TCF Québec 2026: Format, Scores, Fees and How It Differs From TCF Canada

What Is the TCF Québec and Who Needs It?

The TCF Québec (Test de connaissance du français pour le Québec) is a version of the TCF made by France Éducation international (FEI). FEI states that it is meant for anyone who wants to file an immigration application with Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI), and that it was designed for the standardized French testing Quebec requires on the way to a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ).

In practice, that means candidates for Quebec's permanent selection programs, such as the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) and the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ). MIFI lists the TCF Québec first among the French tests it accepts for the PSTQ.

Two limits matter before you book. IRCC does not accept the TCF Québec for Express Entry or other federal economic immigration, because its list names only TEF Canada and TCF Canada. IRCC does accept the TCF Québec as proof of French for Canadian citizenship.

• Quebec immigration through MIFI, including the PSTQ and the PEQ: accepted
• Express Entry and other federal economic programs (IRCC): not accepted
• Canadian citizenship (IRCC): accepted, with speaking and listening at CLB 4 or higher

TCF Québec Format: Modules, Questions and Timing

The TCF Québec has four modules, and you choose whether to sit 1, 2, 3 or all 4 of them. The test itself makes no module compulsory. Your immigration program decides which ones you need, as the program table below shows. Depending on how many modules you take, the session lasts between 12 minutes and 2 hours 22 minutes.

The test can be taken on paper or on computer. On computer, listening and reading each contain 34 items, but 5 of them do not count toward your final score, so 29 questions are scored in both formats.

Writing and speaking use the same tasks as TCF Canada. In writing you produce three texts of 60 to 120, 120 to 150 and 120 to 180 words. In speaking you do a guided interview without preparation (2 minutes), an interaction task with preparation (5 minutes 30, including 2 minutes of preparation) and a point of view task without preparation (4 minutes 30), face to face with an examiner.

Some centre websites quote other question counts or reading times for the TCF Québec. This page follows FEI's own description of the test.

Which TCF Québec Modules Does Your Program Require?

Quebec splits French into two pairs of skills. Oral knowledge means listening and speaking. Written knowledge means reading and writing. A program that sets only an oral level therefore needs the listening and speaking modules, and a program that sets both an oral and a written level needs all four.

The latest PSTQ invitation round we checked (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. Plan for every module you sit to reach the level on its own, not on average.

The PEQ reopened for the period from July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028, with applications received from July 2 to October 31, 2026. Its Quebec graduates stream no longer requires a program of study completed in French, but Quebec states that the French requirements remain.

TCF Québec Scores and the Quebec 12-Level Scale

FEI reports listening and reading as a score converted to a CEFR level from A1 to C2, and speaking and writing as a mark out of 20, also converted to a CEFR level. MIFI then reads those results on the Échelle québécoise, the 12-level Quebec scale, using an official correspondence table.

The table below is the MIFI row for the TCF and the TCF Québec. Because Quebec groups some levels in pairs, a level 7 target means reaching the band for levels 7 and 8: at least 400 in listening or reading, and at least 10 out of 20 in speaking or writing. Level 5 starts at 300 or 6 out of 20, and level 4 starts at 260 or 4 out of 20.

Quebec levels are not NCLC levels. NCLC, the French name of the Canadian Language Benchmarks, is the federal scale IRCC uses for Express Entry. Quebec and IRCC do not publish an official conversion between the two scales that we could find. A Quebec level 7 is not the same thing as NCLC 7, so do not reuse federal score tables for a Quebec file.

What Is B2 on the TCF Québec?

B2 is the upper intermediate level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). In MIFI's table, B2 on the TCF corresponds to a score of 400 to 499 in listening or reading and a mark of 10 to 13 out of 20 in speaking or writing. On the Quebec scale, that is levels 7 and 8.

This is why B2 is the practical target for the oral requirement of PSTQ Stream 1 and the PEQ: level 7 sits inside the B2 band. The written level 5 that the same programs require sits inside B1, which is 300 to 399 in reading or 6 to 9 out of 20 in writing.

TCF Québec Results, Validity and Retakes

Results are posted in your TCF-Candidat online space and sent to your test centre within 15 working days, counted from the day FEI receives the session material from the centre. You download your attestation from TCF-Candidat. If you cannot create an account, contact your test centre.

The attestation is valid for 2 years from the date the results are issued. MIFI also requires results to be two years old or less on the date you apply for permanent selection, so time your sitting against your application date, not only against your study plan.

