How I prepared for the JLPT N2

Here, I'll summarize three things:

(1) Most helpful study materials
(2) How I prepared for each JLPT section
(3) My 1 year of erratic study

(1) Most helpful study materials
Of all the "formal" study materials I used, the most helpful were:

• Skritter app for kanji
• Nihongo Power Drill: Grammar book (日本語パワードリル: N2 文法)
• Shin Kanzen Master: Reading book / Listening book (新完全マスターN2: 読解 / 聴解)

(In upcoming posts, I'll review some of these materials in more detail, explaining why they're worth the price and how to use them efficiently.)

How were they helpful?

Skritter got lazy me into the habit of studying daily. This kanji app assigns you a daily quota of flashcards to answer. If you miss a day, you get punished with more flashcards to answer the next day. Negative reinforcement is an awesome motivator, y'all. If you can't afford the subscription fee, don't worry; free kanji lists can be found online.

Nihongo Power Drill is a series of workbooks. The Grammar book's quick 10-minute exercises (you're supposed to time yourself) reinforced what I was learning (but not practicing) from a grammar textbook. 10 minute exercises require less willpower than a 30- or 60-minute study session. More importantly, they force you to answer questions rapidly, which you must do in the JLPT.

Shin Kanzen Master's questions mimic the style of JLPT questions. You'll need practice answering those quickly. If you don't have a mock test book, Shin Kanzen Master will suffice for either Reading or Listening. (Note: "Reading" does not cover kanji, vocabulary, and grammar.)

(2) How I prepared for each JLPT section

Kanji

• Skritter -- The preset N2 list was mostly sufficient. However, knowing N1 kanji may have helped too. Skritter has an optional writing component, for practicing stroke order. You don't need that for the JLPT but I find it easier to remember kanji if I write them.

 Vocab

• Dictionary -- I use the Takoboto app for convenience. As I learn new words on Skritter, I look up example sentences on Takoboto to see how the words are used. This may possibly help with the 5 JLPT questions on "usage," which ask you to select the sentence (one out of four sentences) that uses a word in the right context.
• Nihongo Tango Drill: Gion/Gitai (日本語単語ドリル：ぎおん語・ぎたい語) -- A textbook of onomatopoeic words with tons of helpful pictures. If you're pressed for time, forget it. I studied half the book and none of the words were tested in my exam but one. However, the vocab is useful for daily conversation and storybooks.
• Children's books -- Reading in general improves vocab.

Grammar

• Nihongo Power Drill -- As mentioned above.
• Try! (トライ）N2 文法から伸ばす日本語 -- A grammar textbook. Besides kanji in Skritter, this was the real meat of my study. It provides brief grammar explanations in both Japanese and English and sufficient example sentences. I highly recommend it.
• Shin Nihongo 500 Mon N2: Kanji/Vocab/Grammar (新日本語500問 N2: 文字・語彙・文法) -- Another great workbook for lazies like me. Small and portable, it's easy to carry in your handbag and whip out for a minute of study.
• Shin Kanzen Master N2: Grammar -- My tutor tested me with several handouts from this book. Great stuff; showed me how unprepared I was!
• Writing in daily life -- Texting Japanese friends on LINE, writing short essays for tutor, penning Japanese emails for a volunteer activity. Writing reinforces grammar. 
  

Reading

• Shin Kanzen Master N2: Reading -- As mentioned above. 
• Daily life -- Children's books, texting on LINE, translating from Japanese to English for friends or clients. The more you read, the faster you get.

Listening

• Shin Kanzen Master N2: Listening -- As mentioned above.
• Nihongo Soumatome N2: Listening (日本語総まとめ N2: 聴解) -- My tutor tested me with a third of this book, which comes with English translation. A decent alternative to the Kanzen Master.
• Daily life -- Talking with friends, listening to the teacher in class, watching TV (with and without subtitles). While study materials can prepare you for test-taking and getting used to the style of JLPT questions, they cannot quite prepare you for the speed of native speech. For that you need sufficient exposure to native speech. 
• If you don't live in Japan, watching Japanese TV shows may help. Or finding conversation partners willing to speak at moderate speed. Listening to random things isn't strategic, so also keep in mind to learn the following...
• Key expressions: apologies, invitations, mirroring/confirming information, offering help, sympathizing, taking or giving food orders, thanking. You'll want to know these in casual Japanese and formal Japanese too (i.e. honorific/humble). In the JLPT, you'll hear conversations in different contexts, such as: at home with family; between friends; between teacher and student; between boss and employee.

Mock test (all sections)

• 日本語能力試験JLPT N2 公式問題集 (Koushiki Mondaishuu) by JEES and Japan Foundation -- A single mock test. It was easier than the actual exam. But useful for testing your speed.

(3) My 1 year of erratic study
 
Jan to May:

• Attended 12 weeks of Japanese language school geared towards foreign students aiming for vocational school. Class was 5 days per week, 3 hours per day.
• Listening improved just after a few weeks of class. I also got into the habit of studying grammar regularly.
• In class, we worked on two textbooks: Try! N2 (mentioned above) and a kanji workbook, 1日15分の漢字練習:中級上. The kanji book was useful for example sentences, but practicing stroke order was a waste of time since I already did that on Skritter.

July to Sep:

• Didn't study, except for Skritter. Was too busy on a trip home.

Mid-Sep to end-Nov:

• The final push. I'll write about this in another post.