Higher education in France
TEF Études: format, timings and what it is for
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.
Components and timings
| Component | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 60 min | 40 questions |
| Listening | 40 min | 40 questions |
| Writing | 60 min | 2 tasks |
| Vocabulary & syntax | 30 min | 40 questions |
| Speaking | 15 min | 2 tasks, where taken |
- Components: Reading, listening, writing, vocabulary/syntax (speaking on request)
- Scheduling: All required components must be taken on the same day.
The DAP pathway
For the demande d'admission préalable, CCI identifies four mandatory TEF Études components - reading, listening, writing, and vocabulary/syntax - against a B2-level benchmark corresponding to 400/699 in the required framework.
Outside DAP, there is no single rule. Individual universities, grandes écoles and programs decide which certificate and which score they accept, and plenty of them will name TCF or DELF instead. Confirm with the specific institution before booking anything.
TEF Études is the only variant with a dedicated vocabulary and syntax component, so preparation for it looks different from TEF Canada preparation: targeted lexical and grammatical MCQ work matters here in a way it does not elsewhere in the TEF family.
A TEF result is not a professional licence
CCI reports recognition of the TEF by professional and institutional users, but a score does not by itself authorise you to practise a regulated profession. Doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers and other regulated professionals must check what language evidence their licensing authority accepts, which is often a separate process running alongside the immigration one.
Immigrating to Canada instead? TEF Canada is the variant you need, and the score calculator converts results to NCLC.
Before you book anything
Confirm the exact certificate your receiving authority wants before you register. A centre advertising “the TEF” may be offering a different variant than the one your program names, and the certificates are not interchangeable. Check fees and registration and results and validity too.
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