I passed TEF. It's possible.

[RamSatt]

You need to invest time and money. Nothing comes free. If Alliance Française is expensive, it is for a reason. You can expect standard of instruction.

 

[Renadxb]

Hello Mehran,
I'd love to help in any way I can. There's a Facebook group (Comment Se Préparer au TEF, TCF Canada) that shares exam resources (past questions), but you might probably find out that it's almost impossible to pass TEF or TCF without actually being proficient in
French.
I'm actually self taught, so a lot of the methods I used were informal. I learned to read fluently using French news apps (bye bye BBC & CNN, welcome RFI, France 24, France INFO etc) and Google Translate app. I figured I'd only be able to attempt the test once I could read randomly in French as I do in English. Once I reached a certain level of comfort, I changed the language settings of my phone and other devices to French, continuing to use Google Translate to expand my vocabulary.

Soon, I realised I could read quite well, but seriously struggled with understanding what I heard i.e spoken French. I checked the Internet and found from other people's experiences, that that doesn't come automatically. You'll need to employ audio resources with French transcripts to enhance your audio Compréhension. I'm an android user, so I can recommend some very helpful apps there (French Conversation by TTA Apps Studio, News In Slow French). These two are very helpful, the latter helps you get accustomed to the rhythm and vocabulary of the news read out in FrenchFrench, while the former helps with day to day style of conversation. With time, I realised I was very comfortable with the content from the two, but still struggled with things I heard on radio or TV. Then I stumbled on two resources that massively helped me improveimprove my listening and I still use them to this moment. They're: Sept Jours sur la Planète on YouTube, and RFI's Le Journal en Français Facile. They take real life discussions and news, not studio tailored, and provide transcripts so your brain really gets attuned to spoken French. Original French productions on Netflix with French transcripts (not those translated from other languages, as the transcripts often don't match what you hear) also very helpful eg Chef's Table France, Le K Benzema etc etc

Sorry, I've said so so much. I'll be done in a moment.

For my writing, I started keeping a journal in French, where I tried to express my thoughts and all. It's hard at first, but that's the goal, to get better. Use Google Translate and Linguée, they will help you expand your vocabulary and French expressions. I also used the internet, YouTube resources (Français avec Pierre, Parlez-vous French ? etc) and apps like Test de Grammaire Française to help me improve my grammar. Because I never actually had formal training, my writing was my weakest area, but I eventually engaged a private tutor to help me at my third attempt.

Lastly, because I'm in an anglophone country, I needed someone early on that I could communicate with regularly. Preferably, an actual native speaker. A friend linked me with a Cameroonian lady living in Senegal, and via WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with regularregular frequency. That was also a big game changer. She helped correct many of my errors, reviewed my writings and had conversations with me in French. It wasn't always easy, but it got better.

Excuse me if this is a bit of an overload, just trying to share what I did and the resources I used in context.

I hope these help.

Bonne chance!!

Hi,I am an international student in Toronto .Needed help as in which test is applicable for Pr application between TEF or TCF and how do we book one .Please advice .Thanks

 

[Renadxb]

How much per hour are you willing to pay? There are numerous online tutoring sites in Canada. Expect to pay $20+ per hour. Do you speak any French. You start at A1. Alliance Française is good if you have a centre near you.

Do you know of any in Toronto and also do you know which centers that one can give the test in Toronto

 

[chemistesa]

Speaking and listening are two separate part that will not affect one another. Even when you retake the exam, you can retake them separately. It is normal to get different marks in your sections.

Really? Is not it like IELTS? If I mess up the writing part only, can I retake the writing part and leave my first score for reading, listening and speaking as they are?

Thanks.

 

[fjs08]

I was doing exactly that, searching for at least 1 success story to validate that it was possible. Thank you so much for posting this. Really, thank you! I started learning almost directly after reading this validation. It also took me just over a year, I'll admit our experiences are different. I was fortunate enough to be able to take private classes on an online platform. Halfway through my learning process, lockdowns started happening everywhere, I used almost every bit of free time that I had to learn. I also have to mention that although I've never taken French in school, I did live almost 8 years in a country where there are groups of people that speak French. Although I never understood what they were saying, the sounds weren't extremely foreign for me. This whole process is exactly what you described. Challenging (very very challenging) but doable. I passed on my second attempt, received my results just today two C1's and 2 high B2's (first attempt I was just shy 13points in writing to get the grade I needed, after training my but off for 2 months on that section, that was my highest section second time around. This is truly a beautiful language. Yes you will hate it at times, yes it won't make sense at times. But the gratification you get towards the advanced stages (and especially when you get the grades you need) makes it all so so worth it. I forgot to mention that I also had another advantage of reading your post which I bookmarked and kept coming back to it when I felt I was about to just give up or when I was feeling overburnt. Once again, thanks a lot and hope you are living your best life.

