawing on their experiences as a CIR and that I hope I'll be able to use the experiences in a similar way.
I don't think many people asked questions like that, so maybe it made me stand out more? I'd say just ask something you are genuinely interested in knowing. It'll show your enthusiasm to learn and if the interviewer is any good, they'll be able to tell that you really are interested in the answer and not just asking a generic question for the sake of it
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Post by Dee on Jan 28, 2020 13:58:33 GMT 9
Glad to see others have now got their interview dates!! Mine is coming up and I am equally apprehensive, haha. Thanks for all the useful info in this thread so far but I was also wondering if you guys (current or ex-CIRs) could outline the format of the interview as you experienced it. Obviously there'll probably be some variation from country to country but I was just curious. Do you walk straight in and get given the text? Or warm up questions first? I'm trying to visualise, haha. Here is how mine went down (Location: USA, TX) Check in, make small talk with ppl in the waiting room (this will be your first impression, as the ex-JET in the waiting room takes mental notes of everyone) Get called and taken back to interview room Sit and be introduced to the interviewers English interview Get handed Japanese news article to read out loud and answer questions (Japanese) Questions about cultural exchange activities (Japanese) A couple more questions in English You get to ask any questions The end.
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Zola
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 11
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Location: Okayama
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by Zola on Jan 28, 2020 18:32:44 GMT 9
Thanks for the responses on the interview format so far! I was reading the 2018 applicants thread for info and some of the answers there shook me up, haha.
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Post by K M on Jan 29, 2020 8:49:38 GMT 9
Interview in 4 hours. Just doing some final study and listening to the news. Thanks for all the help guys
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Post by K M on Jan 29, 2020 13:59:01 GMT 9
Interview in 4 hours. Just doing some final study and listening to the news. Thanks for all the help guys I bombed the Japanese portion to a very embarrassing level but the interview went for 35 minutes and they were super nice.
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Jan 29, 2020 14:05:53 GMT 9
Interview in 4 hours. Just doing some final study and listening to the news. Thanks for all the help guys I bombed the Japanese portion to a very embarrassing level but the interview went for 35 minutes and they were super nice. お疲れ様!
I felt like I did not-great on the Japanese portion as well, don't lose hope!~ ^^
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Post by herakleitos on Jan 30, 2020 0:44:07 GMT 9
Regarding any employment gaps on one's resume... Should I expect them to ask about it? In all honesty after I had quit my previous position I had been a bit confused as to where to go from there, which actually lead up to my decision to apply to JET, but in the meantime I did not have a job as I focused on studying Japanese hard-core to pass N1 (we're looking at a gap in employment of about 7-8 months). Admittedly, I probably could have done more by let's say teaching English or something to buff out my resume in that time frame, but it didn't really work out that way.
Is honesty the best policy here?
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Post by beniyuri on Jan 30, 2020 7:27:00 GMT 9
I guess most people here feels the same for the Japanese portion.
I think being honest will have some merit about your gap. Coz you can turn it around in a positive light. You are doing something about it right now and tie it up with your future plans & the JET program goals.
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Post by Dee on Jan 30, 2020 14:43:58 GMT 9
Regarding any employment gaps on one's resume... Should I expect them to ask about it? In all honesty after I had quit my previous position I had been a bit confused as to where to go from there, which actually lead up to my decision to apply to JET, but in the meantime I did not have a job as I focused on studying Japanese hard-core to pass N1 (we're looking at a gap in employment of about 7-8 months). Admittedly, I probably could have done more by let's say teaching English or something to buff out my resume in that time frame, but it didn't really work out that way. Is honesty the best policy here? It's pretty normal to get asked about employment gaps during interviews in general. For the most part, honesty is the best policy but you also need to spin it the right way so you don't sound like you were just lazy. I don't see you have any issues if you explain it like you did here. You were focused on something else at the time that led you to apply to JET. An employment gap of less than a year is not a big deal tho, in my opinion.
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skwis
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 13
CIR Experience: 2nd year
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Post by skwis on Jan 31, 2020 10:02:35 GMT 9
Had my interview. Not sure how I went but I don’t think I bombed. I had little trouble reading the Japanese text or understanding the related questions, but my responses to the questions became terribly incoherent as my conversation ability ran out. The interview went pretty long, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood at the end, so I hope those are good signs.
