r/Frenchlearningforpr

I've been struggling to decide which of the two I should choose. Here's what I have so far

TCF Canada

Pros:

• simpler EO: overall much shorter. Task 1 can be prepared beforehand, Task 2 has two minutes of prep to formulate the questions and Task 3 is relatively shorter at 4:30mins long (compared to TEF).
• lots of mock exams available online for CE & CO: not too much of a pro personally. I think I can manage NCLC 7 in any case.

Cons:

• only available in Delhi and Bengale (not going to write the paper version)
• costlier, have to budget extra for travel and hotel

TEF Canada

Pros:

• available in my city: this is honestly the main reason I'm even considering TEF. I can avoid booking flights, a hotel reservation, taking a couple days off work. Savings in terms of cost and time.
• can book a slot quite soon: TEF slots are available for exams in a couple week. Compared to TCF in New Delhi where the slots are sold out in minutes and Kolkata where it's available only for August.
• EE has only two tasks

Cons:

• EO is far more difficult

Even though TCF might be simpler, the thought of having to travel to another city just for an exam is making me consider TEF. The problem is I don't see a lot of people online talking about the TEF. Everyone seems to be preparing for the TCF.

Which one have you guys chosen?

I’ve been studying French for around 2 months for the TCF Canada exam. I already finished a lot of grammar, but now I feel confused about what I should focus on next to reach B2.

What resources, study methods, or daily practice helped you improve the most? Should I focus more on listening, speaking, shadowing, vocabulary, or something else?

I would really appreciate any advice from people who prepared for TCF Canada or reached B2. Thanks!

After two failed trials of TEF CANADA (Expression Orale: 5 and 6 respectively), I took TCF CANADA and got C2 in Compréhension Orale, C1 in Compréhension Écrite, and finally B2 in Expression Écrite (13/20) and Expression Orale (12/20).

As the process was upsetting at times and psychologically challenging, I would like to share my experience and compare the two exams with you guys.

So, this whole process took around 9 months. I started at a level close to low A2.

I will mainly focus on Expression Orale, as all the other sections were already OK for me in TEF as well, even within 5 months. Firstly, TCF seems a bit harder at first glance, particularly with regard to Tâche 3, where you need to defend or refute a statement non-stop for 4.5 minutes from different perspectives and in a formal register.

However, for me, TCF ended up being easier because preparing for this task is more manageable compared to the second part of TEF, where you need to improvise and give instant responses to different questions. Also, there are around 6–7 general topic spheres, and although the specific questions can be limitless, you can still reuse your ready-made vocabulary and phrase structures for the same main themes while improvising a bit.

Secondly, for Tâche 2, unlike the first part of TEF, you have two minutes of preparation time to get your questions ready, which is a huge advantage if you are someone like me who gets stressed in instant oral expression situations.

On top of that, I did all the RFI and TV5 practices, as well as modules from some other well-known websites for Compréhension Orale, and the questions were generally either the same as or very similar to those practice samples. Some people say the same goes for Compréhension Écrite as well, but I did not even do a single sample for that section since I focused more on the productive skills.

With regard to writing, youtube videos and chatgpt did the job for me. TEF could be a bit easier in this section; however, TCF writing is not hard too.

Overall, I would say it is definitely doable within 6–9 months if you already have a solid A1 or somewhat A2 level. Preparing specifically for the exam format is crucial; however, you cannot really succeed without speaking and writing regularly and building a decent foundation in vocabulary and grammar.

Practice with AI and with real people in real situations in order to overcome hesitation and the stress of making sudden transitions between ideas and vocabulary during oral expression.

One last recommandation; you need to listen to radio, watch news, videos and speak as a daily routine to overcome getting blocked and to become somewhat fluent. There are limitless free sources for watching and listening. Chatgpt helped me a lot for writing, and for speaking to a certain level. As per other speaking practices; mirroring helps improve and determine your weaknesses, recording your voice and correcting every time as well.

Wish you all the best within this challenge,

Hi everyone,

I recently passed A2.2 with Alliance Française and I’d say I’m currently at an early A2 level. My long-term goal is to reach CLB 7 French.

Right now, I practice regularly with resources like RFI, InnerFrench, and Français Authentique, which have been really helpful for listening and comprehension. However, I feel like I’ve reached a point where I need more structure, guidance, speaking practice, and corrections to continue progressing efficiently.

I’m specifically looking for:

Live online classes (Zoom or similar)

Interactive/group or private lessons

A teacher-guided course with feedback

I’m not looking for pre-recorded courses or apps.

For context, Alliance Française where I live charges around $400 per level, and A2 alone has 4 levels there, so I’m exploring other options that may be more affordable or flexible.

If you’ve been in a similar situation and found good online schools, tutors on preply, or programs that genuinely helped you improve speaking and reach B1/B2 or CLB 7, I’d really appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks!

Genuinely asking for TCF

How many questions for CO and CE have you seen being repeated in a test?

Thanks

Hello everyone,
I am appearing for exam soon and my biggest concern in speaking. Anyone here willing to share what helped them getting b2/Nclc7. I would really appreciate it.

Guys
I have TCF in 4 days. I know it is not recommended but I am trying my luck with memorizing the question sets for Reading / Listening and trying to attempt the exam for few extra points I only need 5-6 point to get a competitive score
So far done with entire Reading twice, listening still going through 6th test.

Any recommendations/suggestions ?

Starting French prep , totally beginner targeting b2
Has anyone had experience or reviews with
French with sisters or French with vyom or any other coaching institutions that you can recommend- PLEASE SHARE

Hey Everyone! Just wondering if questions are repeated from reussir TCF? I just bought a month trial. Exam next Friday 😩. I only need CLB 5, I can probably solve 20 exams until then. Please let me know for any tips!

Mostly just wanted to vent.

The audio issues are pretty frequent and are significant enough that for several practice tests it makes it completely worthless going through them.

I am on CO 20 and a few tests have had audio issues.

What do you think?

Hello anyone got their results from Ottawa AF from the last 2 weeks i have been waiting for 15 days

Hi, my exam is next month. Still feeling overwhelmed with everything I need to study and polish.

Any additional advice?

CO and CE - reviewing pack ayoub. I usually score CLB 8-9

EE - various grammar and spelling and limited vocab. I use chatgpt to rate my drafts. I feel like 1 hour for all these tasks is tight. I wish to proofread but I usually got no time.

Task 1 - CLB 5-6

Task 2 - CLB 6-7

Task 3 - CLB 6-7

EO

Task 1 - I am okay with my monologue but I will need to practice answers to random questions

Task 2 - hit or miss based on topic. Also when I am nervous, I often use mostly direct questions instead of using other forms like est-ce que and inversion.

Task 3 - still trying to improve my vocab for other topics. I find it difficult to provide examples within 4.5 minutes just because it takes time for me to build sentences.

P.S. I am taking my exam at GB Language. I heard most examiners are intimidating and a little too strict compared to AF examiners 😳

Hello, what is the usual wait time for the TCF results? As sometimes it’s just a week, 10 days or max 15 days. Is there somebody who have given their exam during the last week of may and have recieved their results?