 

[Anyway]

Really? Is not it like IELTS? If I mess up the writing part only, can I retake the writing part and leave my first score for reading, listening and speaking as they are?

Thanks.

I have the same concern as I mess up with reading only but the others are good. Can I retake just reading test TEF and update my score on Express Entry.
Please help

 

[captainarabiia]

Speaking and listening are two separate part that will not affect one another. Even when you retake the exam, you can retake them separately. It is normal to get different marks in your sections.

That's good to know.

 

[kArun1]

I was doing exactly that, searching for at least 1 success story to validate that it was possible. Thank you so much for posting this. Really, thank you! I started learning almost directly after reading this validation. It also took me just over a year, I'll admit our experiences are different. I was fortunate enough to be able to take private classes on an online platform. Halfway through my learning process, lockdowns started happening everywhere, I used almost every bit of free time that I had to learn. I also have to mention that although I've never taken French in school, I did live almost 8 years in a country where there are groups of people that speak French. Although I never understood what they were saying, the sounds weren't extremely foreign for me. This whole process is exactly what you described. Challenging (very very challenging) but doable. I passed on my second attempt, received my results just today two C1's and 2 high B2's (first attempt I was just shy 13points in writing to get the grade I needed, after training my but off for 2 months on that section, that was my highest section second time around. This is truly a beautiful language. Yes you will hate it at times, yes it won't make sense at times. But the gratification you get towards the advanced stages (and especially when you get the grades you need) makes it all so so worth it. I forgot to mention that I also had another advantage of reading your post which I bookmarked and kept coming back to it when I felt I was about to just give up or when I was feeling overburnt. Once again, thanks a lot and hope you are living your best life.

Congratulations . C1 is near native level fluency. Mind tell which online tutor service you used.

 

[ROSELYNNE]

I'm an English speaker, born, raised and living in an English speaking country and I passed TEF. I sat on October 26, I received my result in November and it was 3 C1s and 1 high B2. It gave me an additional 51 points.

I'm posting this here to encourage anyone who might be considering learning French to boost their CRS. I just want to let you know that it's possible. Challenging, but possible. I passed on my third attempt at a French proficiency test (sat for TEF first, then TCF, then TEF). It took me a little over a year to achieve.

When I started, I couldn't really find many (if any) relatable experiences or stories to encourage me. So I just want to leave this here to encourage anyone who, like me, may Google search for an English speaking person who was able to pass TEF. It's possible. Be encouraged.

 

[Rohit Chhabra]

Hello Mehran,
I'd love to help in any way I can. There's a Facebook group (Comment Se Préparer au TEF, TCF Canada) that shares exam resources (past questions), but you might probably find out that it's almost impossible to pass TEF or TCF without actually being proficient in
French.
I'm actually self taught, so a lot of the methods I used were informal. I learned to read fluently using French news apps (bye bye BBC & CNN, welcome RFI, France 24, France INFO etc) and Google Translate app. I figured I'd only be able to attempt the test once I could read randomly in French as I do in English. Once I reached a certain level of comfort, I changed the language settings of my phone and other devices to French, continuing to use Google Translate to expand my vocabulary.

Soon, I realised I could read quite well, but seriously struggled with understanding what I heard i.e spoken French. I checked the Internet and found from other people's experiences, that that doesn't come automatically. You'll need to employ audio resources with French transcripts to enhance your audio Compréhension. I'm an android user, so I can recommend some very helpful apps there (French Conversation by TTA Apps Studio, News In Slow French). These two are very helpful, the latter helps you get accustomed to the rhythm and vocabulary of the news read out in FrenchFrench, while the former helps with day to day style of conversation. With time, I realised I was very comfortable with the content from the two, but still struggled with things I heard on radio or TV. Then I stumbled on two resources that massively helped me improveimprove my listening and I still use them to this moment. They're: Sept Jours sur la Planète on YouTube, and RFI's Le Journal en Français Facile. They take real life discussions and news, not studio tailored, and provide transcripts so your brain really gets attuned to spoken French. Original French productions on Netflix with French transcripts (not those translated from other languages, as the transcripts often don't match what you hear) also very helpful eg Chef's Table France, Le K Benzema etc etc

Sorry, I've said so so much. I'll be done in a moment.

For my writing, I started keeping a journal in French, where I tried to express my thoughts and all. It's hard at first, but that's the goal, to get better. Use Google Translate and Linguée, they will help you expand your vocabulary and French expressions. I also used the internet, YouTube resources (Français avec Pierre, Parlez-vous French ? etc) and apps like Test de Grammaire Française to help me improve my grammar. Because I never actually had formal training, my writing was my weakest area, but I eventually engaged a private tutor to help me at my third attempt.

