TCF is a French language test for non-native speakers of the language. It is not like the formal DELF test but is still a language level exam. It is valid for 2 years and people take it for personal achievement, for work, or to support their application for university. This exam is a snapshot of your language ability at the time of taking your test.

The exam is in 5 parts, three are compulsory (listening, reading, and proficiency of language structures) and two optional tests (speaking and writing). The three compulsory tests take a total of 1 hour and 25 minutes and the optional ones have a maximum time of 1 hour and 12 minutes.

For listening, reading, and proficiency of language structures there are a total of 76 multiple choice questions you have to answer. Listening is 25 minutes and 29 questions, reading is 45 minutes and 29 questions, and for proficiency of language structures (grammar and vocabulary) is 15 minutes and 18 questions. If you complete the speaking it lasts for 12 minutes and you have 60 minutes for the writing task. They both contain 3 tasks each. The writing tasks require you to write between 60-180 words depending on the tasks. They all have minimum and maximum word limits.

The questions start from easier to harder as they cover CEFR levels from A1 to C2.

You will get your results around 15 days after the exam. They are sent to the test centre where you took your exam. Each skill is given a score level on the CEFR and you also get a score for the whole exam. This is an average of all the individual skills scores. After the exam you will be given a preliminary score and receive an official one later on.

GlobalExam can help you study for TCF. Our online programme will guide you through exam training materials, language development activities, practice tests under exam conditions, and you can track your progress throughout all of this. We also have a blog full of information on different exams to help you.

GlobalExam offers two types of practice courses for the TCF to prepare you for all its exercises. There is a training mode, with typical exercises from all parts of the test, and an exam mode, with mock questions from the TCF that allow you to get prepared for the evaluation with real conditions. GlobalExam only offers practice courses for the common base of each TCF exam.

All the content on our platform is written by skilled professors that allow you to deeply understand the structure of the exercises as well as the structure of the exam in general. You can also access your corrections and progress statistics. These are the key elements that allow you to understand an evolution in your level while you practice online with GlobalExam.

To understand and pass the exam in its entirety, the best thing to do is to read the course study sheets. These are precious tools that give you details about the evaluation and its different levels. Thanks to these sheets, you will understand the test’s logical sequence. You will know what to expect beforehand. The more that you understand the exam that you are preparing for before taking it, the more effective your practice will be.

For each level, there is a vocabulary list that you must learn. You can find these lists on GlobalExam, in your study sheets, arranged by levels.