TEFAQ (TEF Québec) 2026: Format, Scores, Results and TEF Canada Differences

Quebec selects its own economic immigrants, and its ministry accepts a longer list of French tests than IRCC does. This guide covers the TEFAQ's format, scoring, results, retake rule, cost and acceptance, using official information from Le français des affaires, the Gouvernement du Québec and IRCC, checked on September 27, 2026.

What is the TEFAQ (TEF Québec)?

The TEFAQ is the Quebec version of the Test d'évaluation de français (TEF). It is run by Le français des affaires, part of the Paris Île-de-France chamber of commerce, which also runs TEF Canada, the version IRCC accepts for federal immigration. Le français des affaires states that MIFI has recognised the TEF Québec since 2006.

Its defining feature is choice. You register for 1, 2, 3 or 4 tests depending on the immigration programs you apply to, and each test can be taken independently of the others. That is the main practical difference from TEF Canada, which requires all four tests on the same day for immigration.

TEFAQ format: the four tests

The TEFAQ uses the same four tests as TEF Canada, with the same question counts and times. Reading, listening and writing are taken on a computer. Speaking is a face-to-face interview with an examiner, and it is always recorded so that it can be marked twice.

Test	Content	Time
Reading (compréhension écrite)	40 multiple-choice questions over 51 screens	60 minutes
Listening (compréhension orale)	40 questions over 46 screens	40 minutes
Writing (expression écrite)	Section A (25 minutes): continue an article, 80 words minimum. Section B (35 minutes): state and justify your point of view, 200 words minimum	60 minutes
Speaking (expression orale)	Section A (5 minutes): obtain information. Section B (10 minutes): argue to convince	15 minutes

Which TEFAQ tests do you need?

Quebec defines oral knowledge of French as listening plus speaking, and written knowledge as reading plus writing. The program you apply to therefore decides which TEFAQ tests you sit: an oral requirement means the listening and speaking tests, and an oral plus written requirement means all four.

Program	French level required	TEFAQ tests to sit
PSTQ Stream 1 (TEER 0, 1 or 2)	Oral level 7, written level 5	All 4
PSTQ Stream 2 (TEER 3, 4 or 5)	Oral level 5	Listening and speaking
PSTQ Stream 3	Oral level 7 and written level 5 for TEER 0, 1 or 2; oral level 5 for TEER 3, 4 or 5	All 4, or listening and speaking
PSTQ Stream 4	No French criterion	None for this stream
PEQ, Quebec graduates stream	Oral level 7, written level 5	All 4
PEQ, temporary foreign workers stream	Oral level 7	Listening and speaking
Accompanying spouse (PSTQ Stream 1, PEQ)	Oral level 4	Listening and speaking
Canadian citizenship (IRCC)	Listening and speaking at level 4 or higher	Listening and speaking

For citizenship, Le français des affaires says an application needs two TEFAQ tests, listening and speaking, with a minimum of level 4 on the Quebec scale. IRCC's own rule is that you must prove speaking and listening at Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) level 4 or higher.

What level does Quebec require in 2026?

Quebec reads TEFAQ results on its own 12-level scale, the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français, through an official MIFI correspondence table. For the TEF and the TEFAQ, the same score bands apply to all four tests.

Échelle québécoise	CEFR	TEF or TEFAQ score (out of 699)
Levels 1 and 2	A1	100 to 199
Level 3	A2	200 to 259
Level 4	A2	260 to 299
Levels 5 and 6	B1	300 to 399
Levels 7 and 8	B2	400 to 499
Levels 9 and 10	C1	500 to 599
Levels 11 and 12	C2	600 to 699

So a level 7 target means at least 400 out of 699 in each oral test, and a level 5 target means at least 300 in each written test. The latest PSTQ invitation round we checked, on September 24, 2026, applied the level to each skill: level 7 or higher in both oral skills and level 5 or higher in both written skills for Stream 1, and level 5 or higher in both oral skills for Stream 2.

These are Quebec levels, not NCLC levels. IRCC uses the NCLC scale for Express Entry, and Quebec and IRCC do not publish an official conversion between the Échelle québécoise and NCLC that we could find, so do not treat a Quebec level 7 as NCLC 7. The full program table and the matching score bands for the TCF are in our TCF Québec guide.

TEFAQ scores, results and validity

Each TEFAQ test is scored on a scale from 0 to 699, and your attestation also gives your CEFR level, from A1 to C2, for each test. Unlike the TEF Canada attestation, the TEFAQ results page mentions no NCLC level. What matters is how each score compares with your program's requirement.

Results are sent within 1 to 10 working days of your test. You receive an email with a link to an online document vault, where you download your attestation. No paper attestation is issued. The attestation is valid for 2 years from its date of issue, and Quebec requires results that are two years old or less on the date you apply for permanent selection, so time your sitting against your application date.

Retaking the TEFAQ: the 20-day rule

You can sit the TEFAQ as many times as you like, with a waiting period of 20 days between two successive sittings. The registration rules of Le français des affaires add that a candidate cannot take the same TEF test twice within 20 days, all TEF versions combined, and that a registration breaking this rule is cancelled.

In practice, if you sat the TEF Canada listening test, you must wait 20 days before sitting the TEFAQ listening test, and the other way round. Plan any retake so that the new attestation still arrives before your application date.

