TEF Canada: Format, Fees, Booking & Scores — The 2026 Guide

What is TEF Canada?

TEF Canada (Test d’évaluation de français) is a French proficiency exam run by Le français des affaires, part of the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce. IRCC accepts it as proof of French for Express Entry and other PR programs, and for Canadian citizenship. It tests reading, listening, writing and speaking.

Unlike a school exam, there is no pass or fail. You get a score for each of the four abilities, and those scores translate into NCLC levels (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens — the French twin of the CLB scale). Immigration programs then ask for a minimum NCLC level, not a minimum test score.

A few practical basics: you must be at least 16, no diploma is required, and the reading, listening and writing sections are done on a computer at an approved centre. Speaking is a recorded face-to-face conversation with an examiner. All four sections happen on the same day — the certificate isn’t recognized by Canadian authorities otherwise.

One naming trap: TEF Canada is not TEFAQ. TEFAQ is a separate version used for Quebec immigration. If your goal is Express Entry or citizenship, TEF Canada is the one to book.

Who accepts TEF Canada — and what a good score unlocks

IRCC accepts TEF Canada wherever French proficiency counts: Express Entry (as your first or second official language), French-language category draws, provincial programs, Francophone mobility work permits, and citizenship. NCLC 7 in all four abilities is the number that opens most doors.

Here is what strong French is actually worth in Express Entry right now:

• Up to 50 bonus CRS points. IRCC’s own rule: NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities plus CLB 5 or higher in all four English abilities earns 50 additional points. With CLB 4 or lower in English (or no English test), it’s 25 points.
• French-language category draws. Candidates with NCLC 7 in all four abilities qualify for category-based rounds of invitations that regularly invite at lower CRS cut-offs than general draws.
• Core language points. Your French can also be your primary language for up to 24 CRS points per ability — the NCLC bands in the table below set how many you get.
• Citizenship. Applicants aged 18–54 must prove NCLC 4+ in speaking and listening. A two-module TEF version (speaking + listening only) exists for exactly this.

If you’re building a PR plan around French points, our guide to learning French for Canadian PR walks through the CRS math step by step.

TEF Canada exam format in 2026

The exam has four mandatory sections — reading, listening, writing and speaking — taken the same day, totalling about 2 hours 55 minutes. Reading and listening are multiple-choice on a computer; writing is two typed tasks; speaking is a 15-minute recorded conversation with an examiner.

Source: Le français des affaires — official TEF Canada examination structure (checked August 18, 2026).

Two details people miss: in listening, each recording plays once and you can’t go back — train for that specifically. And wrong answers score zero, not negative, so never leave a multiple-choice question blank.

TEF Canada scores and CLB (NCLC) levels

TEF Canada is scored on a 699-point scale, but your attestation shows two columns: “Score / 699” and “Équivalence ancien score”. For Express Entry, IRCC uses only the ancien-score (previous score equivalency) column. Enter those numbers — entering the /699 scores can get an application refused.

This is IRCC’s current conversion table for those equivalency scores:

Source: IRCC, Express Entry language test results — TEF Canada equivalency (canada.ca, checked August 18, 2026).

What to aim for: NCLC 7 across all four abilities is the threshold for the 25/50 bonus points and French-category draws. NCLC 5 is enough for some Canadian Experience Class jobs (TEER 2–3) and several PNP streams. Results arrive roughly two weeks after test day, and they’re valid for two years — the clock matters both when you submit your profile and when you apply for PR.

How much does the TEF Canada exam cost?

There is no single national fee — each approved centre sets its own price. Published prices at Canadian centres currently range from about $300 to $450 for the full four-module exam; Toronto-area centres display the exact fee when you register. Retakes cost the full fee again.

Two examples to calibrate: Collège Nordique in Yellowknife publishes $300 for TEF Canada, while GTA centres typically price the four-module session higher — you’ll see the exact amount in Alliance Française’s online registration before paying. The two-module citizenship version costs less than the full four-module PR version.

Budget one more line item honestly: a retake. Plenty of strong candidates re-sit one section’s worth of performance — the fee is charged in full each time, which is the practical argument for preparing properly before your first booking rather than after your second.

How to book the TEF Canada exam (Toronto & GTA)

You register online directly with an approved centre — there’s no central booking site. In the Greater Toronto Area, Alliance Française runs TEF Canada at four locations: Spadina (downtown Toronto), Jim Doak (North York), Mississauga and Oakville. Registration opens in quarterly windows and popular dates fill fast.

The booking steps

1. Find your centre. Use the centre locator on lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr, or go straight to Alliance Française’s exam pages for the GTA.
2. Register online using the exact name on your valid passport — it’s the ID you’ll show on test day.
3. Pay the fee at registration to lock your seat. There’s no waiting list: when a session is full, it’s full.
4. Watch your email. The centre sends confirmation and instructions; check spam if nothing arrives within a week.

No, there’s no TEF centre in Brampton — Mississauga is the closest seat for Brampton candidates. If you’re starting your French from scratch out west of the city, our French classes in Brampton run online with the same TEF-first curriculum.

TEF vs TCF: which should you take?

Both are accepted by IRCC for Express Entry, so this is a strategy question, not an eligibility one. The honest short answer: the content difficulty is similar, and the right pick depends on format preferences — task style in writing and speaking, and how each test’s sessions are scheduled near you.

We keep a full, regularly updated comparison — structure, timing, scoring and which profile tends to do better on which test — in our guide TEF vs TCF: which is easier and which is best for Canada PR? If you’re leaning TCF and you’re in the GTA, see also the TCF Toronto guide.

Is the TEF Canada exam hard to pass?

There’s nothing to “pass” — TEF Canada measures your level, so the real question is how hard NCLC 7 is. It sits around a solid B2: you can argue a point, handle fast native audio, and write 200 structured words. For most learners starting near zero, that’s a 10–12 month project with consistent classes.

The exam itself adds its own difficulty on top of the language: one-play audio, strict timing, and writing tasks with expected formats. That’s why candidates at a genuine B2 level can still underperform on their first attempt — and why exam-specific training moves scores faster than general French practice once you’re past B1.

How to prepare for TEF Canada

Three things reliably move TEF scores: knowing the exact task formats before test day, timed practice with one-play audio, and feedback on your writing and speaking from someone who marks against the TEF’s own criteria. Free sample tasks exist on the official site; structured prep gets you to NCLC 7 faster.

• Start with the official materials. Le français des affaires publishes the test structure and free preparation resources — know every task type cold before you book.
• Read our full prep guide. TEF Canada: the preparation guide covers section-by-section tactics, score targets and study plans.
• Train with TEF specialists. Our B2 + TEF professional classes are built for exactly this exam, and our French classes in Toronto take you from any level to exam-ready — live, online, evenings and mornings.

TEF Canada: frequently asked questions