TEF Canada: the complete guide

The four tests

For immigration you take all four tests: reading, listening, writing and speaking. They must all be taken on the same day for the certificate to be recognized by Canadian authorities. For citizenship you only need two: listening and speaking.

Reading and listening

Both are on computer, with 40 four-option questions each. In reading you can move freely between questions. In listening, each recording plays once and you answer as you go, with no going back. A right answer earns 1 point; a wrong or blank answer earns 0. Practise both: reading and listening.

Writing and speaking

Writing is on computer, with a virtual keyboard for French accents: section A asks you to continue an article (at least 80 words in 25 minutes), section B to express and justify a point of view (at least 200 words in 35 minutes). Speaking is face to face with an examiner and recorded so it can be marked twice. See TEF Canada writing and TEF Canada speaking.

Scores and levels

Each test gets a score from 0 to 699, with a CEFR level (A1 to C2) and an NCLC level (1 to 12). There’s no pass or fail: what matters is whether your NCLC levels reach what your program asks for.

How to book the TEF Canada

1. 1

   Find an approved centre

   CCI Paris Île-de-France has around 500 official test centres in more than 110 countries. See our list of TEF Canada test centres in Canada.

2. 2

   Pre-register

   You pre-register online. The approved centre then completes your registration and tells you how to pay. Your registration isn’t final until you’ve paid.

3. 3

   Choose the right version

   Book all four tests in one session for immigration, or listening and speaking only for citizenship.

4. 4

   Bring the right ID

   Bring photo ID. For TEF Canada it must be the same ID you used to register and the one in your immigration or citizenship file.

How much does the TEF Canada cost?

CCI Paris Île-de-France doesn’t publish one price: each approved centre sets its fee and tells you how to pay. Ask two or three centres near you. If you’re exempt from a test, you only pay for the tests you take. An unjustified absence isn’t refunded; a justified one reported within a month can be moved once to another session.

Results and validity

• When: results are released within 1 to 10 business days of your test. Your centre is your main contact.
• How: you get an email with a link to an online digital safe to download your certificate. There’s no paper certificate.
• Validity: results are valid for two years. IRCC needs them to be less than 2 years old both when you create your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence.
• Retakes: you can take the test as often as you like, with a 20-day wait between sittings.
• Appeals: within 30 days of the certificate date, only for a problem or serious malfunction during the test. Report it to the supervisor on the day.