Lastly, because I'm in an anglophone country, I needed someone early on that I could communicate with regularly. Preferably, an actual native speaker. A friend linked me with a Cameroonian lady living in Senegal, and via WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with regularregular frequency. That was also a big game changer. She helped correct many of my errors, reviewed my writings and had conversations with me in French. It wasn't always easy, but it got better.

Excuse me if this is a bit of an overload, just trying to share what I did and the resources I used in context.

I hope these help.

Bonne chance!!

Je viens de regarder Sept jour sur la Planète... c'est nickel !
If I may, I would like to add another couple of sources that work better than google translate:
1. wordreference.com - It gives the word definitions with context and examples. As the same word can have different meanings depending on the context, it's a good source to understand the nuances.
2. deepl.com - almost like google translate, but again the translations are much more contextual rather than word-to-word translation by google.

 

[Jaycejay]

Hello Mehran,
I'd love to help in any way I can. There's a Facebook group (Comment Se Préparer au TEF, TCF Canada) that shares exam resources (past questions), but you might probably find out that it's almost impossible to pass TEF or TCF without actually being proficient in
French.
I'm actually self taught, so a lot of the methods I used were informal. I learned to read fluently using French news apps (bye bye BBC & CNN, welcome RFI, France 24, France INFO etc) and Google Translate app. I figured I'd only be able to attempt the test once I could read randomly in French as I do in English. Once I reached a certain level of comfort, I changed the language settings of my phone and other devices to French, continuing to use Google Translate to expand my vocabulary.

Soon, I realised I could read quite well, but seriously struggled with understanding what I heard i.e spoken French. I checked the Internet and found from other people's experiences, that that doesn't come automatically. You'll need to employ audio resources with French transcripts to enhance your audio Compréhension. I'm an android user, so I can recommend some very helpful apps there (French Conversation by TTA Apps Studio, News In Slow French). These two are very helpful, the latter helps you get accustomed to the rhythm and vocabulary of the news read out in FrenchFrench, while the former helps with day to day style of conversation. With time, I realised I was very comfortable with the content from the two, but still struggled with things I heard on radio or TV. Then I stumbled on two resources that massively helped me improveimprove my listening and I still use them to this moment. They're: Sept Jours sur la Planète on YouTube, and RFI's Le Journal en Français Facile. They take real life discussions and news, not studio tailored, and provide transcripts so your brain really gets attuned to spoken French. Original French productions on Netflix with French transcripts (not those translated from other languages, as the transcripts often don't match what you hear) also very helpful eg Chef's Table France, Le K Benzema etc etc

Sorry, I've said so so much. I'll be done in a moment.

For my writing, I started keeping a journal in French, where I tried to express my thoughts and all. It's hard at first, but that's the goal, to get better. Use Google Translate and Linguée, they will help you expand your vocabulary and French expressions. I also used the internet, YouTube resources (Français avec Pierre, Parlez-vous French ? etc) and apps like Test de Grammaire Française to help me improve my grammar. Because I never actually had formal training, my writing was my weakest area, but I eventually engaged a private tutor to help me at my third attempt.

Lastly, because I'm in an anglophone country, I needed someone early on that I could communicate with regularly. Preferably, an actual native speaker. A friend linked me with a Cameroonian lady living in Senegal, and via WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with regularregular frequency. That was also a big game changer. She helped correct many of my errors, reviewed my writings and had conversations with me in French. It wasn't always easy, but it got better.

Excuse me if this is a bit of an overload, just trying to share what I did and the resources I used in context.

I hope these help.

Bonne chance!!

Thanks. This was insightful. Planning to learn French

 

[fjs08]

Congratulations . C1 is near native level fluency. Mind tell which online tutor service you used.

Hey Sorry I just saw this, its called lingoda.com
I highly, highly recommend! They often do discounts, so if you're not in a rush check in on the page every so often and you'll find anywhere between 20% to 25% total discounts. Best of luck!

 

[SatNight]

I need to verify one thing: 50 points are in addition to points you regularly receive for French language exam? Not 50 maximum?

What I mean is that French (if second language) is worth 24-26 points maximum, so you also get those points in addition to 50, correct?

 

[ZekeCA]

Hello Mehran,
I'd love to help in any way I can. There's a Facebook group (Comment Se Préparer au TEF, TCF Canada) that shares exam resources (past questions), but you might probably find out that it's almost impossible to pass TEF or TCF without actually being proficient in
French.
I'm actually self taught, so a lot of the methods I used were informal. I learned to read fluently using French news apps (bye bye BBC & CNN, welcome RFI, France 24, France INFO etc) and Google Translate app. I figured I'd only be able to attempt the test once I could read randomly in French as I do in English. Once I reached a certain level of comfort, I changed the language settings of my phone and other devices to French, continuing to use Google Translate to expand my vocabulary.

