The Japanese Language Proficiency Test or 日本語能力試験 is made up of five levels, from N5 (beginner) to N1 (bilingual). Before 2010 there were only four levels but the gap was too big between N3 and N2 so a new N3 was introduced.
It works about the same way as the TOEIC and TOEFL. For levels N5 to N3 there are three sections: vocabulary, grammar + reading comprehension, listening comprehension. For N2 and N1 levels there are only two sections: vocabulary + grammar + reading comprehension, listening comprehension.
There are two sessions in December and in July. In Europe and America (both North and South) most places only offer the December session. For details on your local test center take a look at the JLPT page. Usually you have to register at least two months before the actual test so be careful with the deadlines. You get the result around March for the December session. It seems it costs around 50 dollars in the USA and 75 pounds in the UK (in France it's around 70-75 euros).
Be careful if you are a student and hoping to do an exchange in a Japanese university. Usually you are asked to have a JLPT and missing the deadlines to register could get your application rejected.
The problem with the JLPT is that it doesn't involve a writing or speaking test. That's why some Chinese or Korean people can obtain the N1 without having necessarily a very good grammar (the kanjis save their grade). I take the point of view of someone who didn't know any kanjis before studying Japanese. So when I indicate a JLPT level, I'm talking about the grammar level and not the vocabulary and kanji levels (because you can always look it up in the dictionary).
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