Are wrong answers penalised in TCF Canada?
Checked November 1, 2026
No. In the two multiple-choice tests, listening and reading, only right answers count. A wrong answer and a blank both score 0 points, so there is no penalty for guessing.
Here is how the score works.
- Both tests have 39 questions, each with 4 options and one correct answer.
- The number of right answers is converted to a score from 100 to 699, and the scale takes each question’s difficulty into account.
- So you cannot work out your score by counting your correct answers, and FEI does not give back the number of right answers either.
That leads to three rules.
- Answer every question, even the ones you are unsure about. Leaving one empty can only cost you.
- Questions get harder as the test goes on, so do not linger on a difficult one. Reading allows about 1.5 minutes per question (60 minutes for 39).
- In listening, each recording plays once, so make your choice when the recording ends.
This applies to listening and reading only. Writing and speaking are not multiple choice, and correctors mark them out of 20.
For how the whole exam is scored, see the TCF Canada score chart.