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bananaisme
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 4
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by bananaisme on Jan 31, 2020 22:01:56 GMT 9
Hello, popping in here too! I'm a UK CIR applicant for 2020 and I have gotten an interview (yay!), however my situation is a little... different. See, while I was born in the UK and still have my UK citizenship, I have spent most of my life in Australia. The more I think about what questions I'll be asked, the more nervous I get. Do you think they'll be asking me more questions about UK to check if I can properly represent the country? I really wouldn't be surprised if they did, and it's not like I know nothing about the UK, but I definitely am not confident in terms of politics especially with Brexit going on. I do read BBC often to try to keep up but if I get asked to explain politics it'll be super hard to do. Is there anything you could suggest I research? I'm researching the similarities and differences between Japanese and British politics etc but was wondering if there was anything else I should research. Sorry for the long post and good luck to everyone Hey, I'm a UK CIR!~
I don't actually remember being asked any politics/current affairs-based stuff in the interview, so it might not come up at all, but obviously I'm not in the same situation as you so idk if they'd try to test you on UK stuff or not, though I think what you've been doing so far sounds like a really good idea just to cover your bases just in case. I would think if they did ask about any politics, Brexit would be the main thing, but even then I feel like it'd prolly just be more of a 'what are your thoughts on~~~' kind of question rather than having to explain the whole situation =3
It's not really the same, but since I've got here I've been asked to represent countries (e.g. Wales even though I'm from England and don't know much about Wales) and cities that I'm not actually from, so you might be able to find opportunities to represent Australia rather than UK or even both once you get over here ^^
Good luck in your interview!~
Ohhh hello! Super late reply haha but just saw your reply now! Thanks for the advice I've been practicing those sort of answers and also reading JP articles on yahoo and asahi but reading is a big weakness of mine (failed N1 because of it ) so I'm a bit scared of the reading comprehension but will try my best! Only a few days left until D-Day!
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Post by 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒽𝒾𝓂𝑒 on Jan 31, 2020 23:11:53 GMT 9
Hey, I'm a UK CIR!~
I don't actually remember being asked any politics/current affairs-based stuff in the interview, so it might not come up at all, but obviously I'm not in the same situation as you so idk if they'd try to test you on UK stuff or not, though I think what you've been doing so far sounds like a really good idea just to cover your bases just in case. I would think if they did ask about any politics, Brexit would be the main thing, but even then I feel like it'd prolly just be more of a 'what are your thoughts on~~~' kind of question rather than having to explain the whole situation =3
It's not really the same, but since I've got here I've been asked to represent countries (e.g. Wales even though I'm from England and don't know much about Wales) and cities that I'm not actually from, so you might be able to find opportunities to represent Australia rather than UK or even both once you get over here ^^
Good luck in your interview!~
Ohhh hello! Super late reply haha but just saw your reply now! Thanks for the advice I've been practicing those sort of answers and also reading JP articles on yahoo and asahi but reading is a big weakness of mine (failed N1 because of it ) so I'm a bit scared of the reading comprehension but will try my best! Only a few days left until D-Day! Hah, no worries!~ and no problem ^^
Ah nice, well I think that'll prolly help a lot tbh (if you're not already though I'd recommend recapping any new words you come across and stuff, like make flashcards with them if that helps you and go through them every day or couple of days), I wouldn't say the reading comprehension I got was N1 by any means, I could understand it fine (and I'd narrowly failed N2 at that point) I just had trouble reading the Kanji (and they gave me the readings for the ones I didn't know anyway) so I think from the sound of it you'll probably be okay if you've taken N1 already, even if you didn't happen to pass.
Hope it goes well for you!
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zaza
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 25
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Post by zaza on Feb 3, 2020 6:33:42 GMT 9
Just finished my interview, went great until the Japanese section. Read the article just fine, but I forgot to take in what I was reading stumbled through the questions. Well, long wait until April now.
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Post by herakleitos on Feb 3, 2020 6:46:28 GMT 9
Alright interview tomorrow. I'm actually more nervous about the English section and after having gone through sample ones I felt like I was incredibly disingenuous and fake. Maybe it will be different during the actual day of the interview but I'm not that nervous really in spite of all this. I'm just hoping that when it comes to the English questions I don't freeze up or sound stupid looking for the "right" answer. That's the main thing that bothers me right now to be honest. Like these questions about '3 things that represent your culture' (I checked the ALT box as well), I feel like I have to think far too hard about the answer.
Oh well, I can only do what I can do. We'll see how it goes.
