FlexiLingoTCF Canada or TEF Canada: Which French Test Should You Take? (2026)
Neither test is officially easier, and IRCC prefers neither. What changes is the format of the épreuves, the way they are scored, the turnaround and the way you read your result. Here are the two tests side by side, with IRCC's official NCLC charts.
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Real TCF Canada practice questions for all four skills, each with the reasoning behind the right answer — written for the Canada immigration version of the test.
Open TCF Canada practice1Who needs a French test, and why
If you create an Express Entry profile with French as an official language, IRCC requires the results of an approved language test. For French, the official list is two lines long: TEF Canada and TCF Canada. Choosing between them is what this article is about.
The level you need depends on the program. Beyond eligibility, French also earns points in the Comprehensive Ranking System and opens category-based selection for French-language proficiency. Those thresholds and points are covered in detail in our article on the TCF Canada format and scoring; here we focus on the choice between the two tests.
The test also counts outside Express Entry. Québec recognises both tests for its Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, and IRCC accepts both as proof of language ability for citizenship. Section 9 covers these cases in detail, because the validity rules are not the same.
IRCC expresses no preference between the two tests. Your file receives an NCLC level for each ability, and that level is what the officer reads, not the name of the test. So the right question is not "which one is worth more" but "which one lets me reach my target level in all four abilities, on my timeline".
2The two tests side by side
The two tests come from two different French organisations. TCF Canada is designed and administered by France Éducation international. TEF Canada is produced by Le français des affaires, part of the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Paris Île-de-France); according to its owner, it has been recognised by IRCC since 2002.
Both assess the same four abilities — compréhension orale, compréhension écrite, expression écrite, expression orale — and the results of both are converted into NCLC through a chart IRCC publishes. Everything else differs: the number of questions, how the production épreuves are split up, the scoring scale, the results turnaround and the waiting period before you can sit the test again.
The table below brings together the figures both owners publish. The sections that follow take each row from the angle that actually matters: what it changes in your preparation.
| Criterion | TCF Canada | TEF Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Test owner | France Éducation international | Le français des affaires (CCI Paris Île-de-France) |
| Compréhension orale | 39 QCM · 35 min | 40 QCM · 40 min |
| Compréhension écrite | 39 QCM · 60 min | 40 QCM · 60 min |
| Expression écrite | 3 tâches · 60 min | 2 sections · 60 min |
| Expression orale | 3 tâches · 12 min | 2 sections · 15 min |
| Combined length of the épreuves | 2 h 47 | 2 h 55 |
| Scale — compréhension orale and écrite | 100 – 699 | 0 – 699 |
| Scale — expression écrite and orale | 0 – 20 | 0 – 699 |
| Results issued within (business days) | ≤ 15 | 1 – 10 |
| Minimum gap between two sittings (days) | 20 | 20 |
| Attestation validity (years) | 2 | 2 |
TCF Canada and TEF Canada: épreuves, durations, scales and deadlines as published by France Éducation international and Le français des affaires
Two rows need a word of explanation. The TCF's 15 business days is a maximum, counted from the day France Éducation international receives the session material, not from the day of the exam; the TEF's 1 to 10 business days is counted from the day you sit the test. As for the TEF's combined length, it is the sum of the four durations its owner publishes (60, 40, 60 and 15 minutes). In both cases the time you actually spend at the centre is longer.
The only figure the two columns share, 699, is also the most misleading one: the two scales do not measure the same thing and cannot be converted into each other. Section 7 explains why.
3Compréhension orale: when does the question arrive?
On paper, the two épreuves look alike: a multiple-choice questionnaire, four possible answers with only one correct, no points taken off for a wrong answer, and every recording played only once. TCF Canada asks 39 questions in 35 minutes; TEF Canada, 40 questions in 40 minutes.
The real difference is the moment you see the question, and it changes how you listen.
The candidate handbook states that the question is asked after you have heard the audio document. You therefore listen without knowing what you will be asked, and you have to hold on to the essentials — who is speaking, about what, for what purpose, with what nuance — before you see the options. The épreuve follows a principle of progressive difficulty.
According to its owner, you get a few seconds to read the questions before the audio starts automatically, then time to answer after it. You cannot go back. The épreuve is taken on a computer.
