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Definition

What the TCF is, in plain terms

If you have been told to sit the TCF and nobody explained what it actually is, this page is the short answer, taken from the organization that runs it.

Checked August 8, 2026

TCF, in one paragraph

The TCF, or Test de connaissance du français, is the French Ministry of Education's own language test, run by France Éducation international. It measures general French for people whose first language is not French, and it reports a CEFR level for each paper rather than a pass or a fail.

The short version

Run by
France Éducation international, the public operator of the French Ministry of Education.
What it is
A test, not a diploma. It reports the level you reached, and nobody fails it.
Levels covered
Six, from A1 to C2, defined against the Council of Europe's framework.
Papers
Three compulsory multiple-choice papers, listening, language structures and reading, plus optional writing and speaking papers.
Validity
Two years from the date the results are issued. The end date is printed on the attestation.
Results
Within 15 working days of France Éducation international receiving the session material, or 10 working days for a computer sitting of the multiple-choice papers alone.

What the TCF is for

It is aimed at anyone aged 16 or over whose first language is not French and who needs their level assessed, for study, for work, or for a personal reason. Because it is the education ministry's own test, it is recognized by the higher-education ministry, the interior ministry's integration and nationality directorate, the culture ministry, Québec's immigration ministry, universities and language-training bodies.

What is in the exam

Three compulsory multiple-choice papers: listening, 29 questions in 25 minutes; language structures, 18 questions in 15 minutes; reading, 29 questions in 45 minutes. Two further papers are optional and you add them when your procedure needs them: writing, three tasks in 60 minutes, and speaking, three tasks in 12 minutes face to face with an examiner. On a computer sitting the multiple-choice section carries 91 items, 15 of which are trial items that do not count toward your score.

How the scoring works

Comprehension papers are scored on a scale that runs to 699 and each expression paper is marked out of 20, with different cut-offs for the same level, which is why a certificate can show a number in the hundreds next to a mark out of 20. A comprehension score at or below 100 is reported as A1 not reached rather than as a level. An overall level is only calculated when the multiple-choice, speaking and writing papers are taken in the same session.

Which version you need

The TCF tout public is the general version. Other versions exist for specific procedures, including TCF Canada for Canadian immigration files and versions built for integration, residence and nationality. They share the level grid; what changes is the range of levels reported and which papers you must sit. The procedure you are in names the version it wants.

Where you sit it, and what it costs

Sessions run all year and approved centers organize them according to their own capacity, which is exactly why availability differs so much from one city to the next. France Éducation international publishes no price: it tells candidates to contact the nearest approved center, which sets the dates, the registration procedure, the venue, the paper or computer format, and the fee. You can retake the TCF tout public as often as you like, with 20 days between sittings.

What the TCF is not

It is not a diploma. The diplomas are the DELF and the DALF, awarded per level and valid for life. A TCF attestation stops counting two years after the results were issued. And a TCF Canada result is read by Canadian immigration against the Canadian Language Benchmarks, not against the CEFR, so the level on your attestation is not the number your Express Entry profile uses.

Sources

Everything above is what the organization behind the term publishes about it, read on the date shown. None of it is our interpretation.

Questions people actually ask

Is the TCF a diploma?

No. It is a test that reports a level and expires after two years. The French diplomas are the DELF and the DALF, which you pass at a chosen level and keep for life.

Which version should I sit?

The one your procedure names. TCF Canada for a Canadian immigration file, the integration, residence and nationality versions for those files, and TCF tout public for study or for a general assessment of your level.

How long is a TCF valid?

Two years from the date the results are issued, and the attestation prints that end date. For a Canadian file, IRCC separately requires results less than two years old when you complete your profile and when you apply.

How much does the TCF cost?

There is no published national price. The approved center where you register sets the fee, along with the dates and the format, so ask the centers near you directly.

Where does the free Fennec360 exam fit in?

It gives you a CEFR level in French in about 50 minutes, free, so you know roughly where you stand before you pay for a TCF session. It is not a TCF result and no authority accepts it as one.

Not sure which level you are at yet?

Take a free CEFR exam and find out. About 50 minutes, four languages, no appointment and no card.

Take the free exam

Our exam gives you a CEFR level and a certificate anyone can verify. It does not replace any official exam.