TCF Canada
Alternative French test accepted by IRCC for economic programs.
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Who it's for
Applicants testing French for CRS, OINP, or bilingual bonus points.
IRCC reminder
Use TCF Canada — confirm the correct module with your test centre.
Official booking & info
How this test is scored
- TCF Canada reports scored abilities that IRCC maps to NCLC levels using published equivalency tables.
- Listening and reading use one numeric scale; speaking and writing use another — always use the official conversion table per skill.
- Confirm with your test centre that you are registering for TCF Canada, not a general TCF session meant for study abroad only.
CRS & Express Entry
- TCF Canada and TEF Canada are both accepted for French; pick the format and schedule that fit you, then map each skill to NCLC before saving CRS inputs.
NCLC conversion — TCF Canada
Each ability converts separately. IRCC equivalency charts · CRS calculator uses the same tables.
| NCLC | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 16 – 20 | 549 – 699 | 549 – 699 | 16 – 20 |
| 9 | 14 – 15 | 523 – 548 | 524 – 548 | 14 – 15 |
| 8 | 12 – 13 | 503 – 522 | 499 – 523 | 12 – 13 |
| 7 | 10 – 11 | 458 – 502 | 453 – 498 | 10 – 11 |
| 6 | 7 – 9 | 398 – 457 | 406 – 452 | 7 – 9 |
| 5 | 6 | 369 – 397 | 375 – 405 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 – 5 | 331 – 368 | 342 – 374 | 4 – 5 |
Compare tests — NCLC 7 vs NCLC 9
Side-by-side raw scores for common Express Entry targets (not a single overall test score).
NCLC 7 — raw scores by test
| Test | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEF Canada | 310 – 348 | 249 – 279 | 207 – 232 | 310 – 348 |
| TCF Canada(this page) | 10 – 11 | 458 – 502 | 453 – 498 | 10 – 11 |
NCLC 9 — raw scores by test
| Test | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEF Canada | 371 – 392 | 298 – 315 | 248 – 262 | 371 – 392 |
| TCF Canada(this page) | 14 – 15 | 523 – 548 | 524 – 548 | 14 – 15 |
Other tests IRCC accepts
Want to try a different approved test? Compare formats and book when ready.
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