TEF Test Is Easy or Difficult ????

[helena21]

+1 for that spirit and positivism!!! And good luck!!

 

[papapsi]

Merci mes amis. Je veux etudier francais bien! Now I have motivation to get serious with French. Up to 24 points and Ontario French stream for grabs.

 

[bestofluck]

Merci mes amis. Je veux etudier francais bien! Now I have motivation to get serious with French. Up to 24 points and Ontario French stream for grabs.

took 5 months for you to get motivated !

 

[papapsi]

took 5 months for you to get motivated !

Haha saw this only today though.

Better late than never. Does anyone have any useful links or material for preparing?

 

[vananhthai]

I was going to ask the same question. Does anyone know the best materials to prepare for TEF?

Haha saw this only today though.

Better late than never. Does anyone have any useful links or material for preparing?

 

[sahilsid]

I did that as I anyhow planned to move to Toronto if everything goes well and it was the only way to have even a slightest chance to get ITA. I have 361 points and thanks to TEF I got PT from Ontario. Now I'm waiting to see if I will get the nomination.

Just some clarification that I require on the second language as French. Adam mentioned CLB 4 i.e. just 1 point for each section. But Ontario French speaking stream states a minimum of CLB 7 in TEF for each of the four sections, giving a score of 3 * 4 = 12 points. So you can only get a call in French stream with CLB 7 in each stream and not CLB 4 in TEF?

Please clarify on the score required. And how much did you score in each section for TEF?

Thanks.

 

[wildemam]

I wanna know about TEF test. Is it easy or difficult for non-native speakers?? In how much time one can learn French ( average time )???

I agree with Avisaad, too. I learned French in High School, 10 years ago. I have to start again now to get any meaningful skill. I learned German and it took me 2 years to obtain beginner skills and be able to understand and barely communicate.

 

[defintelyguru]

As a native French speaker, I too went for the TEF Canada.
All that has been said so far is true, the test is more difficult than the IELTS/CELPIP.

For example, you loose points if you answer incorrectly to a question (-1pt). You can't simply guess or try your luck if you're not sure, that will cost you.
French people also have a tendency to be very academic, formal, abusing the literary form.
So sometimes you're like "What the hell are they talking about ?!"
I personally went over a question several times wondering what they meant... No matter how I looked at it I just couldn't get it. (I would have had an option 'None of the above' !!!)

The writing and speaking tests are exigeant.
Writing has more of an academic level. The subjects are extremely serious, and you'd better brush off your essay skills.
Speaking is situation-based. You do most of the speaking, they're not really gonna help you, nor is it a conversation style. It requires good vocabulary and argumentation abilities.

Overall French is a difficult language with a lot of "exceptions". It's a tough one even for natives. Pronunciation is uneasy for non-native.
So anyone interested should be fully invested, and prepared. It will take a long time to get to a minimum.

But if you score good enough, you have the possibility to get an Ontario nomination, which is a great motivation !
I believe they require CLB7.

 

[sqid.madoma]

As a native French speaker, I too went for the TEF Canada.
All that has been said so far is true, the test is more difficult than the IELTS/CELPIP.

For example, you loose points if you answer incorrectly to a question (-1pt). You can't simply guess or try your luck if you're not sure, that will cost you.
French people also have a tendency to be very academic, formal, abusing the literary form.
So sometimes you're like "What the hell are they talking about ?!"
I personally went over a question several times wondering what they meant... No matter how I looked at it I just couldn't get it. (I would have had an option 'None of the above' !!!)

The writing and speaking tests are exigeant.
Writing has more of an academic level. The subjects are extremely serious, and you'd better brush off your essay skills.
Speaking is situation-based. You do most of the speaking, they're not really gonna help you, nor is it a conversation style. It requires good vocabulary and argumentation abilities.

Overall French is a difficult language with a lot of "exceptions". It's a tough one even for natives. Pronunciation is uneasy for non-native.
So anyone interested should be fully invested, and prepared. It will take a long time to get to a minimum.

But if you score good enough, you have the possibility to get an Ontario nomination, which is a great motivation !
I believe they require CLB7.

I am a french native speaker too and I agree with you at 100%.

