+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

My experience with TEF Canada and TCF Canada and what I make of it. Please share.

ashu2111

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2020
334
258
For those of you who want to gain those additional juicy 50 points for French language skills, I would like to share my experience with you as I went through this journey recently. Often people wonder whether they should go for TEF Canada or TCF Canada. Since I went through both exams, I think I can offer my opinion. Obviously if you’re weak in French, then both exams will be difficult for you but I would like to give my opinion nonetheless. Let’s start with my overall perception of two exams.


I did TEF Canada and then TCF Canada. In general, I found that TEF was much more difficult for reading and writing whereas TCF Canada can be difficult for those who are weak in listening. In my TEF exam I got a B1 in writing C1 in speaking, C1 in listening and inferior B2 in reading. This implied that since I got an inferior B2 and B1, I would not get additional 50 points for FSW.

Then I looked at the methodology of TCF and I found that it is a tiny bit similar to DELF. In fact, it is organized by the same company that conducts DELF examinations. Therefore, if you’re someone who learned French the traditional way (doing DELF and then preparing for your immigration exams), you will find that TCF Canada might be a little bit more suited to you since there is lot of focus on the methodology. Also, one very important thing: TCF Canada does not have a B2 inferior. This means that if you get a B2 in TCF Canada, let’s say for example by scoring 10/20, you will still get your 50 points. Whereas in TEF there is a B2 inferior (0 points) and then B2 superior (50 points).

Now let’s look at the individual parts of the two tests:



Writing part

I find that the writing part for TEF was particularly hard. In the first task, you’re supposed to write a “fait divers”, and for those of you who do not know- a fait divers is a type of story that often appears in the newspapers in France- they’re supposed to be a bit controversial and at times provocative. This task requires a certain level of creativity and a good level of vocabulary at the same time. I found it particularly hard because I was not able to properly translate my ideas into French. The second part is a formal letter (often to an editor of a magazine). This task is much easier and if you learn the methodology then you can write a good letter.

In my case I think I messed up big time in the first part and hence my grade was only a B1.

In TCF, you have three different tasks. One short letter, one blog post or a slightly longer letter and then for the third task, you have to make a resume of two documents and express your point of view on it. Even though it might sound a bit complicated, I personally believe that it is a bit easier because they’re not asking you to do something very different or out of your comfort range. Therefore, if you practice then you should be able to get a B2 level.



Speaking

In TEF, the speaking part is slightly easy, you only have two tasks. You have to do a roleplay in both of the tasks and if you can have a conversation in French, then you can easily get a B2.

In TCF, you have three tasks and the first task is ALWAYS the same. It’s basically presenting yourself. So, if you can prepare yourself in advance for that task, you can start off really well. The second task is a roleplay and unlike TEF, you get 2 minutes to prepare for the roleplay so you can quickly jot down all the questions that you may ask. The third task is a bit complicated because you have to speak on a subject or a statement for more than 4 minutes WITHOUT any preparations. However, if you do well in your first two tasks and mess up a bit in the third one, you’d still get your B2.



Listening

There is not much difference in the two exams. In this one, I would say TEF is slightly easier because they allow you to read the questions for a bit before the recordings start. In TCF, they just line up one after another with almost no time to read the multiple-choice answers. Although if you are someone who listens to French radio and practices, you should be fine.

Reading

This is where TCF Canada is clearly and undeniably easier than TEF Canada. First of all, you have 39 questions in 60 minutes. In TEF you have 50 questions in 60 minutes. One of the main reasons I personally performed so poorly in this section when I did TEF was the time limit.

In TEF, the first 10-15 questions are relatively easy and then the difficulty immediately increases where you have extremely long and very complicated articles from French literature. Once you get through those, then it becomes easy again. So basically, the first 10-20 questions are easy, the next 20-35 questions are extremely hard and long and then the last 15 questions become easy again.

I was scratching my head thinking who was the person responsible for creating this part of the TEF Canada. Overall, it is a massive time game and to finish all questions on time, you will have to rush through the easy questions like crazy.

In TCF, the questions get progressively difficult and yet I found that although they did become quite hard towards the end, they were not quite as challenging as the questions in TEF. Not to mention that I still had 15 minutes left after I completed all the questions and I was able to revise some other difficult questions in my spare time.