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Feb 3, 2020 8:56:37 GMT 9
zaza OTSU CURRY! I think it's really normal, when presented with a text to read just like that, to not absorb it, so don't worry too much about that.
herakleitos Yeah, you want to think of things that show what kind of person you are, moreso than the right answer. Like, for the 3 things question (which, btw, showing your culture might be part of your job as a CIR, maybe more than as an ALT, so it's a good idea to think about it!), I would always say that I'd bring stamps, since I've been collecting them since primary school. You want to make the real you shine, not just provide these prepackaged answers...
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Post by herakleitos on Feb 4, 2020 11:10:19 GMT 9
Had my interview today. I think it went okay, had no problems with the Japanese section aside from asking once the interviewer what one word meant (and I might have sputtered out from nerves a bit, I think I found it a bit hard to articulate myself at times). The English part of the interview all I can say is that I represented who 'I' am. If they aren't looking for a candidate like me with my personality that's another issue, but I left myself out there to the best of my ability. Couldn't gather any distinct energy from the interview panel really- I honestly felt like it was totally neutral. Hoping for the best!
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Zola
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 11
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Location: Okayama
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by Zola on Feb 5, 2020 0:27:03 GMT 9
Had my interview yesterday. I completely bombed it - froze up, didn't make sense, long silences, you name it. I am pretty sure I won't be selected this year but nevermind. I've already made my peace with it, hue. On the plus side, I am positive that I aced the English test grammar ftw! [Edit to add] GOOD LUCK everyone who has still yet to have theirs!
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mobo573
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 19
CIR Experience: Prospective CIR
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Post by mobo573 on Feb 6, 2020 14:52:41 GMT 9
Interview tomorrow and I forgot my tie at home x-x At least I’ve got time to go buy one before the interview.
I’m not too worried about the English portion of the interview but the Japanese section will be stressful. My reading isn’t amazing on the best of days and doing it under pressure will make it worse.
My Japanese prof from last semester used to be a JET interviewer in the states so he ran me through a mock interview. It made me feel better about it for sure but...the Japanese....
Wish me luck everyone!
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mobo573
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 19
CIR Experience: Prospective CIR
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Post by mobo573 on Feb 7, 2020 9:10:53 GMT 9
Pretty sure I bombed?
The English portion of the interview went quite well, I thought. I felt confident in my answers and the interview panel seemed to respond well to me. I thought I had fairly creative answers for a few of the questions.
Then the Japanese portion...the 自己紹介 and general questions went absolutely fine but the article....I couldn’t read half the kanji. I had kind of expected that they’d give me kanji readings for those I couldn’t read, as many of you guys experienced, but my panel wasn’t so kind. I tripped up on the first kanji and asked for the pronunciation and was just left hanging. It only got worse as I kept going. The same kanji appeared throughout the reading so I just had mumble around it like 7 or 8 times.
The reading was about using robots and distance healthcare to fill in the gaps where there aren’t enough local doctors but...I just blanked on the questions. It was fucking awful.
Then they asked me if I was interested in ALT...I’m still split on this one personally but I said yes so they asked me to do a mock lesson. I had planned one out in my head on my own topic but instead I was given a topic and grade level to role play to; was not expecting that at all. I tried for a couple minutes but simply couldn’t come up with anything and apologized.
I felt the energy drain from the room. The interviewers wouldn’t make eye contact with me while I asked them my questions at end.
Finally, at the end, after the interview had ended and I was shaking everyone’s hand I was asked if I like children. I can’t say I really like small kids and I didn’t want to misrepresent myself so I said as much, but this felt even more awkward.
Think I pretty much fucked myself. Uggh. Anyone bomb the Japanese portion that badly and still get in?
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Post by Frankie on Feb 8, 2020 9:54:53 GMT 9
The reading was about using robots and distance healthcare to fill in the gaps where there aren’t enough local doctors but...I just blanked on the questions. It was fucking awful. Wow, I did mine in Asia about 3 weeks back, I suppose it is the same article. Interesting. I answered 2 of 3 questions and it was bad too. I pray that you and I will both get in and we will see each other in Japan.
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Post by Aya Raincoat on Feb 8, 2020 17:22:32 GMT 9
Oh yeah, my understanding is that there's only about 3 different texts for all the interviews over the world or something
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Post by Miou on Feb 11, 2020 2:19:58 GMT 9
I also didn't do great on the article they gave me. I'm hoping because I was able to converse fine when they asked me questions not related to the article they understand I'm not completely inept in Japanese. But they also asked if I'm interested in ALT afterwards... so I'm nervous
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