Do you need to pass the TEF exam? Perhaps you need it to
qualify for Express Entry in Canada or you need it to gain entry to a French
University. With so much at stake, how do you ensure an adequate score to meet
your goals?
There are really two factors
to consider with the TEF test, Test d’évaluation de français, there’s the level
of French and then there’s the exam itself. Even if your French is not strong,
if you understand the exam strategy well and are prepared with the right tools
and knowledge, you can improve your score.
The TEF exam benchmarks that
you must reach varies depending on which program you are trying to qualify for.
If, for example, you are aiming to qualify for Express Entry than you require
between a CLB 4 – CLB 7, depending on which of the three Express Entry programs
you are applying for. TEF Canada is the test format that is applicable for Express
Entry applications.
Once you know the minimum
score you need to meet your goals, how do you prepare for the TEF test? A
successful result starts with knowing what to expect.
What to expect
from a TEF Test
There are 4 components to
the TEF exam. You are tested in oral comprehension, written comprehension, and
oral and written expression.
Listening
Compréhension orale
40 min – 60 questions
With the listening section
of the TEF exam you will listen to a variety of different audio clips. There
are different phases within this section. It begins with very short clips,
which you can listen to twice, and there is often an image in front of you.
One question from a previous
TEF exam is a clip of someone moving furniture. The person in the clip
describes three of four items they are moving. The question given was “Which of
the 3 items did the person describe?’
The next step is small
exchanges in real-life situations. It could be someone asking for information
about what time their bus is going to arrive. You then have to identify some of
the key information.
The next level would be
short conversation between two French speakers and you will be asked to
identify the information. As the test progresses to higher levels, you may hear
audio clips from radio or TV programs.
They also like to test you
with different accents so you may hear someone with a Quebecois accent or a
southern accent for example. As the levels become more advanced, you will only
hear the clip once.
How to improve your TEF exam score in Listening
·
Train your listening by
listening to French series or watching French movies on streaming services or
YouTube.
·
At more advanced levels the
TEF test is really more journalistic so watching French news clips on websites
or social channels like Twitter is a good way to help prepare yourself.
Speaking
Expression orale
15 min – 2 topics
This can be the most
challenging section of the TEF exam for many students. They are looking at your
ability to present yourself, say who you are, and what you do. You may have to
share a personal opinion or express your convictions. Perhaps you are concerned
about your accent, but this is not important as long as you can be understood.
The first question you may
be asked is to introduce yourself. You should be able to describe your work,
your study, or your family for example. It’s just a basic question that you
would get in real-life encounters.
You will advance then to the
next level where they are testing to see if you can access help or information
from a Francophone. An example from a previous test was where an ad was shown
to win tickets to a show. The student then had to call them up and learn how to
enter the contest, ask how many winners there will be, and find out the dates
of the show.
As you progress, you will be
expected to express yourself at a higher level and perhaps even debate with
someone. So you might have to convince a friend to hire a housekeeping service
that you have used in the past. You would have to share the reasons why they
were a good service, describe the quality of their work and then convince your
friend that the savings in time and peace of mind, for example, would be worth
the money she would have to spend.
How to improve your TEF exam score in Speaking
·
Don’t try to use fancy words
if you are not fluent in the basics. What matters is that you can get your
point across to a native French speaker. Stick to simple language that you are
comfortable with.
·
Practice speaking French
with a French speaker. You can do this with an instructor online, at a French
cultural or community centre, or through a college TEF prep program.
Reading
Comprehension écrite
60 min – 50 questions
This section is about
understanding what you are reading and this section also covers proficiency in grammar
and the language structures. They will require you to demonstrate an
understanding of what you are reading. You may be asked to point out mistakes in
a sentence or select the right word that goes into a sentence. You may be
tested on conjugation on spelling on use of the subjunctive. This requires knowledge
of the rules and basics of French grammar.
How to improve your TEF exam score in Reading
·
There are books available
for loan at the local public library to help you learn French grammar and
improve your reading.
·
There are books and study
workbooks specifically designed to help you prepare for your TEF test. They are
readily available online.
Writing
Expression écrite
60 min – 50 questions
The last part of the TEF test
is the writing component of the exam. This can be the most difficult to prepare
for. At the more basic levels, you are only writing 90 words. You may have to
write a short email asking your friend to join you on a holiday or something
like that. This gets more difficult at higher levels, where you might need to prepare
a blog post for example. You might have a scenario where you disagree with
someone to show how you can express your opinion. At the advanced level, you
may be writing an essay.
· The knowledge you gain from
your studies in reading and grammar and conversation help you so that you
understand sentence structure and spelling, so this preparation work pays off
in the writing section of the TEF test as well.
·
There are online
tutorials, sample
tests, and a
mobile app available through
CCI Paris Ile-de-France website which can help you succeed
when you write the TEF exam.
With the proper study and
practice, you can improve your French language competency and ensure you get
the TEF exam results that you need to meet your goals. Good Luck!