Conclusion

Obviously, everyone has an opinion but for me personally- I found that TCF Canada was much more practical and if I may say- easier. In TCF Canada, I scored a C1 in listening and reading and B2 in writing and speaking. After I finished TEF and got an unsatisfactory score, I was quite worried that I will potentially need to spend many more months to get a decent score to get over the reading and the writing hurdle.

However, when I got to know more about TCF Canada, I felt that it was something doable with my current level and although I did practice to hone up my skills, I did not feel like it was a massive challenge. For your information, I’ve been learning French in the last 3 years.

At the end, I must say that TCF Canada does not get a lot of publicity and there were less resources available online to prepare for it. However, for myself, I found clear advantages in regards to TCF Canada over TEF Canada.

Disclaimer: your opinion may be completely different and I respect that.


I wrote this article post because even though I often see some questions here and there on this form about this subject, there is rarely ever a through perspective on the two exams. As someone who went through both exams, I feel like I am qualified to opine on the advantages and the problems that one may face. Obviously, I hope that you will do your own research and due diligence before reserving any exams but if my post can give you some insights then I’d be happy.


Please feel free to like and share this post with your friends if you found it helpful! Good luck getting your bonus points!
 

kArun1

Full Member
Apr 15, 2021
29
18
Which centre did you give the exam in ?
I'm finding it hard to even get the list of centres in India for TCF.
 

ashu2111

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2020
334
258
Which centre did you give the exam in ?
I'm finding it hard to even get the list of centres in India for TCF.
Actually I did not do it in India. I did in Netherlands (where I live currently). I think in India AF New Delhi does organize TCF Canada.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kArun1

suga-san

Member
Mar 28, 2020
18
8
Bonjour ashu, merci beaucoup pour sharing ta reponse. J'apprende francais depuis Decembre 2019. It took me a year to battle through just the beginner level. But I am much more motivated now, seeing so many people on this forum being able to learn French from the scratch and achieve desired results. It always makes me so happy and inspired to see success stories.

Depuis Janvier 2021, j'ai etude avec sincerity. I feel I have made more progress in last 3 months than the whole year of 2020. I passed DELF A1 with 70/100 and I gave DELF A2. I think I will score around 60-70 in this exam too.

Je comprende que pour NCLC 7 en TEF/TCF Canada i.e. 12 + 50 bonus points en CRS, j'ai besion de etude vrai hard. I am very sincere this year and have significantly lessened my work load and given my resignation so that I can focus on studying. I am even studying under a tutor now. (I was self-studying before)

Please leave study tips for me. Also any motivational words (or even tough love reality checks) are appreciated.

In your opinion, realistically how much time (in months/years) and how much dedicated hours per day/week do you think it can take to achieve NCLC 7 in TCF Canada in general? (I am thinking of appearing for that after reading your post, thanks for the insight)

Je suis desolee pour the horrifying franglais. Mais I am trying parler as much possible. Feel free to laugh at my attempt, I am also laughing LOL

Merci,
V
 

Renadxb

Hero Member
Jun 24, 2018
247
21
For those of you who want to gain those additional juicy 50 points for French language skills, I would like to share my experience with you as I went through this journey recently. Often people wonder whether they should go for TEF Canada or TCF Canada. Since I went through both exams, I think I can offer my opinion. Obviously if you’re weak in French, then both exams will be difficult for you but I would like to give my opinion nonetheless. Let’s start with my overall perception of two exams.


I did TEF Canada and then TCF Canada. In general, I found that TEF was much more difficult for reading and writing whereas TCF Canada can be difficult for those who are weak in listening. In my TEF exam I got a B1 in writing C1 in speaking, C1 in listening and inferior B2 in reading. This implied that since I got an inferior B2 and B1, I would not get additional 50 points for FSW.

Then I looked at the methodology of TCF and I found that it is a tiny bit similar to DELF. In fact, it is organized by the same company that conducts DELF examinations. Therefore, if you’re someone who learned French the traditional way (doing DELF and then preparing for your immigration exams), you will find that TCF Canada might be a little bit more suited to you since there is lot of focus on the methodology. Also, one very important thing: TCF Canada does not have a B2 inferior. This means that if you get a B2 in TCF Canada, let’s say for example by scoring 10/20, you will still get your 50 points. Whereas in TEF there is a B2 inferior (0 points) and then B2 superior (50 points).