Who accepts the TEFAQ?

Acceptance is the decision you cannot fix with more study, so check it first. Here is the picture for the main French tests, based on the Gouvernement du Québec list of accepted tests and IRCC's Express Entry and citizenship pages.

Test	Quebec immigration (MIFI)	Express Entry and federal economic programs (IRCC)	Canadian citizenship (IRCC)
TEFAQ	Accepted	Not accepted	Accepted
TEF Canada	Accepted	Accepted	Accepted
TCF Canada	Accepted	Accepted	Accepted
TCF Québec	Accepted	Not accepted	Accepted
DELF / DALF	Accepted	Not accepted	Accepted

Le français des affaires puts it plainly: a TEF Canada attestation less than two years old is recognised by MIFI for Quebec immigration, but the TEFAQ is not recognised by IRCC for an application to immigrate to Canada. For citizenship the answer changes, because IRCC lists the TEFAQ among the tests it accepts. Note that MIFI accepts results only from tests taken at a centre approved by the test provider.

How much does the TEFAQ cost?

There is no single official price. Le français des affaires says registration fees are set by each test centre and can vary from one centre to another and with the number of tests you take. We have not verified a current TEFAQ fee at any centre, so ask your centre for its price before you register. Because the fee depends on the number of tests, sitting only the tests your program requires is the simplest way to keep the cost down.

Where can you take the TEFAQ?

Le français des affaires reports about 500 official test centres in more than 110 countries. Use its official centre finder to locate an approved centre near you, then confirm with the centre that it offers the TEFAQ on the date you want.

TEFAQ vs TEF Canada: which should you book?

The two tests are built from the same four tests. The differences are how many you sit, what the attestation shows and who accepts it.

Point	TEFAQ	TEF Canada
Tests	1 to 4, à la carte	All 4 for immigration, on the same day
Question counts and times	Same as TEF Canada	Same as TEFAQ
Attestation shows	Score out of 699 and CEFR level	Score out of 699, CEFR level and NCLC 1 to 12
Quebec immigration (MIFI)	Accepted	Accepted
Express Entry (IRCC)	Not accepted	Accepted
Canadian citizenship (IRCC)	Accepted	Accepted
Results, validity and retake wait	1 to 10 working days, 2 years, 20 days	1 to 10 working days, 2 years, 20 days

Book TEF Canada if you want to keep Express Entry open, if you live outside Quebec, or if you are not yet sure which program you will use. One attestation then works for MIFI and for IRCC. The TEF Canada vs TCF Canada comparison covers the federal side.

Book the TEFAQ if you are committed to a Quebec program that needs only some skills, for example listening and speaking for PSTQ Stream 2 or for an accompanying spouse. If you later switch to a federal program, you will need a TEF Canada or TCF Canada result, because IRCC does not accept the TEFAQ for immigration.

TEFAQ or TCF: which is easier?

Neither test is officially easier. MIFI accepts both, and its correspondence table uses the same score bands for the TEFAQ and for TCF listening and reading: 400 to 499 is levels 7 and 8 (B2) on both. What differs is the format, so the better choice is the one that suits how you work and the dates your centre offers.

Test	TEFAQ	TCF Québec
Listening	40 questions, 40 minutes	29 scored questions, 25 minutes
Reading	40 questions, 60 minutes	29 scored questions, 45 minutes
Writing	2 sections, 60 minutes (80 and 200 words minimum)	3 tasks, 60 minutes (60 to 120, 120 to 150 and 120 to 180 words)
Speaking	2 sections, 15 minutes	3 tasks, 12 minutes including 2 minutes of preparation
Writing and speaking results	Score out of 699	Mark out of 20
Results	1 to 10 working days	Within 15 working days
Delivery	Computer, speaking face to face	Paper or computer, speaking face to face

Both tests let you choose 1 to 4 modules, and both give a 2-year attestation with a 20-day wait before you retake a module.

How hard is the TEFAQ?

The TEFAQ places you on a scale from A1 to C2 in each test you take, so its difficulty depends on the Quebec level your program asks for. A Quebec level 7 oral target means reaching the B2 band, 400 or more out of 699, in both listening and speaking. A level 5 target sits in the B1 band, from 300. Measure where you stand with a timed practice test before you book, rather than relying on general impressions of the exam.

How to prepare for the TEFAQ

Because the TEFAQ uses the same four tests as TEF Canada, TEF Canada preparation fits it directly. Start by confirming which tests your program needs, then work on the real format:

• Take a timed practice test to find your current level in each skill, then compare it with the band you need: 400 for level 7, 300 for level 5.
• Train listening and reading in 40-question blocks at the real times: 40 minutes for listening and 60 minutes for reading.
• For writing, practise both sections inside 60 minutes: continuing an article in 80 words or more (Section A), and a justified opinion of 200 words or more (Section B).
• For speaking, rehearse both sections out loud: asking for information (Section A, 5 minutes) and arguing to convince (Section B, 10 minutes).
• Book with the 20-day retake rule and the 2-year validity in mind, so a second attempt still fits before your application date.

You can check your level today with a free TEF Canada practice test, rehearse the interview with our TEF speaking practice, and read our Section B speaking guide for the persuasion task.