TEF & TCF Exams for Canada

Everything you need to know about the TEF & TCF language exams for Canadian immigration.

What is TEF?

The Test d'Évaluation de Français (TEF) is an international exam that evaluates French language proficiency. It is recognized by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as proof of language ability for immigration applications.

What is TCF?

The Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF) is another internationally recognized French language test accepted by IRCC. It assesses proficiency for immigration, citizenship, and academic purposes.

Exam Structure

All tests must be completed on the same day for your certificate to be recognized by Canadian authorities.

Both the TEF and TCF evaluate four core language skills:

Skill	TEF Duration & Questions	TCF Duration & Questions
Listening (Compréhension Orale)	40 min (40 questions)	35 min (29 questions)
Reading (Compréhension Écrite)	60 min 40 questions)	60 min (39 questions)
Speaking (Expression Orale)	15 min (2 topics)	12 min (3 tasks)
Writing (Expression Écrite)	60 min (2 tasks)	60 min (3 tasks)

TEF & TCF Points Chart (For Canada)

The table below shows the **CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark)** levels corresponding to TEF and TCF scores.

CLB Level	TEF Listening	TEF Reading	TEF Speaking	TEF Writing	TCF Listening	TCF Reading	TCF Speaking	TCF Writing
10+	280+	233+	372+	372+	549+	524+	16+	16+
9	261-279	207-232	349-371	349-371	523-548	499-523	14-15	14-15
8	248-260	181-206	310-348	310-348	503-522	453-498	12-13	12-13
7	233-247	151-180	271-309	271-309	458-502	406-452	10-11	10-11
6	181-232	121-150	226-270	226-270	398-457	375-405	7-9	7-9
5	151-180	91-120	181-225	181-225	369-397	342-374	6	6
4	121-150	61-90	136-180	136-180	331-368	298-341	4-5	4-5
Below 4	0-120	0-60	0-135	0-135	0-330	0-297	0-3	0-3

How to Prepare?

To maximize your score, consider the following:

Take official TEF/TCF practice tests.
Work with a French tutor for speaking and writing skills.
Use apps like PrepMyFuture, Duolingo, Babbel, or TV5MONDE for daily practice.
Listen to French podcasts and watch French news channels.
Generally, the fees for both exams are around CAD $390 and are valid for 2 years.

Main Differences Between TEF & TCF (For Canada)

Criteria	TEF	TCF
Purpose	Immigration, citizenship, academic	Immigration, academic
Question Type	Multiple choice & written tasks	Mostly multiple choice
Scoring	Out of 699 for listening & reading; writing & speaking graded separately	Out of 699 for listening & reading; writing & speaking graded separately
Test Format	Computer-based & paper	Computer-based & paper