Now let’s look at the individual parts of the two tests:



Writing part

I find that the writing part for TEF was particularly hard. In the first task, you’re supposed to write a “fait divers”, and for those of you who do not know- a fait divers is a type of story that often appears in the newspapers in France- they’re supposed to be a bit controversial and at times provocative. This task requires a certain level of creativity and a good level of vocabulary at the same time. I found it particularly hard because I was not able to properly translate my ideas into French. The second part is a formal letter (often to an editor of a magazine). This task is much easier and if you learn the methodology then you can write a good letter.

In my case I think I messed up big time in the first part and hence my grade was only a B1.

In TCF, you have three different tasks. One short letter, one blog post or a slightly longer letter and then for the third task, you have to make a resume of two documents and express your point of view on it. Even though it might sound a bit complicated, I personally believe that it is a bit easier because they’re not asking you to do something very different or out of your comfort range. Therefore, if you practice then you should be able to get a B2 level.



Speaking

In TEF, the speaking part is slightly easy, you only have two tasks. You have to do a roleplay in both of the tasks and if you can have a conversation in French, then you can easily get a B2.

In TCF, you have three tasks and the first task is ALWAYS the same. It’s basically presenting yourself. So, if you can prepare yourself in advance for that task, you can start off really well. The second task is a roleplay and unlike TEF, you get 2 minutes to prepare for the roleplay so you can quickly jot down all the questions that you may ask. The third task is a bit complicated because you have to speak on a subject or a statement for more than 4 minutes WITHOUT any preparations. However, if you do well in your first two tasks and mess up a bit in the third one, you’d still get your B2.



Listening

There is not much difference in the two exams. In this one, I would say TEF is slightly easier because they allow you to read the questions for a bit before the recordings start. In TCF, they just line up one after another with almost no time to read the multiple-choice answers. Although if you are someone who listens to French radio and practices, you should be fine.

Reading

This is where TCF Canada is clearly and undeniably easier than TEF Canada. First of all, you have 39 questions in 60 minutes. In TEF you have 50 questions in 60 minutes. One of the main reasons I personally performed so poorly in this section when I did TEF was the time limit.

In TEF, the first 10-15 questions are relatively easy and then the difficulty immediately increases where you have extremely long and very complicated articles from French literature. Once you get through those, then it becomes easy again. So basically, the first 10-20 questions are easy, the next 20-35 questions are extremely hard and long and then the last 15 questions become easy again.

I was scratching my head thinking who was the person responsible for creating this part of the TEF Canada. Overall, it is a massive time game and to finish all questions on time, you will have to rush through the easy questions like crazy.

In TCF, the questions get progressively difficult and yet I found that although they did become quite hard towards the end, they were not quite as challenging as the questions in TEF. Not to mention that I still had 15 minutes left after I completed all the questions and I was able to revise some other difficult questions in my spare time.


Conclusion

Obviously, everyone has an opinion but for me personally- I found that TCF Canada was much more practical and if I may say- easier. In TCF Canada, I scored a C1 in listening and reading and B2 in writing and speaking. After I finished TEF and got an unsatisfactory score, I was quite worried that I will potentially need to spend many more months to get a decent score to get over the reading and the writing hurdle.

However, when I got to know more about TCF Canada, I felt that it was something doable with my current level and although I did practice to hone up my skills, I did not feel like it was a massive challenge. For your information, I’ve been learning French in the last 3 years.

At the end, I must say that TCF Canada does not get a lot of publicity and there were less resources available online to prepare for it. However, for myself, I found clear advantages in regards to TCF Canada over TEF Canada.

Disclaimer: your opinion may be completely different and I respect that.


I wrote this article post because even though I often see some questions here and there on this form about this subject, there is rarely ever a through perspective on the two exams. As someone who went through both exams, I feel like I am qualified to opine on the advantages and the problems that one may face. Obviously, I hope that you will do your own research and due diligence before reserving any exams but if my post can give you some insights then I’d be happy.


Please feel free to like and share this post with your friends if you found it helpful! Good luck getting your bonus points!
[/
 
Last edited:

Renadxb

Hero Member
Jun 24, 2018
247
21
Are both the test applicable for the Canadian Pr and besides alliance France are there any other places that we can give a test for in Toronto
 

ashu2111

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2020
334
258
Are both the test applicable for the Canadian Pr and besides alliance France are there any other places that we can give a test for in Toronto
Both tests, TCF Canada and TEF Canada ,are eligible for express entry. Do not know about centers in Toronto, I did them both here in the Netherlands.
 

ashu2111

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2020
334
258
Bonjour ashu, merci beaucoup pour sharing ta reponse. J'apprende francais depuis Decembre 2019. It took me a year to battle through just the beginner level. But I am much more motivated now, seeing so many people on this forum being able to learn French from the scratch and achieve desired results. It always makes me so happy and inspired to see success stories.

