Launching soon for TEF Canada
TEF Canada practice that tells you exactly what to fix
Exam-format questions for all four skills, answers scored on the same dimensions CCI's assessors use, and every result converted to the NCLC level IRCC actually reads. Not a band you have to interpret: a list of what is costing you points.
What you will practise
SoonReading
60 minutes · 40 multiple-choice questions
SoonListening
40 minutes · 40 multiple-choice questions
SoonWriting
60 minutes · 2 tasks
SoonSpeaking
15 minutes · 2 role-plays with a live examiner
Speaking is the hard one. The TEF examiner argues back, so a recorder that waits for silence cannot prepare you. We are building a voice partner that pushes back the way Section B does.
What we are building
Built for how the TEF actually works
Most French practice tools are generic. The TEF has specific, unforgiving mechanics, and preparing for the wrong ones is how strong French speakers end up with a band they did not expect.
A speaking partner that argues back
Section B is ten minutes of persuasion against an examiner who is instructed to resist you. We are building a realtime voice partner that does the same, so the first time someone pushes back on your argument is not on test day.
Writing marked on the real grid
Section A and Section B scored on communication, vocabulary, grammatical control and organisation, the way CCI's two assessors do it. Not a grammar checker counting mistakes.
Listening under real exam rules
Plays once. No pause, no rewind, no going back after you validate. Practising with a scrub bar trains a test that does not exist, and it is why people lose marks they could keep.
Every score in NCLC, per skill
Reading 434, speaking 456. The thresholds are different for every skill and CEFR B2 does not reach any of them. You will always know which single component is capping your application.
Full mock exams on the clock
60 minutes reading, 40 listening, 60 writing, 15 speaking, in exam order. The stamina is part of the test and it is the part nobody practises.
Retake-ready feedback
There is a 20-day wait between TEF Canada sittings. If you need a second one, you should spend those days on the specific thing that cost you the band, not revising everything again.
Free right now
You do not have to wait for the practice engine
These are live today, free, and need no account. They are also the things most people get wrong before they ever sit the exam.
TEF score calculator
Enter your four scores, get your NCLC level per skill, your CEFR band, and every program those numbers qualify you for.
Convert a scoreTEF score chart
Every conversion table in one place: TEF to NCLC by skill, TEF to CEFR, the TEF IRN certification rules, and how Quebec differs.
See the tablesTEF vs TCF Canada
IRCC accepts both, so it is a format choice rather than a recognition one. What actually differs, and how to decide.
Compare themExam format guides
How each of the four components works, what the timings are, how it is scored, and the mistakes that cost people marks.
Read the guidesExam format
Know the shape of each test before you sit it
The TEF rewards format familiarity as much as French. Listening plays once with no way back; speaking is a live role-play where the examiner argues with you. Here is what each component actually looks like.
Reading
Compréhension écrite
60 minutes · 40 multiple-choice questions
You can move around inside the reading test and revisit items.
Listening
Compréhension orale
40 minutes · 40 multiple-choice questions
Recordings play automatically and are generally not replayed.
Writing
Expression écrite
60 minutes · 2 tasks
Section A: continue a factual, news-style text. Minimum around 80 words.
Speaking
Expression orale
15 minutes · 2 role-plays with a live examiner
Section A (~5 min): you must obtain information. You ask the questions.
Start here
There is no single TEF. Pick the right one.
TEF Canada, TEFAQ, TEF IRN and TEF Études belong to the same family but serve different authorities. A centre saying it offers “the TEF” is not enough - the certificate has to match what your receiving authority asks for.
TEF Canada
Canadian permanent residence and citizenship
The variant IRCC accepts for Express Entry, the French-language category, provincial programs and citizenship. If you are immigrating to Canada outside Quebec, this is almost certainly the one you need.
Reading, listening, writing, speaking · all on the same day
TEF Québec (TEFAQ)
Quebec selection and immigration
Built for Quebec's own programs, which are assessed against the Échelle québécoise rather than the NCLC scale. Its components are modular: you take only the ones your Quebec program asks for.
Reading, listening, writing, speaking - taken independently · modular
TEF IRN
French residence permits and naturalization
Intégration, Résidence et Nationalité - the consolidated test the French Ministry of the Interior recognises. It replaced the old "TEF pour la naturalisation", so any guide still using that name predates the current system.
All four, compulsory, same day · all on the same day
TEF Études
Higher education in France
For admission to French higher education, in particular the demande d'admission préalable (DAP) pathway. It is the only variant with a dedicated vocabulary and syntax component.
Reading, listening, writing, vocabulary/syntax (speaking on request) · all on the same day
In development
TEF Canada practice is coming
Get early access when TEF practice with AI scoring opens. No spam, one email when it is ready.
- All four skills in real exam format
- Scored on CCI's assessment dimensions
- Results in NCLC, per skill
Common questions
TEF questions people actually ask
What TEF score do I need for Canadian PR?
There is no single passing score. IRCC converts your TEF Canada result to NCLC and each program sets its own minimum. Most economic programs and the Express Entry French-language category want NCLC 7 in all four abilities, which under the current conversion means at least 434 reading, 434 listening, 428 writing and 456 speaking.
Is CEFR B2 the same as NCLC 7?
No, and assuming it is has cost a lot of people a sitting. Generic CEFR B2 starts at 400 on the TEF scale, but NCLC 7 starts at 434 for reading and listening, 428 for writing and 456 for speaking. Speaking is the widest gap: a 400 is comfortably B2 and still only NCLC 6.
How long is a TEF result valid?
Two years for most purposes. For Express Entry, IRCC is stricter about timing: the result must be under two years old when you create your profile and still under two years old when you submit the PR application itself. Canadian citizenship is the exception, where qualifying expired TEF evidence can still be accepted.
TEF Canada or TCF Canada - which should I take?
IRCC accepts both, so it is a format choice, not a recognition choice. TEF Canada uses two extended production tasks and a persuasion role-play; TCF Canada structures production differently. Try the official samples for both before you pay, rather than choosing on anecdotes about which is easier.
Do I have to take all four tests on the same day?
For TEF Canada, yes - CCI is explicit that the four components must be taken on the same day for Canadian recognition. TEFAQ is different: its components are modular and can be taken independently, which is why Quebec candidates often sit only the ones their program requires.
How much does the TEF cost?
There is no worldwide price. Each authorized centre sets its own fee, and it varies by variant and by how many components you take. Canadian centres have recently listed roughly CAD 380 to 390 for a full four-skill TEF Canada, with citizenship-only and per-module TEFAQ configurations costing considerably less.