Shin Kanzen Master Listening Comprehension for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4

Shin Kanzen Master N4 Listening builds listening skills across the four N4 listening question types on the JLPT: task comprehension, point comprehension, utterance expressions, and immediate response. The book starts with basic sound recognition work before moving into each question type. There is a mock test at the end. Audio is on 2 CDs or free download from 3A Corporation's website. Comes with English and Vietnamese translations and a 31-page answer and script booklet.

At N4, listening is the section where textbooks like Genki and Minna no Nihongo leave the biggest gap. Both have listening exercises, but nothing that trains you for the specific question formats on the JLPT. This book fills that gap. The progression from sound recognition to full exam-format questions is well paced, and the scripts are in a separate booklet so you won't accidentally see the answers while working through the exercises. If you're sitting the N4, this is one of the more useful books in the set.