Soon, I realised I could read quite well, but seriously struggled with understanding what I heard i.e spoken French. I checked the Internet and found from other people's experiences, that that doesn't come automatically. You'll need to employ audio resources with French transcripts to enhance your audio Compréhension. I'm an android user, so I can recommend some very helpful apps there (French Conversation by TTA Apps Studio, News In Slow French). These two are very helpful, the latter helps you get accustomed to the rhythm and vocabulary of the news read out in FrenchFrench, while the former helps with day to day style of conversation. With time, I realised I was very comfortable with the content from the two, but still struggled with things I heard on radio or TV. Then I stumbled on two resources that massively helped me improveimprove my listening and I still use them to this moment. They're: Sept Jours sur la Planète on YouTube, and RFI's Le Journal en Français Facile. They take real life discussions and news, not studio tailored, and provide transcripts so your brain really gets attuned to spoken French. Original French productions on Netflix with French transcripts (not those translated from other languages, as the transcripts often don't match what you hear) also very helpful eg Chef's Table France, Le K Benzema etc etc

Sorry, I've said so so much. I'll be done in a moment.

For my writing, I started keeping a journal in French, where I tried to express my thoughts and all. It's hard at first, but that's the goal, to get better. Use Google Translate and Linguée, they will help you expand your vocabulary and French expressions. I also used the internet, YouTube resources (Français avec Pierre, Parlez-vous French ? etc) and apps like Test de Grammaire Française to help me improve my grammar. Because I never actually had formal training, my writing was my weakest area, but I eventually engaged a private tutor to help me at my third attempt.

Lastly, because I'm in an anglophone country, I needed someone early on that I could communicate with regularly. Preferably, an actual native speaker. A friend linked me with a Cameroonian lady living in Senegal, and via WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with regularregular frequency. That was also a big game changer. She helped correct many of my errors, reviewed my writings and had conversations with me in French. It wasn't always easy, but it got better.

Excuse me if this is a bit of an overload, just trying to share what I did and the resources I used in context.

I hope these help.

Bonne chance!!

J'ai pas découvert la chaîne YouTube 7 jours sur la planète auparavant, merci pour votre partage ! C'est une excellente chaîne !

 

[tavern22]

Hello Mehran,
I'd love to help in any way I can. There's a Facebook group (Comment Se Préparer au TEF, TCF Canada) that shares exam resources (past questions), but you might probably find out that it's almost impossible to pass TEF or TCF without actually being proficient in
French.
I'm actually self taught, so a lot of the methods I used were informal. I learned to read fluently using French news apps (bye bye BBC & CNN, welcome RFI, France 24, France INFO etc) and Google Translate app. I figured I'd only be able to attempt the test once I could read randomly in French as I do in English. Once I reached a certain level of comfort, I changed the language settings of my phone and other devices to French, continuing to use Google Translate to expand my vocabulary.

Soon, I realised I could read quite well, but seriously struggled with understanding what I heard i.e spoken French. I checked the Internet and found from other people's experiences, that that doesn't come automatically. You'll need to employ audio resources with French transcripts to enhance your audio Compréhension. I'm an android user, so I can recommend some very helpful apps there (French Conversation by TTA Apps Studio, News In Slow French). These two are very helpful, the latter helps you get accustomed to the rhythm and vocabulary of the news read out in FrenchFrench, while the former helps with day to day style of conversation. With time, I realised I was very comfortable with the content from the two, but still struggled with things I heard on radio or TV. Then I stumbled on two resources that massively helped me improveimprove my listening and I still use them to this moment. They're: Sept Jours sur la Planète on YouTube, and RFI's Le Journal en Français Facile. They take real life discussions and news, not studio tailored, and provide transcripts so your brain really gets attuned to spoken French. Original French productions on Netflix with French transcripts (not those translated from other languages, as the transcripts often don't match what you hear) also very helpful eg Chef's Table France, Le K Benzema etc etc

Sorry, I've said so so much. I'll be done in a moment.

For my writing, I started keeping a journal in French, where I tried to express my thoughts and all. It's hard at first, but that's the goal, to get better. Use Google Translate and Linguée, they will help you expand your vocabulary and French expressions. I also used the internet, YouTube resources (Français avec Pierre, Parlez-vous French ? etc) and apps like Test de Grammaire Française to help me improve my grammar. Because I never actually had formal training, my writing was my weakest area, but I eventually engaged a private tutor to help me at my third attempt.

Lastly, because I'm in an anglophone country, I needed someone early on that I could communicate with regularly. Preferably, an actual native speaker. A friend linked me with a Cameroonian lady living in Senegal, and via WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with regularregular frequency. That was also a big game changer. She helped correct many of my errors, reviewed my writings and had conversations with me in French. It wasn't always easy, but it got better.

Excuse me if this is a bit of an overload, just trying to share what I did and the resources I used in context.

I hope these help.

Bonne chance!!

How many months did this process take?