Neither mechanism is "easier": they call on different skills. The first rewards working memory and overall understanding; the second rewards fast reading and targeted listening, but leaves little time and allows no going back.
What this means for your preparation: for the TCF, practise summarising each recording to yourself in one sentence before you look at the answers. For the TEF, practise reading four options in a few seconds, spotting what separates them, and deciding the moment the audio ends.
4Compréhension écrite: 39 or 40 questions in 60 minutes
This is where the two tests are closest: 60 minutes in both, 39 questions in TCF Canada and 40 in TEF Canada, four options per question and only one correct answer. In both tests a wrong answer and a blank are worth zero, and the score is not a simple count of correct answers: it is calibrated for the difficulty of the questions.
The average pace is therefore almost identical — about 92 seconds per question on the TCF, 90 on the TEF. What differs is how you can move around the questionnaire.
The documents run from very short practical texts — an ad, a timetable, a message — to long, argued texts. The first points are the most accessible, so that is where you must not waste time. Depending on the centre, the épreuve is taken on paper or on a computer.
The épreuve is taken on a computer, and the owner states that you can move freely within the questionnaire. You can therefore leave a hard question and come back to it later, as long as you keep an eye on the clock.
For most candidates this épreuve is prepared the same way whichever test they take: read plenty of authentic documents in varied genres, time every set, and learn to spot what the question is really asking before you reread the text.
Never leave a blank, on either test. If time runs short, answer the last questions rather than abandoning them: a guess has a one-in-four chance of being right, a blank has none.
5Expression écrite: three tâches or two sections
This is where the two tests diverge most. Both épreuves last 60 minutes, but they do not ask for the same kind of text, the same length or the same time management.
TCF Canada splits the hour into three pieces of writing of increasing difficulty, each with a minimum and a maximum word count. TEF Canada splits it into two separately timed sections, for which its owner publishes a minimum word count.
Task 1: a message of 60 to 120 words. Task 2: an article, letter or note of 120 to 150 words. Task 3: a comparison of two points of view followed by your own opinion, 120 to 180 words. The handbook states that a script can be rated "A1 non atteint" if a task does not respect the required word count, is off topic, or copies sentences from the prompt.
Section A, 25 minutes: write the continuation of an article, 80 words minimum. Section B, 35 minutes: express a point of view and justify it, 200 words minimum. The épreuve is taken on a computer; an on-screen virtual keyboard gives you the accented letters if the physical keyboard lacks them. The owner forbids reproducing a text learned by heart.
The underlying difference: the TCF asks for three short, tightly framed texts in three registers; the TEF asks for a narrative continuing an article — a fait divers, in the owner's preparation resources — and then an argument of at least 200 words in 35 minutes. A candidate who is comfortable with short, precise texts will not experience this épreuve the same way as one who builds long arguments well.
On both tests, a memorised model answer is a risk, not a strategy: the TEF explicitly forbids reproducing a memorised text, and the TCF handbook provides for "A1 non atteint" when a script copies sentences from the prompt. Prepare structures and linking words, not texts.
6Expression orale: 12 or 15 minutes with an examiner
In both tests, expression orale takes place face to face with an examiner, and it is recorded so that it can be assessed twice. It is the only épreuve that is never taken on a computer, on either the TCF or the TEF.
The way it is split up, however, is completely different.
Task 1: a guided interview with no preparation, about 2 minutes, talking about yourself. Task 2: an interaction exercise, with 2 minutes of preparation then about 3 minutes 30, in which you have to obtain information. Task 3: expressing a point of view, with no preparation, about 4 minutes 30.
Section A, 5 minutes: obtain information. Section B, 10 minutes: argue to convince. The owner describes the épreuve as two role-plays based on everyday situations, assessed by the examiner at the centre and then by a second assessor from the recording.
The two tests share one feature many candidates miss: part of the épreuve is about asking questions, not answering them — task 2 on the TCF, section A on the TEF. The other part differs: the TCF runs through three short formats, including a turn of about 4 minutes 30; the TEF asks you to sustain 10 minutes of argument with someone you have to convince.
