TCF French Exam Preparation in Paris

The TCF is a French proficiency test for non-native speakers

It helps you evaluate and have your level of proficiency certified for personal, professional or academic reasons

The TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is designed by the CIEP (Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques) and accredited by the French Ministry of Education

The TCF exam is a proof of proficiency in the French language that is accepted by:

• most prestigious universities both in France and abroad.
• the Canadian immigration authorities if you wish to migrate to Quebec, Canada.
• the Quebec government if you wish to be a Consultant en Immigration du Canada

At The French Class in Paris, we can help you prepare the TCF.

You can have two types of TCF French Exam Preparation in Paris (Test de Connaissance du Français)

• The TCF for French nationality is for those who must justify their level of French when applying for French nationality.
• The TCF Tout public, for those who wish to assess their French language skills for personal, academic or professional reasons (compulsory tests only).

Since 1 January 2012, candidates for French nationality must prove that they have mastered French to the B1 level “oral” (i.e. in activities such as “listening”, “spoken interaction” , “spoken production”) defined by the Common European Framework of Reference.

For the TCF, this B1 level in French is achieved when the candidate obtains both:

• a score of at least 300 points for the listening examination;
• a score of at least 6/20 for the speaking examination.

Each candidate will receive an Attestation (Certificate) indicating his level of knowledge of the French language. The TCF Certificate is valid for 2 years.

TCF Test Structure

The TCF is a multiple-choice test with 80 items that cover:

• Reading comprehension(30 items) – TCF Comprehension écrite
• Grammatical structures (20 items) – TCF Structures de la langue
• Listening comprehension (30 items) – TCF Compréhension orale

It also includes 2 optional tests:

• Writing (1.45 hours) – TCF Expression écrite
• Speaking (15 minutes) – TCF Expression orale

TCF Levels

The TCF Test grades and ranks candidates at one of the 6 levels of proficiency defined by the Council of Europe (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Based on their scores, candidates are placed in one of the levels below.

TCF Test Centres

You can check out the Approved TCF Test Centres

How do I prepare?

The aim of the TCF is to evaluate, at a given moment, the ability of a candidate to use French for general purposes in social, holiday, professional or academic situations.
No specific preparation is required, as in theory language practice of any kind prepares candidates for taking the test: radio, television, press, conversation, etc.

However, there are a few resources that can help you to familiarise yourself with the test format:

• Sample questions that can be viewed on this site
• The guide for candidates, which can be downloaded in pdf format
• The official guide to the TCF – published by Editions Didier
• The “Nouvel Entraînez-vous” – 250 activités – TCF – Clé International
• Test de connaissance du français – publish by Belin
• Réussir le TCF – published by éditions de l’École Polytechnique
• Réussir le TCF pour l’accès à la nationalité française – published by Éditions Didier
• ABC TCF – published by Editions CLE International
• The Editions Didier website
• Training for the TCF oral speaking examination on the RFI website
• Familiarise yourself with the questions of the TCF sessions on the TV5Monde website.

Contact Caroline to know more about her TCF French Exam Preparation in Paris