Depuis Janvier 2021, j'ai etude avec sincerity. I feel I have made more progress in last 3 months than the whole year of 2020. I passed DELF A1 with 70/100 and I gave DELF A2. I think I will score around 60-70 in this exam too.

Je comprende que pour NCLC 7 en TEF/TCF Canada i.e. 12 + 50 bonus points en CRS, j'ai besion de etude vrai hard. I am very sincere this year and have significantly lessened my work load and given my resignation so that I can focus on studying. I am even studying under a tutor now. (I was self-studying before)

Please leave study tips for me. Also any motivational words (or even tough love reality checks) are appreciated.

In your opinion, realistically how much time (in months/years) and how much dedicated hours per day/week do you think it can take to achieve NCLC 7 in TCF Canada in general? (I am thinking of appearing for that after reading your post, thanks for the insight)

Je suis desolee pour the horrifying franglais. Mais I am trying parler as much possible. Feel free to laugh at my attempt, I am also laughing LOL

Merci,
V
Bonjour Suga,

J’espère que tu vas bien. Merci de m’écrire. En fait, je remarque que tu parles déjà bien le français et d’ailleurs ton niveau me paraît tout à fait A2. I think that if you keep on doing hard work then you will get there! Nothing to laugh here! Keep on going!

Personally for myself, it took me around 3 years to be at B2-C1 level. Try using Duolingo in combination with Assimil and Michel Thomas for faster results. I think you can reach B2 level earlier if you just focus on the methodology of TCF Canada. Don’t focus too much on DELF if your goal to learn French is Canadian immigration. This is the mistake that I made.

DELF and TCF Canada are quite different so if you just focus on one exam for an year or so then you can get past the NCLC 7 mark! En tout cas, je te souhaite bon courage et au cas où tu as des questions ou veux addresser tes préoccupations, n’hésite pas à me contacter.
 

wasi1972

Full Member
Jan 29, 2018
27
0
Bonjour !

We can sort all your queries about giving TEF or TCF. We provide Test specific strategies through native Global experts. You can also check out our YouTube channel to keep posted about TEF and TCF. You can also follow us on Instagram frenchtweets_by_dolly to check our reviews and scores of our past learners
: We provide:

➡ DELF/DALF/ TEF/TCF preparation courses.

➡ Small batches for individual attention.

➡ Relevant and Practical Study material provided for better learning.

➡ French lessons with Native Experts.

➡Interactive Live online classes available for all Time Zones

New batches for all the levels are beginning from 6th September. Grab your seats Now!!!



Book your slots now, and begin your journey of french learning with French Tweets. Check us out on YouTube, we have a considerable online presence, you will find all details in the video description of our YouTube channel to connect with us .

Regards,
French Tweets www.frenchtweets.ca
 

wasi1972

Full Member
Jan 29, 2018
27
0
In TEF exam can i retake a single module like listening part only and new score of listening will be added with the other three old module score ?
 

wasi1972

Full Member
Jan 29, 2018
27
0
In TEF exam can i retake a single module like listening part only and new score of listening will be added with the other three old module score ?
 

wasi1972

Full Member
Jan 29, 2018
27
0
This is my TEF Canada SCORE.
Épreuve Score / 699 Équivalence ancien score Niveau
Compréhension écrite 351 152 / 300 B1
Compréhension orale 313 154 / 360 B1
Expression écrite 314 194 / 450 B1
Expression orale 265 153 / 450 A2
Can anyone please tell what will be my Canadian CLB score/level for Canada immigration purpose? This is my second language after English.
 

ashu2111

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2020
334
258
This is my TEF Canada SCORE.
Épreuve Score / 699 Équivalence ancien score Niveau
Compréhension écrite 351 152 / 300 B1
Compréhension orale 313 154 / 360 B1
Expression écrite 314 194 / 450 B1
Expression orale 265 153 / 450 A2
Can anyone please tell what will be my Canadian CLB score/level for Canada immigration purpose? This is my second language after English.
I don't think it will give you a lot of points. You need a B2 superior grade in all modules. Keep on going though, you will get there.