On TCF Canada exam day, bring an original, valid photo ID (many centres ask for your passport) and your convocation, and arrive at the exact time it shows: late candidates aren't admitted. You'll sit the listening, reading and writing tests in a group, plus a 12-minute face-to-face speaking test with an examiner (before or after, depending on the centre), and you'll be photographed for IRCC.
This guide walks you through the day in order, from what to put in your bag to what happens after you leave, using France Éducation international's (FEI) candidate rules and the instructions of real test centres. Rules can differ slightly between centres, so your convocation always has the final word.
- Total test time (4 tests)
- 2 h 47
- Speaking, face to face
- 12 min
- Group tests + speaking
- 3 + 1
- Working days for results
- 15
What to bring to the TCF Canada
Pack the night before. FEI's rules leave very little on your desk.
- An original photo ID, valid on the day. FEI says digital versions aren't accepted, and a second ID can be asked for if your photo is hard to match. Centres set their own list: Alliance Française de Delhi requires your passport, Alliance Française de Calgary asks for two valid IDs (at least one with a photo), and Alliance Française de Toronto accepts a passport, driver's licence or national ID card that shows your date of birth. Our advice: bring the ID you registered with, plus a second one.
- Your convocation. It gives your date, times and room. Some centres, such as Alliance Française de Delhi, want a printed copy.
- A blue or black pen, essential on paper sessions, where you mark answers on an answer sheet.
Anything else, from your phone to your notes, goes in the place the supervisor shows you. On the desk you keep only your ID, your convocation and a pen.
Arrival and check-in
Arrive at the time on your convocation, not the start time of the first test. FEI's rule is strict: no candidate is accepted after the exam material has been handed out, and nobody is admitted once the listening test has started.
At the door, a supervisor checks your ID, and you sign the attendance sheet (feuille d'émargement). For the TCF Canada, a supervisor also takes your photo, at IRCC's request.
Once everyone is seated, the supervisor explains the format of the tests, the instructions, the total duration, the sanctions for cheating and when results will be available. Listen carefully: it's the last moment to ask a practical question.
The order of the tests
The listening, reading and writing tests are taken in a group. Speaking is individual, with an examiner.
| Test | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (compréhension orale) | 35 min | 39 multiple-choice questions, each recording played once |
| Reading (compréhension écrite) | 60 min | 39 multiple-choice questions |
| Writing (expression écrite) | 60 min | 3 tasks, minimum and maximum word counts |
| Speaking (expression orale) | 12 min | 3 tasks face to face, including 2 min of preparation |
The order isn't the same everywhere. Alliance Française de Calgary lists listening, reading, writing, then speaking. Alliance Française de Toronto's page lists reading before listening. At Alliance Française de Delhi, candidates are assigned to a slot where speaking comes either after or before the group tests. Your convocation tells you which applies to you.
If you want to know what each test looks like in detail, see the TCF Canada practice test hub.
Breaks and leaving the room
Don't count on a break between the group tests: FEI's rules don't mention one, so plan water and the bathroom before you go in.
- During listening, you can't leave the room at all.
- During the other group tests, you need the supervisor's permission to step out, and you don't get extra time. FEI's candidate rights also allow you to leave the room for good after the first hour.
- Centres add their own rules. Alliance Française de Delhi, for example, allows no food or drink in the exam room and lets candidates reach their belongings only between the group tests and the speaking preparation, if there's a wait.
Computer or paper: what changes
Each centre decides whether it runs the TCF Canada on paper or on computer. Speaking is always face to face.
On computer, FEI's application runs on the centre's machines: it isn't an online test, and you still go to the centre. Listening is done with a headset, questions and answer choices appear on the same screen, and you click to answer. FEI says multiple-choice results come faster: 10 working days instead of 15. For writing, Alliance Française de Calgary notes that French accents are available on FEI's platform.
On paper, you get a booklet and an answer sheet with your name. Write nothing in the booklet: only the answer sheet counts, and both are collected at the end. For writing, you receive draft paper, but the draft is destroyed and only what you write in the booklet is marked. Write legibly, because illegible handwriting is one of the reasons FEI can rate a script "A1 non atteint" (below A1).
The writing test: three rules that catch people out
- Stay inside the word counts. Each task has a minimum and a maximum. A task outside its range, a missing task, an off-topic answer or sentences copied from the documents can all lead to "A1 non atteint".
- Never use your real name. FEI requires anonymity: don't sign your answers, and use a made-up name if a task asks you to sign a letter.