Train the two moves separately: on one side, asking a series of varied, well-formed questions about an everyday situation; on the other, defending an opinion at length, with examples, against someone who objects. Record yourself: that is how you will be assessed.
7Scoring: two scales that end at 699 and cannot be compared
TCF Canada scores the two comprehension épreuves on a scale of 100 to 699 points and the two production épreuves out of 20. TEF Canada gives each épreuve a score from 0 to 699 points. In both tests the multiple-choice score is calibrated: it takes the difficulty of the questions into account, not just the number of correct answers.
For the production épreuves, both tests rely on double assessment. On the TCF, expression écrite is marked twice, independently and double-blind, and expression orale is assessed by the examiner and then by a marker working from the recording; where the two differ markedly, a third marking is carried out. On the TEF, expression écrite is assessed by two independent markers, and expression orale by the examiner and then by a second assessor from the recording, using standardised grids — communicative competence, vocabulary, grammar, organisation, fluency — whose result is converted into a calibrated score.
A word on automated marking, because the question comes up often. According to the TCF candidate handbook, some expression écrite papers taken on a computer may receive a first marking from FIDELIA, an automated marking aid; the second marking remains human, a third human marking takes place if the two diverge significantly, and results are never based on automated processing alone. A candidate who does not want this can ask to sit the TCF on paper. Le français des affaires' TEF Canada pages describe human assessors and do not mention any automated tool.
Then there is the 699 trap. Both tests end at the same number, which tempts people to compare scores directly. That is a mistake: 500 points in compréhension orale on TCF Canada corresponds to NCLC 7, whereas 500 points in compréhension orale on TEF Canada's /699 scale corresponds to NCLC 8 according to its owner's table. Same number, different levels.
Never compare a TCF score with a TEF score. Convert each into NCLC using its own test's chart, then compare the NCLC levels.
There is a second subtlety, specific to TEF Canada. Your attestation shows, for each épreuve, a score out of 699, a CEFR level and an NCLC level. It also contains a column headed "Équivalence ancien score". For your Express Entry profile, IRCC is explicit: your level will be based on that column, enter only its scores, and do not enter the scores in the "Score / 699" column, which are not compatible with its system. The table below is only there to help you read the /699 score on the attestation.
| NCLC | Compréhension écrite and orale | Expression écrite | Expression orale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 615 – 699 | 619 – 699 | 642 – 699 |
| 11 | 573 – 614 | 577 – 618 | 592 – 641 |
| 10 | 546 – 572 | 558 – 576 | 556 – 591 |
| 9 | 503 – 545 | 512 – 557 | 518 – 555 |
| 8 | 462 – 502 | 472 – 511 | 494 – 517 |
| 7 | 434 – 461 | 428 – 471 | 456 – 493 |
| 6 | 393 – 433 | 379 – 427 | 422 – 455 |
| 5 | 352 – 392 | 330 – 378 | 387 – 421 |
| 4 | 306 – 351 | 268 – 329 | 328 – 386 |
| < 4 | 0 – 305 | 0 – 267 | 0 – 327 |
TEF Canada: score out of 699 and the NCLC level assigned, according to Le français des affaires' correspondence table (tests taken from December 11, 2023). Not for use in an Express Entry profile.
On TCF Canada, the attestation carries no NCLC level: it gives the scores, the marks out of 20 and a CEFR level per ability, and converting them with IRCC's chart is up to you. On TEF Canada, the NCLC is printed on the attestation, but it is the "Équivalence ancien score" column that IRCC asks you to enter.
8IRCC's NCLC charts, side by side
Here are the two equivalency charts IRCC publishes, merged into a single grid. For each NCLC level and each ability, the first line gives the TCF Canada range and the second the TEF Canada range. For the TEF, these are the scores in the "Équivalence ancien score" column of the attestation, not the /699 scores.
