The short answer
DELF and DALF are diplomas: you choose a level, pass it, and keep it for life. The TCF and TEF are tests: you sit one exam, receive a score converted into a CEFR level, and it expires after two years. Choose by goal rather than by test date. French universities generally ask for DELF B2, Canadian immigration accepts TEF Canada or TCF Canada, and French nationality now requires proof of B2.
If you've started looking into French certification, you've probably run into a wall of acronyms: DELF, DALF, TCF, TEF, and sometimes TCF Canada, TCF Québec, or TCF IRN thrown in for good measure. Almost every student asks me the same question at some point: "which one do I actually need?"
The honest answer is: it depends entirely on your goal. A French exam for studying in Paris is not the same exam you want for Canadian immigration, and using the wrong one can cost you months of preparation and, in some cases, real money. Here's exactly how these exams differ, and how to pick the right one.
In a hurry? The free exam chooser is this whole article on five printable pages: your goal next to the exam it asks for, the five TCF and TEF versions side by side, and seven things to tick off before you book. No account needed.
These aren't niche exams either: the TCF alone drew more than 219,000 candidates in a single record year, sitting across 763 accredited centres worldwide. In my own teaching, I've had students book the wrong one of these three by accident, then have to redo months of prep once they realised their target institution didn't accept it, which is exactly the mistake this guide is meant to save you from.
A note before we start
Exam formats and immigration requirements change from time to time, and different countries or institutions may ask for a specific version of a specific exam. Always confirm the exact requirement with the official body asking for it (a university, IRCC for Canada, or your local préfecture for French citizenship) before registering. This guide gives you the general landscape so you know what questions to ask.
Side-by-side comparison
| DELF / DALF | TCF | TEF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Diploma, one level at a time | Test, scored then levelled | Test, scored then levelled |
| Validity | Lifetime, never expires | 2 years | 2 years |
| Administered by | France Éducation international | France Éducation international | Paris Île-de-France CCI |
| Levels covered | A1 to C2, as six separate diplomas | A1 to C2, from one score out of 699 | A1 to C2, from one score |
| Most common use | University admission, permanent certification | Canada/Quebec immigration, French citizenship | Canada immigration (TEF Canada) |
Whichever you pick, the next question is which level to register for, and paying to sit one band too high is an expensive way to find out. Our free French level test gives you an A1 to B2 estimate in about six minutes, and explains every question you get wrong.
The three exams, in one sentence each
- DELF / DALF is a diploma, split into 6 independent levels (A1 to C2), that you keep for life once you pass it.
- TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is a placement-style test that gives you a score and a corresponding level, valid for 2 years, with several versions for different purposes.
- TEF (Test d'Évaluation de Français) is very similar in spirit to the TCF, run by a different organisation, mostly known for its role in Canadian immigration.
DELF and DALF: the permanent diploma
DELF (Diplôme d'Études en Langue Française) and DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) are official diplomas issued by the French Ministry of Education, through France Éducation international. They're split into 6 independent diplomas that match the CEFR scale: DELF A1, A2, B1, B2, then DALF C1, C2.
You choose the level you want to sit, and you're tested on all four skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking, each scored out of 25. You need 50/100 overall and a minimum of 5/25 in each skill to pass.
The biggest difference from the other two exams: a DELF or DALF diploma never expires. Once you have it, it's yours permanently, which makes it the standard choice for university admission in France and for anyone who wants a certificate that won't need renewing. If DELF is your target, see our DELF exam preparation tips for how to maximise your score.
TCF: the flexible, multi-purpose test
The TCF is not a diploma, it's a standardised test. Instead of choosing a level in advance, you sit one exam and receive a score that's then converted into a CEFR level from A1 to C2, along with an official attestation. This score is valid for 2 years from the test date.
What makes the TCF confusing is that it comes in several versions, each built for a specific purpose:
| Version | Typically used for |
|---|---|
| TCF Tout Public | General personal or professional certification, no specific institutional requirement |
| TCF Canada | Canadian permanent residence applications (e.g. Express Entry), where French proficiency can add points |
| TCF Québec | Quebec-specific immigration procedures |
| TCF IRN (formerly TCF ANF) | Applying for French nationality (naturalisation), as an alternative to a DELF diploma. Since 1 January 2026 the level to reach is B2, in speaking and writing, so you need a B2 result rather than the B1 that was enough until the end of 2025 (see the new B2 rules) |
The core content (listening and reading comprehension) is similar across versions, but which sections are mandatory, and the exact scoring, can differ depending on the version and what the requesting institution asks for. Always double-check you're registering for the specific version that matches your goal, not just "the TCF."
Because the papers differ from one version to the next, so does the preparation: the tasks you are marked on for a nationality file are not the ones a Canadian file scores. That is why my TCF preparation lessons start from the version you are actually sitting, then concentrate on the two papers a person marks, expression écrite and expression orale.
TEF: the other major test, and the face of TEF Canada
The TEF (Test d'Évaluation de Français) is administered by the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has run it since 1998, a separate organisation from the one behind DELF/DALF/TCF. Structurally, it plays a similar role to the TCF: you get a score converted into a CEFR level, valid for 2 years, across the same four skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing).
The TEF is best known through TEF Canada, historically one of the two accepted French tests (alongside TCF Canada) for Canadian immigration programs like Express Entry, where a strong French score can add significant Comprehensive Ranking System points, even for applicants whose first official language is English.
Because TCF and TEF serve such similar purposes for Canadian immigration, which one is currently accepted, and for which specific program, is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming directly on the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) website before you book a test date.
So which one should you take?
