TEF Canada listening (compréhension de l'oral) is 40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes; reading (compréhension de l'écrit) is 40 in 60 minutes. Each right answer earns 1 point and a wrong or blank answer earns 0, so always answer. For NCLC 7, IRCC needs at least 249/360 in listening and 207/300 in reading on the ancien score.
Key takeaways
- Listening: 40 questions, 40 min. Recordings start on their own and play once.
- Reading: 40 questions, 60 min, across five document types.
- 1 point per right answer, 0 for wrong or blank: never leave a question empty.
- On the computer version you can't replay audio or go back in listening.
- NCLC 7 = 249/360 listening and 207/300 reading (ancien score).
On this page
TEF Canada listening is 40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes, and reading is 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. Le français des affaires, which runs the test, scores both the same way: 1 point for a right answer, 0 for a wrong or missing one. Nothing is taken away for a wrong guess, so a blank is always a wasted chance.
This guide is about technique for these two modules only: what each type of document looks like, where the traps are, and how to drill them in four to six weeks. For the whole exam day, including writing and speaking, start with the TEF Canada exam format. Taking TCF instead? The TCF Canada listening and reading guide covers its different logic.
- 40 + 40
- Multiple-choice questions, listening + reading
- 100 min
- Total time for both modules
- 0
- Points lost for a wrong guess
How are TEF Canada listening and reading built?
#| Listening (compréhension de l'oral) | Reading (compréhension de l'écrit) | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 40, multiple choice | 40, multiple choice |
| Time | 40 min | 60 min |
| Answer options | One correct answer per question | Four options, one correct |
| Scoring | 1 point right, 0 wrong or blank | 1 point right, 0 wrong or blank |
| Score IRCC uses | Ancien score, out of 360 | Ancien score, out of 300 |
| NCLC 7 minimum | 249 | 207 |
Your attestation shows a /699 score and an "Équivalence ancien score" for each skill. IRCC only uses the ancien score. If that's new to you, read the /699 vs ancien score guide before you check your practice results.
Listening: the document types you'll hear
#Le français des affaires describes the listening questions as coming from everyday situations. In its own preparation material, the recordings fall into these families. Each one needs a slightly different kind of attention.
| Document type | What it sounds like | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Conversations with pictures | A short exchange; you pick the matching drawing | The one detail that separates the pictures: a number, a place, an object |
| Public announcements | Station, airport, shop or radio notices | Times, platforms, changes, and the word that cancels the first version (finalement, en raison de) |
| Vox pops (micro-trottoir) | Several people giving quick opinions | Who is for and who is against. Tone matters as much as words |
| Radio chronicles | One speaker developing an idea on air | The main point, usually restated near the end |
| Interviews | A journalist and a guest | The guest's opinion, not the journalist's question |
| Reports and other documents | Longer, denser recordings | Purpose and attitude: inform, criticise, warn, recommend |
« Moi, au début, je prenais la voiture tous les jours. Mais depuis qu'ils ont ouvert la nouvelle ligne de tramway, je la laisse au garage. C'est plus lent, c'est vrai, mais au moins je peux lire. »
Question : Comment cette personne se déplace-t-elle maintenant ? A. En voiture B. En tramway C. À pied D. Elle ne se déplace plus
Five listening habits that add points
- 1Read the options in every gapLe français des affaires' own advice is to read the question and all the options before each recording starts. Decide what kind of answer you need: a time, a place, a reason, an opinion.
- 2Wait for the turnMais, pourtant, en fait, finalement, sauf que: the answer very often comes after one of these. The first idea is often the one being corrected.
- 3Answer, validate, forgetOn the computer version you can't go back. Pick your best option, validate, and clear your head before the next recording. A lost question costs one point; carrying it costs two.
- 4Never leave a blankA wrong answer and a blank both score 0. A guess can only help. If time runs low, choose something for every remaining question.
- 5Listen for attitude wordsRavi, déçu, inquiet, méfiant, enthousiaste: many questions ask how someone feels or what they think. Learn the 30 most common attitude adjectives.
Listen, then answer in French
Short announcements, voicemails, conversations and radio extracts, from beginner to advanced. Each one has a question in French with four options. At the end you get a score and a rough level.
Practice recordings written for French Exam Alert and read by your device’s computer voice. They are not real exam recordings, and the voice sounds less natural than real speakers.
Reading: five document types in 60 minutes
#Le français des affaires' reading preparation material splits the 40 questions into five kinds of document. The counts below come from that material; your paper may mix them differently, but the skills are the same.
| Document type | Questions | Suggested time | The skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday documents (ads, notices, menus, messages) | 7 | ~6 min | Find one fact fast. Don't read every word |
| Sentences and texts with gaps | 10 | ~10 min | Grammar and linking words: which option fits the logic? |
| Rapid reading of texts and graphics | 5 | ~6 min | Scan for numbers, dates and labels |
| Administrative and professional documents | 10 | ~16 min | Rules, conditions, obligations: who must do what, when |
| Press articles | 8 | ~17 min | Main idea, the writer's opinion, and the purpose of a paragraph |
The budget leaves about 5 minutes spare. Spend the time where the texts get long. Questions on a notice are worth exactly the same 1 point as questions on a press article, so don't let a dense article swallow ten minutes while four easy notices go unanswered.
Les inscriptions à l'atelier sont ouvertes jusqu'au 15 mars. ______, les places étant limitées, nous vous conseillons de vous inscrire rapidement.
A. Donc B. Toutefois C. Car D. Ainsi
- True in real life, but not stated in the text
- Stated in the text, but about a different person or date
- Uses the text's exact words with one small change (toujours → parfois)
- Too strong: the text says "may", the option says "must"
- Says the same idea in different words (a paraphrase)
- Matches the whole sentence, not one keyword
- Keeps the text's level of certainty
- Answers the question that was actually asked
5 questions, easiest first. About 8 minutes at the real TCF Canada pace (39 questions in 60 minutes, about 92 seconds each).
