[Nyororin]

First - remember that you do not have to write for the JLPT - not even for 1. (Unless things have seriously changed since I took it.)
Second - rote memorization simply isn`t fun, and will take a LOT of time as it isn`t really integrated into anything that will stick with you.

You need to find something that will give you both practice and some enjoyment.
My personal recommendation would be to find a book you find interesting and read it with a dictionary on hand to look up words you don`t know. Encountering the same words and the same grammatical patterns over and over in context will put them in your head much more quickly than simply studying them alone.