How to prepare for TEF or TCF Canada from India

From India, you sit [TEF Canada](/exams/tef-canada) or [TCF Canada](/exams/tcf-canada) in person at an Alliance Française centre. We track 11 centres, and a full test costs about ₹26,000 including GST. Your prep can happen anywhere. Choosing a centre comes first, because most run only one of the two exams, and the format you practise depends on which one.

This guide covers planning your preparation from India. For the booking steps themselves, read how to book TEF or TCF Canada in India. Not sure you need French? Read is French required for Canada PR?.

IRCC accepts TEF Canada and TCF Canada for Express Entry, and they convert to the same NCLC scale. A DELF or DALF, TCF Tout Public or TEF Québec won't give you Express Entry points. Aim for NCLC 7 in all four skills to get the French bonus and French draws. Check the score minimums for each exam.

Look up your city here. If you can't get to the nearest centre easily, the second-nearest becomes your backup.

There's no single right route. Your choice mostly depends on your current level, the money you have and how much structure you need.

• The Alliance Française network. The network says India has 15 main Alliances Françaises and 9 annexes, which is more than the centres that run these exams, so you may find classes in a city without a test session. Courses follow the CEFR levels. Each centre publishes its own timetable and fees.
• Live online classes. AF Mumbai, for instance, offers on-site, online and hybrid classes, with virtual lessons held on Zoom. Other centres vary, so ask yours.
• Self-study with free resources. Our guide to learning French for free lists what's worth your time, including TV5MONDE, RFI and official samples.
• Private coaching and tutors. Quality varies, and we don't rank them. Before paying, ask to see a sample lesson, how they correct writing and speaking, and which exam they prepare you for. Be careful with any promise of a guaranteed score or a guaranteed seat.

For prices, AF Chandigarh's published June to September 2026 timetable listed a 130-hour A1 course at ₹24,504 including GST, and the real cost of French for Canada PR has a fuller budget. For time, see how long it takes to reach CLB 7. Starting from zero and aiming for TEF? Use TEF Canada from scratch.

1. 1Check which exam it runsIn Delhi and Bengaluru it's TCF, and we list TEF only at several other centres. If you've prepared for one exam, that narrows your list. If you haven't started, compare TEF vs TCF and pick with your centres in mind.
2. 2Check the release methodA midnight online release in Mumbai asks something different from you than a waiting list in Chandigarh. Read your city guide before planning anything else.
3. 3Add a realistic travel optionTrain or flight plus a night's stay can beat months of waiting. Candidates can book a centre outside their home city, as long as they can attend with the right ID.
4. 4Check the fee and the rulesAbout ₹26,000 is typical but not fixed, and fees are usually non-refundable. Read the fee guide and each centre's own rules.
5. 5Check your ID nowAF Delhi asks for a passport at registration and on exam day, and it's the safest ID everywhere. Your name must match the registration exactly. If your passport is due to expire, sort it out first.

Each centre publishes its own, and some only as images or by email, so there's no single official calendar. We collect what we can read on the exam dates page, with India pages for TCF Canada and TEF Canada. Always confirm with the centre before you plan travel or pay. Registration opens in IST, and the registration time converter helps if you're abroad.

Seats at the busiest centres can go within minutes, and at least one centre's wait can run to many months. So plan for the seat as part of your prep rather than as an afterthought:

• Start looking early. Begin once you're around B1 or a few months from your target, not when you feel finished.
• Keep both exams open if you can. Our guide on TEF vs TCF shows what would change in your prep. Kolkata and Ahmedabad list both exams.
• Add a second city. A Delhi candidate who is open to TEF could look at Chandigarh and beyond, for example.
• Look at nearby countries if you travel anyway. See Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka or Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• Book when you can, then keep practising. A fixed date helps you study. Plan for the 20-day gap between attempts in case you need a retake.
• Get alerts. The earliest seat finder and alerts reduce the manual checking.

More tactics are in every session sold out? and the registration day playbook.