Booking the test
TEF Canada and TCF Canada results, and sitting again
Enter your test date to see when results are due at the latest and the first day you could sit again. Switch between TCF Canada and TEF Canada at the top.
Your report counts for IRCC until
September 25, 2028
| Days of validity left today | 700 |
| Results at the centre at the latest (10 working days, computer session) | October 9, 2026 |
| Earliest new sitting (30 days between sittings) | October 26, 2026 |
Working days skip weekends only, not public holidays. IRCC asks for results less than two years old both when you create the Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence.
TEF Canada results arrive 1 to 10 working days after the test, in digital form, according to the CCI Paris Île-de-France. For the TCF Canada, the candidate manual gives up to 10 working days for a session on computer and up to 15 on paper. The scores are not a simple count. On the TEF, each right answer in reading and listening earns one point, then the total is converted into a calibrated score on the 0 to 699 scale, and writing and speaking are marked by two examiners. On the TCF, reading and listening are reported on a 100 to 699 scale and writing and speaking out of 20. If you disagree with a TEF result, the CCI allows an appeal within 30 days. If a skill falls short of your target, a retake must wait: the TEF does not allow the same test again within 20 days, and the TCF manual sets 30 days between two sittings. The calendar above turns those rules into dates for your own test, counting weekdays only, without public holidays.
Charts, converters and questions by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How charts and questions are built
When the results arrive
| Test | Results | Next sitting | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEF Canada | 1 to 10 working days, digital | same test not within 20 days | within 30 days |
| TCF Canada (computer) | up to 10 working days | 30 days between sittings | not covered by our sources |
| TCF Canada (paper) | up to 15 working days | 30 days between sittings | not covered by our sources |
The figures come from the CCI results page, the CCI page on the score report and the TCF candidate manual. The calendar counts working days as Monday to Friday; it does not know the public holidays of your province or country.
How the scores are built
On the TEF Canada, the CCI gives one point per right answer in the multiple-choice tests, then converts the total into a calibrated score, which is why a raw count of right answers cannot be read as a TEF score. Writing and speaking are each marked by two examiners. On the TCF Canada, the manual describes a score from 100 to 699 for reading and listening, linked to CEFR levels, and a mark out of 20 for writing and speaking. IRCC then reads each skill on its own chart: the TEF score page and the TCF score page convert yours.
Reading the TEF report for Express Entry
A TEF Canada report shows the score out of 699 and a column headed "équivalence ancien score". IRCC and the CCI ask candidates to type that second column in the Express Entry profile, because the 699 scale is not compatible with the profile system. Reports issued for tests from 11 December 2023 to 6 May 2024 were affected by a temporary change in the CCI calculation; the CCI says those candidates may update their profile.
Sitting again: what the waiting rules mean
The TEF rule applies to each test separately: it stops you from repeating, say, writing within 20 days of your last writing test. Whether your centre lets you book one test alone, and at what price, depends on the centre. The TCF rule is broader: 30 days between two sittings. In both cases the waiting time is a minimum, not a recommendation. Our suggestion: use the weeks in between to work on the weak skill with the writing practice, the speaking practice or the mock sections, rather than booking the first date allowed. A new sitting can also come out lower than the previous one.
Before booking a retake
Check three things. First, whether you need it at all: compare each skill on the report you hold with your target, and check how long that report remains valid. Second, the cost: the cost page adds up fees, sittings and travel. Third, your deadline: enter it in the calendar to see the last test date whose results would arrive in time. The validity page explains the two dates IRCC checks.