TCF Canada · TEF Canada · Express Entry
Two practice apps, one for each French test IRCC accepts for Express Entry. Practise all four skills in the real format and timing, get AI feedback on your writing and speaking, and follow an estimated NCLC level for each skill.
Free to start · iPhone, iPad and Android · English or French
Get the TCF Canada app on Google Play: 78 questions free Get the TCF Canada app on the App Store: 78 questions free Get the TEF Canada app on Google Play: 80 questions free
Two apps
Each app follows a single test exactly, with its own free tier and its own subscription. Install the one for the test you are booking.
For TCF Canada from France Éducation International: all four skills in the real format and timing.
Format and scoring guide (TCF Canada)
For TEF Canada from CCI Paris Île-de-France: all four skills in the real format, on the ancien score scale IRCC uses.
Format and scoring guide (TEF Canada)
Coming soon App StoreNot sure which test to book? Compare TCF Canada and TEF Canada
Inside the apps
The same practice engine in both apps, with each test’s own tasks, timing and IRCC chart.
Scroll sideways to see every screen.
Questions that get harder as you go, as in the real test, with an explanation for every answer choice in English or French. Transcripts appear after you answer.
Timed tasks with a word counter and model answers at NCLC 7 and 9. Optional AI feedback rates task, coherence, vocabulary and grammar and suggests corrections.
Timed tasks with preparation time. In the interactive tasks, an AI examiner plays the other person using your phone’s French voice.
Full timed mocks for each test, with results per section and an estimated NCLC range.
A mistake journal and scheduled review of the questions you missed or guessed.
An estimated NCLC level for each skill against your target, with your weakest sub-skills and a daily plan.
NCLC levels in the apps are estimates to guide your practice. Only your official test results count for IRCC.
The tests
IRCC accepts both tests for Express Entry and converts every skill to an NCLC level. Here is how their formats compare.
| Section | TCF Canada | TEF Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 39 questions · 35 min | 40 questions · 40 min |
| Reading | 39 questions · 60 min | 40 questions · 60 min |
| Writing | 3 tasks · 60 min | 2 sections · 60 min |
| Speaking | 3 tasks · 12 min | 2 sections · 15 min |
| Format | Paper or computer (by centre); speaking face to face | Computer; speaking face to face |
| Wait before a retake | 20 days | 20 days |
| Results valid for | 2 years | 2 years |
TCF Canada or TEF Canada: the full comparisonNCLC and CLB conversion tables
Plans
C$0
Android · Google Play Canada
Google Play list prices in Canada. Google Play shows the price for your country, and whether the free trial applies to you, before you confirm. On iPhone and iPad, the App Store shows its own price before you confirm. A subscription renews automatically until you cancel it in your store account. With the free trial, you are charged when the trial ends unless you cancel before then. Each app has its own subscription: Premium in the TCF Canada app does not unlock the TEF Canada app, or the reverse.
Guides
Checked against IRCC and the test publishers, with the date of our last check on each guide. All guides and free tools
The four sections and their timing, the writing and speaking tasks, how scores convert to NCLC, booking, results and a study plan.
The four tests and their timing, the two scores on your certificate and which one IRCC uses, NCLC ranges and a study plan.
IRCC’s charts for both tests, the scores that reach NCLC 7, 8 and 9, and how NCLC and CLB relate.
The TCF Canada and TEF Canada scores that reach NCLC 7 in each skill, and what NCLC 7 unlocks in Express Entry.
The lowest TCF Canada and TEF Canada scores for each program, the French points and the French draws, with the 2026 draw cut-offs.
The two tests side by side: format, speaking tasks, scoring, results, retakes, and how to decide which to book.
Minimum levels by program, CRS points per ability, the 25 or 50 additional points for French and French-language draws.
Which French tests IRCC accepts for citizenship, the B1 listening and speaking level it asks for, and when your PR test result already counts.
Free official samples, what to compare before you pay for an app, and the red flags to avoid.
The four-skill French requirement and a focused practice plan.
Use official French results to decide whether English practice is useful next.
Formats, timings and NCLC ranges on this site come from the test publishers and from IRCC. We recheck them before each release.
IRCC
Express Entry language results and the NCLC equivalency tables
IRCC: Express Entry language test resultsFrance Éducation International
TCF Canada: sections, timing, scores and retakes
France Éducation International: TCF Canada (the French page is the most current)CCI Paris Île-de-France
TEF Canada: tests, timing, scores and retakes
CCI Paris Île-de-France: TEF CanadaLast checked: .
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NCLC stands for Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, the 12-level scale Canada uses for French. It is the French name of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). IRCC converts each of your four TCF Canada or TEF Canada scores to an NCLC level, and programs set their minimums in those levels.
IRCC accepts both for Express Entry and converts both to NCLC levels, so neither is worth more. They differ in format: TEF Canada reading, listening and writing are on computer, while TCF Canada can be on paper or computer depending on the centre. Most people choose by centre location and available dates.
No. NCLC Ready is independent practice material and is not affiliated with France Éducation International, which runs TCF Canada, or with CCI Paris Île-de-France, which runs TEF Canada. All questions are original, and scores in the apps are estimates.
Each test has its own app, so everything in it matches one format: TCF Canada Prep: NCLC Ready for TCF Canada, and TEF Canada Prep: NCLC Ready for TEF Canada. Install the one for the test you are booking. A subscription covers only the app you buy it in.
On Google Play in Canada, Premium costs C$9.99 for 1 month, C$19.99 for 3 months or C$39.99 for 12 months. Only the 3-month plan has a 7-day free trial, for eligible new subscribers. On iPhone and iPad, the App Store shows its own price before you confirm. Outside Canada, the store shows your local price before you confirm.
No. Speech is transcribed on your device, and the audio is never saved or uploaded. The app creates no voiceprint.
10 original TCF Canada and 10 TEF Canada reading questions, with an explanation for every answer choice. No sign-up, and your answers are not sent or saved.