TCF Canada vs TEF Canada: Which Exam Should You Take?
Both TCF Canada and TEF Canada are recognized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as proof of French proficiency for permanent residence, Express Entry, and citizenship applications. They are administered by different organizations, use different scoring scales, and are offered at different centres — but IRCC maps both to the same CLB/NCLC 1–12 benchmarks. This guide compares them side-by-side so you can decide which one fits your situation.
Last updated: 2026-04-05. All scoring thresholds below are from the current IRCC conversion tables. Always verify with canada.ca before booking your test or submitting an application.
Quick comparison at a glance
| Feature | TCF Canada | TEF Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada | Test d'évaluation de français pour le Canada |
| Administered by | France Éducation International (FEI) | CCI Paris Île-de-France |
| IRCC recognition | Yes — all programs | Yes — all programs |
| Sections | CO, CE, EE, EO (all mandatory) | CO, CE, EE, EO (all mandatory) |
| Format style | Mostly multiple choice (CO, CE) | Multiple choice + varied task types |
| CO scoring | 100–699 points | 0–360 points |
| CE scoring | 100–699 points | 0–300 points |
| EE scoring | 0–20 points | 0–450 points |
| EO scoring | 0–20 points | 0–450 points |
| Total test duration | ~2h 47min | ~3h 10min |
| Result validity | 2 years | 2 years |
| Typical cost in Canada | CAD 350–450 | CAD 350–450 |
| Typical centre types | Alliance Française, authorized AEC centres | Alliance Française, authorized CCIP centres |
| Result turnaround | 4–6 weeks | 4–6 weeks |
Scoring: TCF Canada → CLB / NCLC
TCF Canada uses a 100–699 scale for listening (CO) and reading (CE), and a 0–20 scale for writing (EE) and speaking (EO). The official IRCC conversion to CLB/NCLC is:
| CLB / NCLC | CE | CO | EE | EO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10 | 549+ | 549+ | 16+ | 16+ |
| CLB 9 | 524–548 | 523–548 | 14–15 | 14–15 |
| CLB 8 | 499–523 | 503–522 | 12–13 | 12–13 |
| CLB 7 | 453–498 | 458–502 | 10–11 | 10–11 |
| CLB 6 | 406–452 | 398–457 | 7–9 | 7–9 |
| CLB 5 | 375–405 | 369–397 | 6 | 6 |
| CLB 4 | 342–374 | 331–368 | 4–5 | 4–5 |
For the full TCF Canada score reference, see our TCF Canada Score Chart guide.
Scoring: TEF Canada → CLB / NCLC
TEF Canada uses completely different numerical scales. Listening (CO) is scored out of 360, reading (CE) out of 300, and writing (EE) and speaking (EO) each out of 450. The official IRCC conversion to CLB/NCLC is:
| CLB / NCLC | CE (/300) | CO (/360) | EE (/450) | EO (/450) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10 | 263+ | 316+ | 393+ | 393+ |
| CLB 9 | 248–262 | 298–315 | 371–392 | 371–392 |
| CLB 8 | 233–247 | 280–297 | 349–370 | 349–370 |
| CLB 7 | 207–232 | 249–279 | 310–348 | 310–348 |
| CLB 6 | 181–206 | 217–248 | 271–309 | 271–309 |
| CLB 5 | 151–180 | 181–216 | 225–270 | 225–270 |
| CLB 4 | 121–150 | 145–180 | 181–224 | 181–224 |
Important: To claim a CLB level for Express Entry or any IRCC program, you must meet the minimum in all four sections. Your reported CLB is the lowest skill result.
Format and content differences
TCF Canada
- Compréhension Orale (CO) — 39 multiple-choice questions, 35 minutes. Short audio clips (conversations, announcements, news, interviews) with four answer options.
- Compréhension Écrite (CE) — 39 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes. Texts of varying length, from SMS-style messages (A1) to full articles (C2).
- Expression Écrite (EE) — 3 tasks, 60 minutes. Short message, article, and formal letter or argument piece.
