I passed the JLPT N4 on my second attempt in December 2019 after failing the July exams. Currently, I am learning Japanese only through self-study, so passing N4 this way is quite an achievement and something to be proud of.
My company offers a salary bonus to certified members depending on the level achieved, so you can say this was one of my motivations. I became the first N4 certified employee in the PH team.
My certificate was set to be delivered to my residence around March 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses were suspended, including postal services.
I emailed the Japan Foundation Manila (host institution) several times, to which they replied that they had sent it in March 2020. For many months, I've waited and got nothing. It got lost in transit probably.
The bosses were kind enough to grant me my salary bonus even when I didn't have a copy of my certificate yet. I instead presented a screenshot of my online test results together with my test voucher to prove I did pass the test.
Requesting for re-issuance
Since it has been almost a year, I requested a re-issuance of my certificate via the saihakkou (再発行) form on the official JLPT website.
I was able to receive my certificate via DHL after two weeks. I was expecting it to be delivered after a month or so via postal service.
I'll be trying N3 this 2021 should the test be conducted as usual. However, it seems unlikely because there's not much improvement in the pandemic situation in this country.