Question 1 of 5
Level A1Bibliothèque Jean-Rivard : horaires
Lundi : fermé Mardi au vendredi : 10 h – 19 h Samedi : 9 h – 17 h Dimanche : 13 h – 17 h
Le prêt de livres est gratuit pour tous les résidents de la ville. Pour obtenir votre carte, présentez-vous à l’accueil avec une preuve d’adresse.
Quel jour la bibliothèque est-elle fermée ?
How many points do you need?
#IRCC converts each skill to NCLC on its own, using the ancien score. Le français des affaires doesn't publish a table that turns a number of correct answers into an ancien score, so be careful with anyone who promises "30 out of 40 = NCLC 7". Use full practice tests from reliable sources and aim above the line.
| NCLC | Listening /360 | Reading /300 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 298 | 248 |
| 8 | 280 | 233 |
| 7 | 249 | 207 |
| 6 | 217 | 181 |
| 5 | 181 | 151 |
The full table, writing and speaking included, is in the TEF Canada score chart. To see what you need in every skill for your goal, whether that's the French CRS bonus or a draw cutoff, try this:
Every skill has to reach its minimum. IRCC never averages them.
| Skill | Minimum |
|---|---|
| ListeningNCLC 7 | 249 / 360 |
| ReadingNCLC 7 | 207 / 300 |
| WritingNCLC 7 | 310 / 450 |
| SpeakingNCLC 7 | 310 / 450 |
Only the ancien score counts for TEF Canada. Your attestation shows a /699 score and an “Équivalence ancien score” for each skill. IRCC uses the ancien score, which is what these minimums are. Why the /699 number trips people up
Minimums from IRCC’s language test equivalency charts; points from IRCC’s CRS criteria. Language points only, not your full CRS score. Confirm on canada.ca before you apply.
A 6-week listening and reading drill plan
#This plan assumes you're around B1 and have 30–45 minutes a day for these two modules. With only four weeks, merge weeks 1 and 2 and weeks 3 and 4. Writing and speaking need their own time on top, covered in TEF Canada writing and speaking.
Six weeks to steadier comprehension scores
- Week 1Baseline and diagnosisOne timed set of each module. Sort every wrong answer: vocabulary, a trap option, or time. That split tells you what the next five weeks are for.
- Week 2Short documentsAnnouncements and vox pops in listening; notices and ads in reading. Goal: answer short items in under a minute without rereading.
- Week 3Logic and gapsGap-fill items daily. Build a list of linking words by function: contrast, cause, consequence, concession. Listen for the same words in interviews.
- Week 4Long documentsPress articles and admin texts in reading; radio chronicles and reports in listening. Practise writing the main idea of each in one French sentence.
- Week 5Full timed mock40 min listening, then 60 min reading, no pauses, no replays. Check your pacing against the time budget and fix the slowest document type.
- Week 6Sharpen, don't cramMixed timed sets every other day, a second mock early in the week, and light listening the last two days. Sleep beats one more test.
Free practice that's actually useful
#- Le français des affaires: the official TEF site has a computer-test tutorial and sample questions on its listening and reading preparation pages. Start there so the interface holds no surprises.
- Real French audio at natural speed: radio news, interviews and podcasts. Vox pops and interviews on news sites are close to what the test plays.
- Real written French: news articles, city and government notices, rental and job ads. Admin texts are a big part of TEF reading, so read rules and conditions, not only stories.
- Our quick checks: the French listening practice test and French reading practice test give a rough level in a few minutes.
- Printables: the free TEF Canada preparation guide (PDF) and the French connectors chart for gap-fill work.
- Myth
Wrong answers cost you points in TEF Canada, so skip what you don't know.
FactLe français des affaires says a wrong or missing answer scores 0 and no points are deducted. Answer every question.
- Myth
You can listen to each recording twice.
FactOn the computer version the audio starts automatically and can't be replayed. Train with one listen only.
- Myth
40 questions in 40 minutes means you control the pace.
FactIn listening, the recordings set the rhythm. Your only free time is the gap before each one, so use it to read the options.
- Myth
Reading is the easy module, so it doesn't need practice.
FactAn hour for 40 questions sounds generous until a dense press article eats ten minutes. Timed practice is what keeps you from running out.
Check yourself
1 of 4.How many questions and minutes are in TEF Canada reading?
2 of 4.You're unsure on question 23 in listening. What should you do?
3 of 4.« Les places étant limitées, inscrivez-vous rapidement. » What does this tell you?
4 of 4.What reading score does IRCC need for NCLC 7 on TEF Canada?
Questions people ask
40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes. Reading is also 40 questions, with 60 minutes.
No. Le français des affaires says a correct answer earns 1 point and a wrong or missing answer earns 0. Nothing is deducted, so answer every question.
Not on the computer version. The recordings start automatically, play once, and you can't go back to an earlier question. Use the gap before each recording to read the options.
There's no official table from correct answers to score. IRCC sets the line on the ancien score: 249/360 in listening and 207/300 in reading. Aim comfortably above it in practice.
They're built differently. TEF gives you 40 questions in 40 minutes, sorted by document type; TCF gives 39 in 35 minutes in rising difficulty. See the TEF vs TCF comparison.
Terms in this guide
Each one is defined in plain English in the TEF & TCF Canada glossary.
Sources
- Le français des affaires: TEF Canada presentation
- Le français des affaires: Prepare for the TEF oral comprehension test
- Le français des affaires: Prepare for the TEF written comprehension test
- IRCC: Language testing for Express Entry
Rules and fees change. Always confirm with IRCC and your test centre before you pay.
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