- Do all three tasks. You have 60 minutes for the three, with no separate timing per task. Our writing task 3 guide shows how to plan the hardest one.
The speaking test with the examiner
Speaking takes place in a separate room, one candidate and one examiner. It goes like this:
- Identity. The examiner asks for your surname and first name and repeats them for the recording.
- Instructions. The examiner explains how the test works.
- Task 1, guided interview (2 min, no preparation). You talk about yourself with someone you don't know.
- Task 2, interaction (5 min 30, including 2 min of preparation). You get a role-play situation and ask the examiner questions to get information. On paper sessions, FEI gives you draft paper for your notes.
- Task 3, expressing a point of view (4 min 30, no preparation). You answer a question chosen by the examiner and defend your opinion.
- Recording check. The whole interview is recorded. At the end, the examiner checks in front of you that the recording worked.
The examiner gives a first rating. The recording is then sent to FEI for a second, independent evaluation. To rehearse the format, try our speaking task 2 examples and the TCF Canada speaking practice.
Notes, phones and what counts as cheating
During the tests, no object, tool or document is allowed: no books, dictionaries, notes, rulers, calculators, phones, or listening, recording or photo devices. FEI lists the actions it treats as fraud, including:
- using a phone or smartwatch, or any device for listening to audio
- talking to other candidates or copying from a neighbour
- using paper other than what the centre gives you
- photographing the test or recording the audio
- having someone else take the test for you, or using false ID
The test content is confidential, even after the exam. Sharing questions online or on social media is forbidden. Sanctions range from cancelled results to a ban of up to five years, and fraud can also lead to criminal proceedings.
If something goes wrong
- You're sick or can't get there. FEI allows a refund or a postponement of your fee for illness, a public transport problem, a strike, the death of a relative or a work obligation, as long as you send proof to your centre within a month of the session. Without a valid reason, a missed or late session is lost.
- The audio or computer has a problem. Raise your hand straight away and tell the supervisor, before the next item plays. A problem reported after the test is much harder to fix.
- You need adjustments for a disability. Tell your centre when you register, with a medical certificate, so the adjustments can be arranged before the day.
- You disagree with your writing or speaking mark. You can ask for a re-evaluation of the speaking and/or writing tests within one month after the centre receives the attestations. The result can go down as well as up.
After the exam
FEI says results are available in your TCF-Candidat account within 15 working days after it receives the session material, or 10 working days for multiple-choice tests taken on a computer. Centres often quote a few weeks in total, so allow for that in your plans. Our guide to TCF Canada results explains how to read your attestation.
Your attestation is valid for two years from the date results are issued. For Express Entry, IRCC requires results less than two years old both when you create your profile and when you apply for permanent residence. If you need to retake, FEI requires 20 days between two sittings.
Pick your test date below to see when your results should arrive, when you could retake and when your results expire.
Exam date planner
Pick your test and date to see your countdown, when to sit full mock tests, and the key dates after the exam.
Choose a test date to build your timeline.
Results delays and retake rules come from the test owners; your centre may differ. Mock-test dates are our suggestion.
Once you have your scores, convert them with the NCLC score converter or check every band in the TCF Canada score chart.
Your exam-day checklist
One week before
Reread your convocation: address, times, the ID it asks for, paper or computer. Plan your route and a backup. Do a final full timed mock test to rehearse the order and the pace.
The night before
Put your ID (plus a second one), printed convocation and two blue or black pens in your bag. Stop studying early and sleep.
The morning
Eat, drink water and use the bathroom before check-in. Arrive at the time on the convocation. Switch your phone off before you reach the room.
In the room
Listen to the supervisor's briefing, check your headset if you're on computer, answer every multiple-choice question and keep an eye on the word counts in writing.
Our TCF Canada listening tips cover the strategy for the first test of the day. If you're still choosing between the two tests, the TCF Canada vs TEF Canada comparison explains how the TEF day differs. Print the free TCF and TEF exam day checklist and keep it open the night before.
What to do next
Know your level before you book
Take the free 10-question French level check.
Rehearse the real day
Sit a full timed mock test in the TCF Canada order, then find a session at one of the TCF Canada test centres or check upcoming exam dates. Our guide on how to book the TCF Canada walks you through registration.
Fix your weakest skill
Practise the skill your mock test flagged. For unlimited practice and detailed writing and speaking feedback, see our plans.
Our take
Exam day rewards the boring things: the right ID, a printed convocation, arriving on time and knowing the order of the tests. Get those right and your energy goes where it counts, into the French. Read your convocation twice, rehearse with a full mock test, and walk in knowing exactly what will happen.