How it works
- Compulsory papers — listening, reading, and language structures.
- Optional papers — writing and speaking, required by many purposes including study.
- Result — a score and a corresponding CEFR level for each paper and overall.
- Validity — limited, unlike a DELF diploma.
Which optional papers you need depends on why you are sitting it. Booking without the writing and speaking and then discovering the university required them is a common and expensive mistake.
Versions, and choosing the right one
TCF comes in versions aimed at different purposes — study in France, residence, nationality, Quebec. They are not interchangeable, and a certificate from the wrong version may not be accepted for your application.
Confirm three things before booking: the version, which optional papers are required, and the validity period against your application timeline.
TCF — FAQs
2 questions
No. It places you on the scale, so a weaker performance returns a lower level rather than a failure.
Yes, it has a validity period, unlike DELF and DALF.
More which exam question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.