Would you recommend reading manga/watching Japanese content for someone studying for the jlpt exams? I haven't taken any yet, so I was curious as to whether the exams tested more formal/standard Japanese and if the slang, dialect differences and grammatical nuances in Japanese content might end up being confusing or detrimental.
that ended up being a bit of a whopper, sorry. I was a little curious since a lot of the phrases and grammar I picked up from German shows turned out to be very informal and my teachers didn't like that 😔
Depends on your level and your goals. If you're a higher level learner it will be easier to separate out the formal from the informal since its mostly got to do with verb conjugations.
If you're gonna do anything then reading manga should be the best bet. Even if it mostly gets you used to informal language, doing that alongside formal study will help you learn a lot of kanji. Reading is basically always useful for this reason, even if it's just like, reading a package.
That being said there's basically no way to learn just from watching anime AND pass the JLPT because reading and kanji is so important, but it should help with listening.
Ive noticed most of earlier levels (well idk i only took n3) will have certain recurring settings like working in an office, working a part time job, and school. If you find anime or manga about these topics then it should help. If youre watching something about idk brain surgery it probably will teach you a lot of stuff you cant pass the JLPT with.
If you're worried try watching the news, although its not that fun compared to anime its still very useful to hear formal words in context.
basically it just depends on what your goals are. many people can speak very well but never took the JLPT, if youre not gonna live in japan then the JLPT is basically useful for your own self evaluation (or for putting on job apps, etc) nobody rly cares about it in conversation and most Japanese people don't even know what it is. so if youre learning to better watch anime and read manga, you definitely should start with what motivates you.
that being said a lot of jlpt targeted resources can be useful for structure and grammar. im gonna make a list of resources if i have the energy after work and post it here.