TCF Canada exam format, tests, length and questions
Checked November 1, 2026
TCF Canada has four mandatory tests and takes 2 hours 47 in total. Listening takes 35 minutes, reading 60, writing 60 and speaking 12. Listening and reading are 39 multiple-choice questions each, and writing and speaking are three tasks each. The test is run by France Éducation international (FEI), and everything below follows FEI’s description.
Tests, timing and number of questions
| Test | Format | Time | Questions or tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening (compréhension orale) | Group session, multiple choice, 4 options, one correct answer | 35 min | 39 questions |
| Reading (compréhension écrite) | Group session, multiple choice, 4 options, one correct answer | 60 min | 39 questions |
| Writing (expression écrite) | Group session, three texts to write | 60 min | 3 tasks |
| Speaking (expression orale) | One-to-one with an examiner | 12 min, including 2 min preparation | 3 tasks |
The four times add up to 167 minutes (35 + 60 + 60 + 12), the 2 h 47 FEI quotes. FEI calls all four tests mandatory. TCF Québec is different, because you choose which tests to take.
Each test has its own guide, for writing, speaking and listening and reading.
Paper or computer
You can sit the TCF on paper or on computer. Every test except speaking can be taken on computer. Speaking is always face to face with an examiner. Ask the test centre which format applies when you book, at the same time as dates and price.
Some other versions of the TCF add unscored questions to the computer-based listening and reading. FEI’s manual does not say this for TCF Canada, where FEI gives 39 questions in each of the two tests.
How the tests are scored
Listening and reading count correct answers only. A wrong answer and a blank both score 0, with no penalty, so answer every question. A scale that accounts for each question’s difficulty turns your number of correct answers into a score between 100 and 699.
Writing and speaking each get a mark out of 20. The results sheet also gives a CEFR level for each skill, from “A1 not reached” to C2.
Each writing paper is marked twice, independently. In speaking, the examiner at the centre marks the test and a second corrector listens to the recording. Since October 2024, one of the two corrections can be done by an automated process called FIDELIA. FEI says it never relies on automated processing alone, and adds a human marking if the two marks differ significantly.
There is no pass mark. The result is a level, and the body that receives your attestation (IRCC, for example) decides whether that level is enough. FEI does not send back annotated papers or advice on improving, and it does not tell you how many answers you got right.
For economic immigration, what counts is your NCLC level in each skill. NCLC 7 starts at 458 in listening, 453 in reading and 10/20 in writing and speaking. The score chart lists every band, and NCLC 7 at TCF Canada looks at that threshold.
On the day
- Bring valid photo ID (passport, residence permit or national ID card), your convocation and a blue or black pen. You give your passport number at registration for TCF Canada.
- You are photographed on site. Without the photo you get no results.
- Dictionaries, notes and phones are not allowed during the test.
- Late arrivals are not admitted and not refunded, except in a force majeure case. Nobody enters once the listening test has started, and nobody leaves during it.
- If something goes wrong during the test, report it to the centre the same day, right after the test.
After the exam
Results, validity and retakes covers when results arrive, the two-year validity of the attestation and the retake rules. To plan your study test by test, see how to prepare for TCF Canada.