Booking the test
Preparing for the TEF Canada or the TCF Canada
Enter the weeks left and the hours you can give each week: the plan shows your total, the time per skill and how many timed sections to fit in. Then follow the steps below.
My preparation plan
Total hours
40
| Per skill (four) | 10.0 h |
| Mock sections to schedule | 4 |
Equal split: our suggestion, not an official rule.
Preparing for the TEF Canada or the TCF Canada starts with a number, not with a textbook. For the Federal Skilled Worker program and the Express Entry French-language category, the number is NCLC 7 in each of the four skills; for citizenship it is NCLC 4 in listening and speaking, which IRCC expresses as CEFR B1 on the TEF and TCF. Each skill has its own threshold: NCLC 7 starts at 434 in TEF reading but at 456 in TEF speaking, and at 10 out of 20 in TCF writing. Once the target is set, check your level in reading and listening with our practice sets, then spread your hours across the four skills, giving more to the weakest. The plan above splits them evenly by default, which is only our starting suggestion. In the final weeks, work in exam conditions: timed sections of 40 reading questions in 60 minutes for the TEF or 39 for the TCF, and writing and speaking tasks against the clock. No preparation guarantees a score, and the official scoring is calibrated by the test bodies, so keep a margin above your target.
Charts, converters and questions by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How charts and questions are built
Step 1: fix your target
Start from the level your program asks, listed on the IRCC language requirements page and detailed on our level by program page. For the Federal Skilled Worker program and the French-language category, the reference is NCLC 7 in every skill. Here is where that level begins in each test, on IRCC's charts:
| Skill | TEF Canada (0 to 699) | TCF Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 434 | 453 |
| Writing | 428 | 10/20 |
| Listening | 434 | 458 |
| Speaking | 456 | 10/20 |
For citizenship, the target is NCLC 4 in listening and speaking only. For French procedures, levels follow the CEFR (A2, B1, B2): see the CEFR level page.
Step 2: measure where you stand
Take two or three unfiltered sets in the reading practice and the listening practice. Each set gives a result per CEFR level and, at the end, a rough indication of our own (the highest level with at least two thirds right). It is not a test score, but it shows whether you are far from B2, where NCLC 7 in reading and listening sits on both tests. For writing and speaking, do one timed task each in the writing practice and speaking practice, and be honest with the checklist.
Step 3: build a weekly plan
The calculator at the top multiplies weeks by hours, splits the total evenly across the four skills and suggests a number of timed mock sections. The even split is our starting point, not a rule: move hours towards the skill furthest from its target. Short, regular sessions are easier to keep up than long, rare ones, in our view. Plan your mock sections in the second half of the period, when they measure progress rather than a starting point.
Step 4: train under exam conditions
The tests are timed and the clock changes how you read and listen. The TEF Canada mock runs 40 reading questions in 60 minutes and 40 listening questions in 40; the TCF Canada mock uses 39 and 39 questions in 60 and 35 minutes. The calculator under the summary shows how many seconds each question gets. For writing, respect the lengths (80 and 200 words at least on the TEF, ranges on the TCF); for speaking, stop when the timer stops. Formats come from the CCI and the TCF manual.
Step 5: book, then keep a margin
Book once your practice results are near the target, at a date that leaves room for results and, if needed, a second attempt: see the registration page. Aim slightly above the threshold: the official scores are calibrated by the test bodies and our questions are written by Radif Partners, not taken from any test, so they cannot predict an exact score. The NCLC 7 page gives the full table of scores to aim for, and the review page keeps your missed questions until you get them right.