Specially on that part:

"So sometimes you're like "What the hell are they talking about ?!"
I personally went over a question several times wondering what they meant... No matter how I looked at it I just couldn't get it. (I would have had an option 'None of the above' !!!) "



And we are native speakers... I can not imagine what would it be for a non-native. This test is ridiculous.

 

[jammin24]

I took the TEF last month. I took French as a second language in school (for seven years, but not dedicated, intensive study) and haven't done anything since (for 17 years). I studied very hard for a month, and got CLB 5 in reading (I got caught up with the tough reading passages and didn't manage to get to the easier questions at the end -- if I'd done them, I would have gotten CLB 7. Still kicking myself for that), and CLB 7 in all the others, giving me 10 points.

I'd expected the reading comprehension to be the easiest and ended up doing the worst in it, because it was much harder than the practice tests and because of the bad time management I mentioned. I finished the practice tests easily so hadn't anticipated a time problem. The listening was easier than I expected. I was caught off guard with the speaking because I expected to have 10 minutes to prepare (as in the practice tests) but I was given 1 minute. But I did ok. And I didn't understand part of the writing question so my answer was a bit weird but I guess they just look at grammar, structure etc. and not the bizarreness of the answer, so I did ok.

I think IELTS vs. TEF, IELTS is at an easier level, at least the reading and listening, and they speak slower. TEF is at a higher level and they speak at regular speed, which can be challenging to decipher.

It was tough, and you definitely need to have a decent level of understanding and expression. If you're just starting out, I would think you'd need six months to a year of intensive studying. There are so many exceptions in the grammar and so many expressions and idioms that you'd just have to know -- and you'd have to be immersed in the language for some time for that.

Hope this helps.

 

[munjal]

I took the TEF last month. I took French as a second language in school (for seven years, but not dedicated, intensive study) and haven't done anything since (for 17 years). I studied very hard for a month, and got CLB 5 in reading (I got caught up with the tough reading passages and didn't manage to get to the easier questions at the end -- if I'd done them, I would have gotten CLB 7. Still kicking myself for that), and CLB 7 in all the others, giving me 10 points.

I'd expected the reading comprehension to be the easiest and ended up doing the worst in it, because it was much harder than the practice tests and because of the bad time management I mentioned. I finished the practice tests easily so hadn't anticipated a time problem. The listening was easier than I expected. I was caught off guard with the speaking because I expected to have 10 minutes to prepare (as in the practice tests) but I was given 1 minute. But I did ok. And I didn't understand part of the writing question so my answer was a bit weird but I guess they just look at grammar, structure etc. and not the bizarreness of the answer, so I did ok.

I think IELTS vs. TEF, IELTS is at an easier level, at least the reading and listening, and they speak slower. TEF is at a higher level and they speak at regular speed, which can be challenging to decipher.

It was tough, and you definitely need to have a decent level of understanding and expression. If you're just starting out, I would think you'd need six months to a year of intensive studying. There are so many exceptions in the grammar and so many expressions and idioms that you'd just have to know -- and you'd have to be immersed in the language for some time for that.

Hope this helps.

Thnx for sharing your experience..

 

[GoHaPPyCaN]

I did it, had a very good score but honestly I found it much harder than the IELTS (and I'm French).

 

[munjal]

I did it, had a very good score but honestly I found it much harder than the IELTS (and I'm French).

Hi GoHaPPyCaN,
What were your scores in TEF?
and how did you prepared for TEF?
pls can you recommend any specific study material for TEF prep..

thanks in advance

 

[GoHaPPyCaN]

Hi Munjal,

I didn't prepare anything as I'm French and French is my mother tongue.
My score are :
Reading : 292/300
Listening : 342/360
Writing : 450/450 (I wrote a very funny story, but I never expected such a great score !!)
Speaking : 440/450

The place where I did the TEF sent me a link, just to have an idea with some examples of the different types questions we'll have. But I don't think we can call that a preparation.
Beside that, if you are in Canada, in any public library you will find TEF preparation books, I'm sure it will help !
Good luck.

 

[munjal]

Hi Munjal,

I didn't prepare anything as I'm French and French is my mother tongue.
My score are :
Reading : 292/300
Listening : 342/360
Writing : 450/450 (I wrote a very funny story, but I never expected such a great score !!)
Speaking : 440/450

thats superb score..
by the way.. My NOC is the same as yours: 4021 (Company Trainer)
Are you inland applicant?