TCF Canada: the complete guide to the test, the scores and the rules

TCF Canada is one of the 2 French tests IRCC accepts, and this guide covers all of it: what the test is, who needs it, the 4 sections, how IRCC turns the scores into NCLC levels, how long a result lasts, how to register and where the official free practice material is. To convert a result, use the TCF Canada score chart. Still choosing between the 2 French tests? Read TEF vs TCF Canada. For what the levels are worth, see CLB 7 in French and CLB 5 in French.

What is TCF Canada?

TCF Canada is the version of the Test de connaissance du français built for Canadian immigration. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) lists exactly 2 approved French tests for Express Entry, TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and sends TCF Canada candidates to the test’s page at France Éducation international [1]. France Éducation international is the French public body that issues the TCF, and the Québec government’s list of recognised French tests names it as the issuing body for TCF Canada [6][7].

IRCC measures French with the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), the French name for the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) [1]. Whatever you score on TCF Canada, IRCC reads it as an NCLC level in each of 4 abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing [1]. The level is what counts: IRCC’s points tables give the same points per NCLC level whichever of the 2 tests produced it [1].

Who needs TCF Canada?

The TCF Canada test is for anyone who wants French counted in an Express Entry profile or as proof of language for citizenship; for Express Entry the result must come from TEF Canada or TCF Canada [1]. The main cases are these.

Two things follow from the table. The French bonus and the French category both need every one of the 4 abilities at NCLC 7 [2][3], so a single weak section costs the whole bonus. And for citizenship only 2 abilities matter, speaking and listening [4].

Québec’s immigration ministry also recognises TCF Canada, alongside TCF Québec and the general TCF, on its list of accepted French tests [6]. That list is published on a page about immigration consultants, so for a Québec immigration application check the programme’s own page.

What is the TCF Canada exam format?

TCF Canada tests 4 abilities, and IRCC scores each one on its own [1]. The number of questions in each section and the time allowed are set by France Éducation international on its official TCF Canada page [8]. That page refused our access on 14 October 2026, so this guide does not repeat its figures; open it before you book, because it is the only source that can change them.

What IRCC’s own page does fix is the shape of the result: 4 scores, 2 of them on a short scale and 2 on a long one [1].

Speaking and writing use the short scale, listening and reading the long one [1]. Where TEF Canada publishes its section counts on a page we could open, TCF Canada does not, which is why the TEF vs TCF Canada comparison has a filled TEF column and an empty TCF one.

How is TCF Canada scored, and how does IRCC read it?

IRCC publishes one table that converts TCF Canada scores to NCLC levels 4 to “10 and above”, one column per ability [1]. NCLC 7, the level most Express Entry rules turn on, is this row [1]:

Every row from NCLC 4 to 10 is in the TCF Canada score chart. Three rules of reading apply [1]:

• Each ability is converted on its own. There is no overall TCF Canada level, and 3 strong sections do not lift a fourth.
• Listening and reading share a scale but not a table. NCLC 7 starts at 458 in listening and at 453 in reading [1].
• IRCC gives TCF Canada no special instruction about which column of the certificate to use. The “Équivalence ancien score” rule on the same page applies to TEF Canada only [1].

When you have your certificate, IRCC asks you to enter the results in your Express Entry profile, with the certificate number and test PIN if the system asks for them [1].

How long are TCF Canada results valid?

For Express Entry, your results must be less than 2 years old both when you complete your profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence [1]. IRCC states that if you apply with expired results it will refuse the application, so a candidate whose results expire before an invitation must retest, apply before they expire, or decline the invitation [1].

Citizenship works differently: IRCC’s proof page tells you to include your TCF Canada results “even if they’ve expired” [5]. Québec’s list applies its own rule, results less than 2 years old on the date you apply [6].

How do you register for TCF Canada?

You register with a test centre, not with IRCC. IRCC’s instruction is to “schedule your test with an agency approved by IRCC and pay the costs” [1], and the centre list and booking rules live on the official TCF Canada page at France Éducation international [8]. Fees vary by centre, so this guide quotes none; the official page and the centre you choose give the figure.

Two things the official page also sets, which this guide does not repeat because it could not open the page: how and when results are delivered, and the waiting period before you may sit the test again. On the waiting period, the sources we could see disagree, with 20, 30 and 60 days all reported, so go by the official page rather than any blog, including this one.

TCF Canada vs TCF, TCF Québec and TCF IRN

France Éducation international issues more than one TCF, and the names are close. Québec’s list of recognised tests names 3 of them with the same issuing body: TCF Québec, TCF Canada and the general TCF [6]. Only one of these is on IRCC’s Express Entry list, TCF Canada [1], and the citizenship proof page names TCF Canada too [5].

If your goal is Express Entry or citizenship, the version to book is the one called TCF Canada. A result from another version does not appear on IRCC’s lists [1][5].

Where is the official free TCF practice material?

TV5MONDE’s learning site hosts a free TCF simulator with 600 questions, presented as the TCF from France Éducation international [7]. It offers 17 training series, each with listening, language structure and reading questions, and a 90-minute test in what the site calls the same conditions as an official session [7]. It carries its own warning: results on the simulator do not guarantee the same level at the official TCF [7].

Two limits to know. The simulator’s series cover listening, language structure and reading, the sections of the general TCF [7]; it has no writing or speaking tasks, which are 2 of the 4 TCF Canada sections [1]. And its multiple-choice material trains the skill, not the exact TCF Canada paper, whose counts and timings the official page sets [8].

Common mistakes

• Booking the wrong TCF. IRCC lists TCF Canada, not TCF Québec or the general TCF [1][5].
• Treating listening and reading as one column. NCLC 7 is 458 in listening and 453 in reading [1].
• Counting on 3 strong sections. The French bonus and the French category need NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities [2][3].
• Letting results expire. Less than 2 years old at profile and at application, or IRCC refuses the application [1].
• Taking section counts and timings from a blog, including this one. The official page sets them [8]. Compare its date with the date at the top of this page.

Sources