The scales are not shaped the same way. On the TCF, expression écrite and expression orale are marked out of 20, so each level covers one, two or three marks. On the TEF, all four abilities are expressed in points, and the NCLC 10 ranges stop at 360 in compréhension orale, 300 in compréhension écrite and 450 in both production épreuves.
| NCLC | Compréhension orale | Compréhension écrite | Expression orale | Expression écrite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | TCF549 – 699 TEF316 – 360 | TCF549 – 699 TEF263 – 300 | TCF16 – 20 TEF393 – 450 | TCF16 – 20 TEF393 – 450 |
| 9 | TCF523 – 548 TEF298 – 315 | TCF524 – 548 TEF248 – 262 | TCF14 – 15 TEF371 – 392 | TCF14 – 15 TEF371 – 392 |
| 8 | TCF503 – 522 TEF280 – 297 | TCF499 – 523 TEF233 – 247 | TCF12 – 13 TEF349 – 370 | TCF12 – 13 TEF349 – 370 |
| 7 | TCF458 – 502 TEF249 – 279 | TCF453 – 498 TEF207 – 232 | TCF10 – 11 TEF310 – 348 | TCF10 – 11 TEF310 – 348 |
| 6 | TCF398 – 457 TEF217 – 248 | TCF406 – 452 TEF181 – 206 | TCF7 – 9 TEF271 – 309 | TCF7 – 9 TEF271 – 309 |
| 5 | TCF369 – 397 TEF181 – 216 | TCF375 – 405 TEF151 – 180 | TCF6 TEF226 – 270 | TCF6 TEF226 – 270 |
| 4 | TCF331 – 368 TEF145 – 180 | TCF342 – 374 TEF121 – 150 | TCF4 – 5 TEF181 – 225 | TCF4 – 5 TEF181 – 225 |
TCF Canada and TEF Canada (Équivalence ancien score) results and the corresponding NCLC levels, from IRCC's equivalency charts
Read the chart one ability at a time. The NCLC 7 threshold, for example, reads like this: on TCF Canada, 458 in compréhension orale, 453 in compréhension écrite and 10 out of 20 in each production épreuve; on TEF Canada, 249 in compréhension orale, 207 in compréhension écrite and 310 in each production épreuve.
NCLC 10 is the last row of both IRCC charts. The TEF owner's /699 table in section 7 goes up to NCLC 12, but those levels do not exist in IRCC's charts. A result anywhere in the NCLC 10 row is therefore worth the same, whether it sits at the bottom or the top of the range.
A warning for anyone who sat TEF Canada between December 11, 2023 and May 6, 2024: IRCC publishes a notice saying these candidates may need to update their Express Entry profile. If that is you, read that notice on IRCC's language test results page before you do anything else.
Whichever test you take, IRCC converts the four abilities separately and never averages them. The thresholds must be met in each one: your weakest ability decides your eligibility.
9Which programs accept which test
Neither test is only for Express Entry. Here is what the official sources say for the three most common procedures, plus a fourth mentioned by the TEF's owner.
TEF Canada and TCF Canada are the only two approved French tests. Results must be less than two years old when you create your profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence.
Québec recognises TCF Canada and TEF Canada, but also TCF Québec, the TCF, TEFAQ, the TEF, the DELF and the DALF. Results must be two years old or less on the date of the permanent selection application, and the level is read on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français, not on NCLC.
Applicants aged 18 to 54 must show CLB/NCLC 4 or higher in listening and speaking. IRCC accepts a result of B1 or higher on TCF Canada, and on TEF Canada taken on or after July 1, 2012. For citizenship, expired results are accepted. The TEF's owner offers a version limited to the two oral épreuves for this procedure.
Le français des affaires states that NCLC 5 is required for this work permit program. Check the exact requirement and the accepted tests on IRCC's website before you book.
One result can therefore serve several procedures, as long as it meets each one's validity rule. A result obtained for Express Entry can be used later for citizenship, even once expired, if it reaches the required oral level; a result submitted in Québec must be two years old or less on the day of the application.
Watch out for the neighbouring versions. TCF Québec and TEFAQ are recognised in Québec, but they are not among the approved tests for Express Entry. If you are aiming for both procedures, TCF Canada and TEF Canada each appear on both lists.
10Results, validity and retakes
The published deadlines differ, and they matter when an invitation round or a filing date is approaching.
For TEF Canada, the owner states that results are sent within 1 to 10 business days of the test day, as a link to an online digital vault; no paper attestation is issued. For TCF Canada, the candidate handbook sets a maximum of 15 business days after France Éducation international receives the session material; the shorter 10-business-day deadline is reserved for computer sessions made up only of the multiple-choice épreuves, which is not the case for TCF Canada and its four compulsory épreuves. The TCF attestation is digital and secured with a QR code.