- Expression Orale (EO) — 3 tasks, 12 minutes. Personal interview, information gathering, and opinion expression.
TEF Canada
- Compréhension Orale (CO) — 60 questions, 40 minutes. More varied task types including true/false and matching.
- Compréhension Écrite (CE) — 50 questions, 60 minutes. Multiple-choice plus some fill-in-the-blank.
- Expression Écrite (EE) — 2 tasks, 60 minutes. News article rewrite and argumentative essay.
- Expression Orale (EO) — 2 tasks, 15 minutes. Information gathering role-play and opinion persuasion.
Which exam should you choose?
For most candidates, the answer is: pick whichever you can schedule soonest at a nearby centre. Both are equally valid for IRCC. The practical deciding factors are usually:
- Seat availability in your city. TCF Canada seats are extremely scarce in Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver — often booked 2–3 months in advance. HiTCF provides a real-time TCF Canada seat monitor for these three cities. If TCF is sold out, TEF may have a slot sooner.
- Which format you have prepared for. Switching formats two weeks before the exam is a bad idea. If you have been doing TCF-style practice tests, stick with TCF.
- Exam centre proximity. Some Canadian cities offer only one of the two. Travelling 4+ hours to a different city adds cost and stress — often more than the minor format difference is worth.
Candidates sometimes ask whether taking both makes sense. It can — if you have the budget and time, a second attempt in a different format is a legitimate way to hedge against one bad day. IRCC will accept whichever valid result you submit.
How HiTCF helps (and what it does not cover)
HiTCF is built exclusively for TCF Canada preparation. It provides 1,306 test sets and 8,397 questions aligned to the official TCF Canada format: 42 listening sets with sentence-level audio timestamps, 42 reading sets with click-to-lookup vocabulary, 702 speaking topic sets with AI evaluation via Azure Speech and Grok, and 520 writing task sets with AI feedback on the 4-criteria TCF rubric.
HiTCF does not cover TEF Canada. The two exams differ enough in format (question styles, task counts, scoring scales) that TCF practice is not a substitute for TEF-specific preparation. If you are committed to TEF Canada, you will need a TEF-specific resource. HiTCF is the right choice if you have decided on TCF Canada and want the most complete bank of TCF-style practice questions with AI feedback.
Start practising TCF Canada on HiTCF →
Frequently asked questions
Does IRCC prefer TCF Canada over TEF Canada?
No. IRCC treats TCF Canada and TEF Canada as equally valid. Both map to the same CLB/NCLC scale, and both unlock the same Express Entry CRS points. The choice is purely practical — availability, cost, format preference.
Is TEF Canada the same as TEF?
No. "TEF" is a family of French proficiency tests administered by CCI Paris Île-de-France. TEF Canada is the version specifically configured for Canadian immigration. Other versions like TEFAQ (Quebec), TEF Naturalisation (French citizenship), and TEF for academic admission exist but are not interchangeable for IRCC purposes.
Which exam is shorter?
TCF Canada is slightly shorter overall (~2h 47min vs ~3h 10min for TEF Canada), but both are full half-day exams. Plan the whole morning or afternoon.
Can I retake either exam?
Yes. Both exams allow unlimited retakes, though most centres require a waiting period (typically 30 days) between attempts. There is no limit on how many times you can submit different results to IRCC over the validity period.
Which one gives me more CRS points?
Neither. Express Entry CRS points are based on CLB level, not on which exam you took to get there. CLB 7 in French is CLB 7 in French, regardless of whether it came from TCF Canada or TEF Canada. Claiming French as your first official language unlocks up to 50 extra CRS points for bilingual ability — the same for both exams.
Sources: France Éducation International — TCF Canada, CCI Paris Île-de-France — TEF Canada, IRCC — Test results and CLB levels. This guide is maintained by HiTCF, an independent TCF Canada practice platform. We are not affiliated with IRCC, FEI, or CCIP. Verify all thresholds and fees with the official sources before booking your exam.