Why TCF Canada costs differ between centres
There is no single price: each approved centre sets its own. Two candidates sitting the same sections, scored the same way, can pay different amounts depending on their country and centre.
That holds in India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Canada or anywhere else: what counts is the figure your own centre shows on the day you register. Be wary of amounts quoted online with no source or date, as a centre can change its fee.
Price does not change what you sit: France Éducation international designs TCF Canada; IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) converts results to NCLC with one table, whichever centre you use. A cheaper centre gives exactly the same kind of result.
Finding a centre’s fee
We show no amount until it has been checked at source: ask a centre for its fee, or read it on its website, on the day you book.
Check with your test centre: fees
Each approved centre sets its own dates, fees and rules, and they can change. Confirm them with your centre, and read the official TCF Canada information on the France Éducation international website.
Before paying, check four points:
- the exact amount and its currency;
- what that amount includes;
- which payment methods are accepted;
- what happens to a payment if you cannot attend.
Keep proof of payment afterwards. Between two centres, an earlier session or a shorter trip can be worth more than a small saving.
What TCF Canada exam fees cover
One fee covers a full sitting: TCF Canada always includes all four sections, none of them optional, so dropping a section cannot lower the price.
| Section | Content | Time | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compréhension orale (listening) | 39 questions, each recording plays once | 35 min | 100 to 699 |
| Compréhension écrite (reading) | 39 questions | 60 min | 100 to 699 |
| Expression écrite (writing) | 3 tasks of 60 to 180 words, depending on the task | 60 min | 0 to 20 |
| Expression orale (speaking) | 3 tasks with an examiner | 12 min | 0 to 20 |
In return you get four scores, one per section, which IRCC converts to NCLC and which stay valid for 2 years; our guide to TCF Canada results explains how to read them. Costs around exam day are extra: travel, a night nearby if the centre is far away, a day off work. Count them in your budget too.
The real cost of a second attempt
The most expensive fee is the second one. Because all four sections go together, one skill below your target means sitting everything again: new fee, new date to find, new wait for results.
Points are at stake as well. Take a single applicant whose first official language is French, aiming for NCLC 7 everywhere but scoring 9 out of 20 in writing (NCLC 6) instead of 10:
- that skill earns 9 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points instead of 17;
- French bonus points (25, or 50 with CLB 5 or higher in English) are lost, since they need NCLC 7 in all four skills;
- Express Entry’s French-language draws, which ask for NCLC 7 in every skill, are out of reach.
For information only, not immigration advice. Check IRCC’s official tools or a licensed representative.
To avoid paying twice, compare your practice levels with your targets, skill by skill, before you book:
- Sit a timed series in each section, then turn each score into an NCLC level with our TCF Canada score chart.
- Find your weakest skill: it decides whether you pay once or twice.
- Book when two results in a row meet your target in that skill, since one good result can be luck.
A budget plan for TCF Canada
The cost of a French test for Canada PR mostly depends on how many attempts you need. Spend in this order: free practice, then a full timed series, then the centre’s fee.
- 1
Start with what is free
The free series in listening and reading come with answers and explanations. For writing, our writing Task 2 guide shows one prompt answered at several levels.
- 2
Sit a full timed series
Sit all four sections at the timings in the table above, without replaying any recording, and record your speaking answers: that shows where each skill stands before spending more. More series will come with our practice passes, on sale soon.
- 3
Pay the centre last
Register once your practice levels meet your target in all four skills. Every step is in our guide on how to book TCF Canada.
Check your level before you pay
Enter recent practice scores in this calculator: it converts them to NCLC levels with IRCC’s equivalency table, skill by skill. Enter the lower end of each practice range to stay on the safe side.
- NCLC 6 · 60 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 47 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 3 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 3 points to go
Still below NCLC 7 in compréhension orale, compréhension écrite, expression écrite, expression orale.
For information only, not immigration advice. Check IRCC’s official tools or a licensed representative.
As a reference, CLB 7 (NCLC 7) on TCF Canada means 458–502 in listening, 453–498 in reading, 10–11 out of 20 in writing and 10–11 out of 20 in speaking. See NCLC 7 on TCF Canada to learn what it takes in each section.