To retake the test, TEF Canada requires a 20-day waiting period between two sittings; the TCF, 20 days. Both tests can be retaken as often as you wish. On TEF Canada, all épreuves must be taken on the same day for the attestation to be recognised by the Canadian authorities.
If you want to challenge a result, the rules differ too. On the TCF, a remarking can be requested for expression écrite and expression orale within one month of the attestations being sent to the centre; it may be charged for, and the level can also go down. On the TEF, an appeal is possible within 30 days of the attestation being issued, but only for a serious anomaly or malfunction during the test, reported to the invigilator on the day.
Both attestations are valid for two years; the TEF's owner specifies that this period runs from the date the attestation is issued. But it is the procedure's rule that counts: for Express Entry, results must be less than two years old at the time of the profile and at the time of the application for permanent residence, and IRCC refuses a permanent residence application submitted with expired results.
The cautious calculation is to count the two years from your exam date. If your profile may sit in the pool for a long time, remember that you will still need valid results on the day you submit your application for permanent residence.
11Cost and test centres: what is published, and what is not
We are not giving a price range, and that is not an oversight: neither owner publishes one. Le français des affaires states that TEF Canada registration fees are set by the test centre and vary from centre to centre and with the number of épreuves. France Éducation international states that the price of the TCF varies with the version and the place where it is taken, and advises comparing several centres.
The same goes for availability: the owners publish the size of their networks, not how often sessions run. Le français des affaires cites 500 official test centres in more than 110 countries for TEF Canada; France Éducation international says the network of centres offering the TCF numbers more than 700 organisations worldwide, all versions combined. Those figures tell you nothing about what is on offer near you in the month you need it.
Before you choose, ask two or three centres in each network directly about these four points:
For many candidates the deciding factor is neither the format nor the scoring: it is the date of the next available session at a centre they can reach. Find out before you start format-specific preparation.
12How to choose based on your strengths
Since IRCC has no preference and neither test is officially easier, the right choice is the one whose format puts the fewest obstacles between your French and your result. Here are the six questions we suggest you ask yourself.
A new sitting includes all four épreuves again, but what you already know about the running order, the timing and the instructions stays with you. Switching tests means learning a new format, and those weeks might be better spent on your weakest ability.
If you understand better when you know what you are listening for, the TEF format, where the questions can be read a few seconds before the audio, may suit you better. If you are good at retaining a whole recording, the TCF format, where the question comes after the audio, is worth a try.
Three short texts, framed by word limits, in three registers: that is the TCF. A narrative continuing an article, then an argument of at least 200 words in 35 minutes: that is the TEF. Do a timed attempt at each and compare the results honestly.
The TCF runs through three short formats in 12 minutes, only one of them with preparation time. The TEF asks for 5 minutes of obtaining information, then 10 minutes of convincing someone. Some candidates prefer variety and brevity; others prefer the long stretch of a single argument.
Published deadlines: results within 1 to 10 business days on the TEF, within 15 business days at most after the material is received on the TCF; 20 days between two sittings on the TEF, 20 on the TCF. If your deadline is tight, those gaps matter — but the date of the next session near you often matters more.
On TEF Canada, compréhension orale, compréhension écrite and expression écrite are taken on a computer. The TCF can be taken on paper or on a computer depending on the centre. If typing French with accents slows you down, or you prefer to write by hand, check how the test is delivered before you register.
The best way to decide is practical: do an official sample of each test, timed, under real conditions. The TEF's owner publishes sample épreuves for all four abilities, and the TCF candidate handbook contains sample épreuves with their answer keys. Two hours of trial runs are worth more than ten contradictory opinions read online.
Be wary of any claim that "the TEF is easier" or "the TCF is easier". No official source says so, the two tests are converted into NCLC through separate charts, and what is simpler for one candidate is often harder for another. Choose on format and timeline, not on a rumour.
13A preparation plan for whichever test you pick
Once you have chosen your test, preparation follows the same skeleton. What changes are the format drills in steps 3 to 5.