You can take the TCF Québec as many times as you like, but you must wait 20 days between two sittings of a module.

One change applies from September 2026. For sessions from September 1, 2026, FEI has temporarily suspended re-marking of the speaking and writing modules, and it plans to restore the service in autumn 2027. Treat your first speaking and writing marks as final.

How Much Does the TCF Québec Cost?

FEI does not publish a single price. Each approved centre sets its own fee, usually per module. The figures below are what three centres listed when we checked in September 2026. Confirm the current price with your centre before you register.

Because you pay per module, sitting only the modules your program needs keeps the cost down. An accompanying spouse who needs only oral level 4, for example, sits listening and speaking only.

• Concordia University, Montreal: listening $105, speaking $105, reading $95, writing $95 (tax exempt, no refunds once registered)
• Alliance Française de Montréal: $390 for all four modules, or listening $110, reading $90, writing $90 and speaking $110
• Alliance Française Kolkata, India: ₹6,500 per module (fee structure applicable from January 1, 2026)

Where Can You Take the TCF Québec?

Only approved TCF centres can run the test, and MIFI accepts results only from tests taken in a centre approved by the test provider. FEI publishes the official centre map. On September 27, 2026 it listed 49 TCF centres in Canada, including centres in Quebec in Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Drummondville, Chicoutimi, Rouyn-Noranda, Gaspé, Sept-Îles, Baie-Comeau, La Pocatière, Saint-Félicien, Chibougamau, Saint-Constant and Kirkland.

The map lists TCF centres in general and does not say which version each one offers, so confirm with the centre that it runs the TCF Québec and not only the TCF Canada. In Montreal, Concordia University and Alliance Française de Montréal both sell the TCF Québec.

Outside Canada, FEI's map covers about 125 countries, so you can sit the TCF Québec before you move. Alliance Française Kolkata in India, for example, offers it.

If your file is federal instead, our directory of TCF Canada and TEF Canada exam centres covers booking in the main Canadian cities.

TCF Québec vs TCF Canada: What Is the Difference?

Both tests come from FEI and share the same writing and speaking tasks. The differences are structure and acceptance. TCF Canada has 4 compulsory modules with 39 listening and 39 reading questions and runs 2 hours 47 minutes. TCF Québec lets you pick 1 to 4 modules, with 29 scored questions in listening and in reading and shorter timings.

Acceptance is where the choice is made. MIFI accepts both tests for Quebec immigration, but IRCC accepts only TCF Canada for Express Entry. If there is any chance you will also apply through a federal program, TCF Canada covers both files with one result, while TCF Québec covers Quebec and citizenship only.

Both versions share the same practical rules: a 20-day wait before you retake, results in your TCF-Candidat space within 15 working days, and an attestation valid for 2 years.

For the federal test itself, see our TCF Canada guide and practice tests, which covers the version IRCC accepts for Express Entry.

Which Other French Tests Does Quebec Accept?

MIFI does not require the TCF Québec specifically. Its accepted list is the TCF Québec, TCF Canada, TCF, DALF, DELF, TEFAQ, TEF Canada and TEF. Only results issued by the test providers are accepted, and the test must be taken in a centre approved by the provider.

The TEF family, run by Le français des affaires, has its own Quebec version, the TEFAQ, also called TEF Québec. It is modular too, but its question counts, timings and tasks are different from the TCF Québec.

For that test, read our TEFAQ (TEF Québec) guide, which also compares it with TEF Canada.

What Is Changing for the TCF Québec in 2026?

In March 2026, FEI announced that MIFI has asked the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) to adapt the TCF Québec to Quebec's linguistic realities. The first major step is a new listening module, planned for release at the end of 2026, and full deployment will then be spread over three years.

Until the adapted modules arrive, the format described on this page applies. Check FEI's TCF Québec page before your session to confirm the version your centre uses.

How to Prepare for the TCF Québec

Start from the levels your program requires, then prepare only the modules that count. Writing and speaking are identical to TCF Canada, so TCF Canada writing and speaking practice fits them directly. For listening and reading, practise multiple-choice questions against the TCF Québec clock: 29 scored questions in 25 minutes for listening and in 45 minutes for reading. On computer you see 34 items, 5 of them unscored, in the same time.

Aim for a margin above the floor of your band. A level 7 target means each oral module must reach at least 400 in listening and 10 out of 20 in speaking, and with re-marking suspended until autumn 2027 there is no second look at a borderline speaking mark.

Our TCF speaking practice rehearses the same three speaking tasks.