I am thinking of getting renshuu pro. After using renshuu for 6 or so months I really want to pay for the pro version. Can renshuu pro really help you get to N1?
I don't see why not. It's just flashcards. Whether you actually make it to N1 is entirely up to you and your habits, though.
No single resource will get you all the way there, though. You have to supplement with outside reading, listening, writing, and speaking practice. The JLPT doesn't test writing and speaking, but you should do it anyway.
It's worth pointing out that N1 isn't the end, though. There's always more to learn and N1 doesn't necessarily represent fluency. Luckily, you can keep using Renshuu past N1 too.
Depends on what you mean by "help". Does it have helpful features? Absolutely. Is it going to make a substantial difference to how quickly you learn? Probably not.
I do use some of the Pro question types, but I could definitely do without them. I mostly got it to support the platform :)
Edit: I also gave them a few Supporter points to make it a full week. Actually testing it out is always going to be the best option
@Shamugan I don't think we disagree, I'm pretty sure you just interpreted my use of "substantial difference" a bit differently than what I had in mind. Which is fine, it is pretty vague after all :D
N1 is also not even the beginning. I know people that don't study the JLPT and are fluent. I also know people that are N4/N3 and can have "fluent conversations". Simply because of trying to learn everything, they focus on mastering what they know. It's like knowing a lot of synonyms. It's nice but you don't need them. N1's grammar, words and even kanji are similar. It's nice to know them but you don't need them to have fluent conversations. And when I say "fluent", it means being able to have smooth conversation most of the time by relying on things you've mastered. It doesn't being able to handle everything. It just means that you are good enough to explain what you want you to say or ask for explanation when you don't know something. And that's doable way sooner than what most people think. Especially if you interact with natives online. And renshuu can help a lot with that :D
Though, that's mostly apply to speaking skill (and listening skill to some degrees). Reading is way more difficult just because of kanji (among other reasons). You can't ask a book for clarifications too. You don't have context in a book, just words and if you don't know them, well, you're just screwed sometimes.
"Is it going to make a substantial difference to how quickly you learn? Probably not." Also, for that part, I disagree. It's not necessary but it can help a lot. Renshuu's Pro question for kanji are my favorite to learn kanji (the vocab ones in particular). The sentence questions can also help a lot (if you're able to follow マイコー's advice... I'm not not x) ).
So, in my case, yes, it's worth it and it make a substantial difference to how quickly I learn. But it's not necessary :3
the main thing you need to get to N1 (or to get to fluency) is perseverance. which tools you use to get there is rather secondary.
that said, i’m somewhere between N3 and N2, and do find the pro features of renshuu to be really helpful.
pro features which i find particularly helpful are the listening questions for vocab and sentences, because they really help with learning to parse japanese words and sentences when you hear it spoken. the sentence questions for vocabulary are also really good for me, because seeing words in context and in conjugated forms is super helpful for me.
i also have almost all the fonts active. getting frequent exposure to different fonts really helps me recognize the “core” of the kanji, which helps a ton with reading.
I just want to add something. Even Japanese natives don't necessarily know N1. So you can interact with the language at a native level without needing to be N1. And while this platform helps with a lot of things, I do believe ample listening and speaking practice are necessary. Of course, this is all depending on your goals. But I think renshuu pro listening questions are a good way to get some practice in, although you should still supplement it with other things. That all said, I don't have renshuu pro (yet, hopefully I will eventually) so I'm not sure. But you definitely don't have to be N1 to be like a native.
I'm not sure who told you this, but it's just wrong. A native speaker will pass the N1 effortlessly. That's kinda the point of language tests. In fact, as far as fluency exams go, the JLPT is quite bad, because it only tests input and comprehension, as far as I know. There's no speaking or writing component.
If you want to measure fluency, CEFR is better and more comprehensive. An N1 passer could be practically anywhere in the latter half of the CEFR levels depending on how they study. A native speaker will always pass C2.