Start from the program you are aiming for, for example NCLC 7 in all four abilities for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Translate that level into a score using the chart in section 8, for your test only, and write down the four thresholds.
Take a complete official sample under real conditions. Estimate your level in each ability and find the weakest: it is the one that decides your file, so it is the one that gets the most hours.
TCF: listen to a whole document, summarise it in one sentence, then answer. TEF: read the options in a few seconds, listen for what you need, and decide without going back. In both cases, vary your material: dialogues, announcements, broadcasts, talks.
TCF: all three tâches, with a word counter, until you know what 120 and 180 words of your own writing look like. TEF: the continuation of an article in 25 minutes and an argument of 200 words or more in 35 minutes. Have every text reviewed and keep a list of your recurring errors.
Practise asking questions about an everyday situation, then defending an opinion against someone who disagrees with you. Record every session and listen back: the épreuve is recorded and assessed twice, so your practice should be too.
Allow for the centre's registration deadline, the results turnaround, the gap between two sittings — 20 days on the TEF, 20 on the TCF — and the validity required at the time of the profile and of the application for permanent residence. Leave room for a second attempt.
This plan will not work miracles on an ability far below the threshold. If your diagnostic puts one ability two NCLC levels below your target, invest first in the language itself — daily listening, reading, corrected writing — before the format drills.
14Practise free on FlexiLingo
Our TCF Canada section is free. It is built for TCF Canada, but the French it trains is the same French the TEF Canada tests: the social themes, the vocabulary and the structures of argument serve on both tests. If you choose the TEF, pair it with the owner's official samples for the format.
The expression écrite and expression orale subjects candidates report after their session, and the comprehension topics they remember, sorted by theme: work, education, health, environment, technology, family, culture, immigration and more.
For the analysed subjects, an answer plan, a model answer and the vocabulary of the theme. This is the part that turns "I understand the prompt" into "I know what to say for several minutes".
A guide to the format and scoring, and a guide to the NCLC equivalences. They complement this article on the TCF Canada side.
And if you choose TCF Canada, our in-depth article on its format, scoring and NCLC equivalences walks through each épreuve task by task, with the Comprehensive Ranking System points each level is worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
No official source says so, and IRCC expresses no preference. The two tests assess the same four abilities in different formats, and their results are converted into NCLC through separate charts. One format may suit one candidate better than another: the safest approach is to do a timed official sample of each before you choose.
No. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are the two approved French tests for Express Entry. Your profile is assessed on the NCLC level you reach in each ability, whichever test produced it.
The ones in the "Équivalence ancien score" column of your attestation, and only those. IRCC asks you not to enter the scores in the "Score / 699" column, which are not compatible with its system, and warns that an application may be refused if the scores entered are wrong.
According to IRCC's charts: on TCF Canada, 458 in compréhension orale, 453 in compréhension écrite and 10 out of 20 in each production épreuve; on TEF Canada (Équivalence ancien score), 249 in compréhension orale, 207 in compréhension écrite and 310 in each production épreuve. The threshold must be met in all four abilities.
Yes. For the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, Québec recognises both, along with TCF Québec, the TCF, TEFAQ, the TEF, the DELF and the DALF. Results must be two years old or less on the date of the permanent selection application, and the required level is read on Québec's own scale, not on NCLC.
Going by the published deadlines, TEF Canada sends results within 1 to 10 business days of the test day. TCF Canada delivers them to the centre no later than 15 business days after France Éducation international receives the session material. The actual turnaround also depends on the centre.
20 days between two sittings for TEF Canada, 20 days for the TCF. Both tests can be retaken as often as needed, but every sitting is paid for and includes all four épreuves again.
Not exclusively. On the TCF, some expression écrite papers taken on a computer may receive a first marking from FIDELIA, an automated marking aid, but the second marking is always human, and you can ask to sit the test on paper. For the TEF, the owner describes expression écrite assessed by two independent markers and expression orale assessed by the examiner and then by a second assessor from the recording. In both tests, expression orale takes place face to face with an examiner.
Related Reading
Practise free on real TCF Canada subjects
Real TCF Canada practice questions for all four skills, each with the reasoning behind the right answer — written for the Canada immigration version of the test.
Full-length practice, free — no card and no sign-up to start.