Rather than picking an exam first, start from your goal. I have put the whole decision on one printable sheet, the which French exam checklist, free and without an account. Here it is in short:
- Applying to a French university? Most institutions ask for DELF B2, sometimes DALF C1 for graduate programs. Some accept a TCF score instead, so check the specific requirement on the university's admissions page.
- Applying for French citizenship? A DELF B2 diploma or a TCF IRN result at B2, since the bar rose from B1 to B2 on 1 January 2026. The choice between the two comes down to a deadline rather than to difficulty, which is worth a section of its own further down.
- Immigrating to Canada or Quebec? TEF Canada or TCF Canada, with TCF Québec for Quebec's own programmes. The DELF does not help here, whatever its merits, and the section below explains why.
- Just want a recognised certificate for your CV or personal record? DELF/DALF is usually the better pick, precisely because it never expires: you sit it once and it's valid forever, unlike the 2-year window on TCF and TEF scores.
Which exam for French citizenship in 2026?
This is the question that changed most recently, and the one people are most often preparing for against an out-of-date answer. Since 1 January 2026, naturalisation requires a B2 level rather than the B1 that was enough until the end of 2025, under décret n° 2025-648 of 15 July 2025, and the level is now assessed in writing as well as orally.
Two documents prove it. A DELF B2 diploma, which you keep for life. Or a TCF IRN result at B2, the version built for intégration, résidence et nationalité, which is not the same paper as the TCF tout public and has to be booked as such.
The difference that decides it for most candidates is not difficulty, it is the clock. A TCF attestation has to be less than two years old on the day your file is examined, not on the day you submit it. Between préfecture appointments, gathering documents and the months a dossier spends being processed, candidates whose attestation expires mid-procedure have to sit and pay for the test a second time. The DELF B2 asks for more preparation, since it is a full four-skill exam, but you never think about it again.
Two things people routinely merge into one: the language requirement and the civic knowledge exam, which became compulsory on the same date, are separate, and the entretien d'assimilation at the préfecture is a third thing again. I have set the whole picture out in French citizenship in 2026 and the new B2 requirement. If the test route is yours, my TCF preparation lessons are built around the IRN, written production included. Whichever you choose, confirm the accepted list with your own préfecture before booking anything.
Which exam for Canada and Quebec?
Here the DELF is beside the point, however good a diploma it is. Canadian files run on TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and your result is read as an NCLC level (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) rather than as a raw score, so what matters is which band you land in, not the number itself.
French is worth more than many applicants expect. In Express Entry, a strong French result can add meaningful Comprehensive Ranking System points even when English is your first official language, which is why candidates who would never have described themselves as French speakers still end up sitting one of these two tests.
Quebec runs its own immigration programmes with their own requirements, where the TCF Québec and the TEF are the usual routes, and where the papers you sit depend on which skills your specific programme asks you to certify.
Between TEF Canada and TCF Canada there is no better test in the abstract: they serve the same purpose and are marked on the same NCLC scale. Two practical things decide it. Which one is currently accepted for your specific programme, to be confirmed on the IRCC site rather than on a forum, since that list does change. And which one has a test centre and a date that fit your timeline, which in practice is what settles it for most people.
If Canada is your goal, that comparison deserves more than a paragraph: I have put the two tests side by side, with both IRCC conversion tables and the NCLC level each programme asks for, in TEF or TCF Canada: which French test to take. The free TCF Canada checklist covers the four papers and the score bands on one printable sheet.
If you take one thing away, take the sheet: the exam checklist has the goals, every version of the TCF and TEF, and the seven lines to tick before you pay for a registration.
A common mistake: picking the exam before the goal
The single most expensive mistake students make is booking whichever exam their friend took, or whichever one has the nearest test date, without checking that it's actually the one their target institution accepts. A DELF B2 diploma is a fantastic credential, but it won't help a Canadian Express Entry application the way a TCF Canada or TEF Canada score will. Always start from the requirement on the other end (the university, the immigration program, the préfecture), find the exact exam and level or score threshold they ask for, and only then start preparing.
How the exams are structured, in practice
Despite their different purposes, all three exams test the same four skills, just packaged differently:
Compréhension orale (listening) → multiple choice, based on audio recordings
Compréhension écrite (reading) → multiple choice or short answers, based on written texts
Expression écrite (writing) → producing a written text: an email, an essay, an opinion piece
Expression orale (speaking) → a face-to-face or recorded interview, defending a point of view
The speaking and writing sections are almost always the hardest to prepare for alone, because unlike listening and reading, there's no multiple-choice safety net: you need a method, useful connectors, and enough practice to structure an answer under time pressure. That is most of what we do in DELF and DALF preparation lessons: full answers, timed, then corrected together.
The multiple-choice safety net is thinner than it looks, though. Listening is the one paper where you cannot slow anything down: the recording is played twice on the DELF and once on the TCF, and the question is whether you caught one specific detail while it went past. DELF listening practice is free to sit on this site, a real A2 exercise and a real B1 document, played twice with no rewind, with every answer explained afterwards and the exact second of the recording where it was.
How to actually prepare
Whichever exam you're sitting, preparation comes down to the same three things: knowing the exact format inside out, having a reliable method for the speaking and writing tasks, and practising under real exam conditions before the day itself. Reading about the format once is not enough, you need to have produced full timed answers, ideally with corrections, so you know exactly where you're losing points. If doing that alone is the part that never quite happens, that is exactly what exam preparation lessons are for.
The fourth thing, the one candidates notice too late, is vocabulary. Every one of these exams is built on a register you will not pick up from conversation: society, work, the media, the environment. It is the cheapest part of the preparation to start today, and the slowest to catch up on in the final month. My free flashcard decks cover that ground at B1 and B2, spoken aloud so the listening section is not the first place you meet a word, and the DELF Junior decks do the same for a teenager sitting A1, A2 or B1. No account, nothing to download.