--- title: "Self-study for the TCF Canada: can you pass on your own?" description: "Plenty of candidates reach NCLC 7 without paying anyone. Here is an honest account of when self-study works, where it reliably breaks down, and what free…" canonical: https://francaisprep.com/alternatives/self-study last-updated: 2026-10-24 --- [Alternatives](/alternatives) # Self-study and free resources or Français Prep? This is the alternative we take most seriously, because for a meaningful number of candidates it is the right answer and we would rather say so than sell you something you do not need. Self-study works when your gap is knowledge. It breaks down when your gap is production, because nobody is marking your writing and nobody is making you speak under time pressure. Updated 24 October 2026 ![Adèle, the native French teacher who runs Français Prep](/_next/image?url=%2Fadele.png&w=3840&q=75) Not sure which of this you actually need? A 15-minute video call works out which of your four abilities is furthest from the level your application needs. It is free, and some candidates leave with a plan and no purchase. Adèle Sason · Native French teacher - every class, every correction [Book the free call](/book) Side by side ## Self-study and Français Prep, compared honestly | What you are comparing | Self-study | Français Prep | | --- | --- | --- | | Cost | Free, or the price of a book. | Published on this site, starting at CA$9.99 a week. | | Listening and reading | Well served. Free material from public broadcasters is genuinely good. | Timed practice in the exam format, with the clock as part of the exercise. | | Writing | The weak point. Nobody marks it, so you repeat the same errors. | Marked by hand against the exam's criteria, weekly in the live tiers. | | Speaking | Hard to practise alone, and impossible to practise under pressure alone. | Live classes where everyone speaks, plus marked recordings. | | Knowing where you stand | Guesswork until results day. | Diagnostic first, tracked against a target NCLC level throughout. | | Discipline | Entirely yours to supply. | A weekly class you have paid for is a deadline that exists whether you feel like it or not. | Français Prep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with any organisation named on these pages. We describe them only in general terms that are publicly documented, and we do not quote their prices, because those are set independently and change. Verify anything that matters to your decision with the provider directly. ## Choose Self-study if - →You already work or live in French daily and mostly need exam familiarity. - →Your weak sections are listening and reading, which free material covers well. - →You have time, discipline and no fixed deadline. - →You want to try a full practice paper before deciding whether you need help at all. ## Choose Français Prep if - →Your writing or speaking is the weak ability, and nobody is currently correcting either. - →You have sat the exam before and missed your target without knowing precisely why. - →You have a deadline and cannot afford a second sitting. - →You have been studying for months without a clear sense of whether you are improving. If that points to us ## What preparation here costs Prices are in Canadian dollars and the same wherever you are sitting the exam. - ### Weekly plan The whole practice platform: every TCF and TEF Canada series, unlimited AI corrections, timed mock tests and the course lessons. CA$9.99per week Canadian dollars (CAD) Billed weekly, cancel any time. Access runs to the end of the week you paid for. [Start the weekly plan](/dashboard/premium) - Every practice series in all four exam sections - Unlimited AI writing and speaking corrections - Timed mock tests in the real exam format - Course lessons and a weekly study plan - ### Small-group live Weekly live classes with Adèle, in groups small enough that everyone speaks, plus marked writing and speaking. CA$449per 8-week block Canadian dollars (CAD) Eight weekly classes of 60 minutes: 8 hours of live teaching, CA$56 an hour, with your writing and speaking marked every week. [Join a small group](https://buy.stripe.com/fZu4gyfXZ9uK5Aj1P46Vq01) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in the weekly plan - One 60-minute live class with Adèle every week - Marked writing submissions every week - Marked speaking recordings every week - Most popular ### One-to-one tutoring Private sessions scheduled around your test date, with a study plan built from your diagnostic results. CA$800per 10 sessions Canadian dollars (CAD) CA$80 an hour, booked around your test date: ten 60-minute sessions. [Book one-to-one](https://buy.stripe.com/dRm8wOfXZdL07IralA6Vq0a) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in small-group live - Private 60-minute sessions scheduled around your test date - Study plan built from your diagnostic test - Unlimited marked writing and speaking during your block Not ready to commit to a block? Try a trial class. One 40-minute class with Adèle, one to one. The CA$30 comes off any block you book within 30 days. [Try one class for CA$30](https://buy.stripe.com/6oU4gy3bd9uK4wf0L06Vq0c) Not sure which tier fits? [Book a free 15-minute video call.](/book) Prices are in Canadian dollars and include any tax that applies. Exam registration fees are paid directly to your test centre and are not included in any tier. Questions ## About Self-study ### Which free resources do you actually recommend? Public broadcasters put out a large amount of high-quality free French learning material aimed at exactly this level, and the exam operators publish sample papers and marking criteria. Start with the operator's own sample material, because it tells you what the exam wants, which no third party can tell you as reliably. ### Would you really tell me not to buy? Yes, and the placement call exists partly for that. If your four abilities are already sitting comfortably at your target level and you just need to see the format once, the honest advice is to buy a book and keep your money. We would rather lose a sale than take one that was never needed. ### What is the most common self-study mistake? Practising the enjoyable sections. Listening and reading are passive, measurable and satisfying, so they get the hours. Writing and speaking are uncomfortable and hard to self-assess, so they get skipped, and then they are the abilities that hold the file back. If you take nothing else from this page, take that. ### How do I know if self-study is failing? Sit a full timed practice paper and get one writing task marked by someone competent. If the result is close to your target, keep going alone. If the writing comes back with the same structural errors you have been making for months, that is the signal, and it will not fix itself with more input. From the blog ## More on Self-study and the alternatives - [GuideCan you pass the TCF/TEF Canada with self-study alone?Yes for reading and listening, no for writing and speaking without marked feedback. What to teach yourself for the TCF/TEF Canada, and where to buy help.](/blog/can-you-self-study-tcf-tef-canada) - [GuideThe best free TCF and TEF Canada resources, rankedFree material takes listening and reading a long way. The best free TCF and TEF Canada resources ranked by skill, and the one thing free cannot measure.](/blog/free-tcf-tef-resources) ## The other options - [Alliance Française TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/alliance-francaise) - [italki and Preply TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/italki-and-preply) - [Pack Ayoub TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-ayoub) - [PrepMyFuture TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/prepmyfuture) - [Crack the TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/crack-the-tcf) - [TCFCAD TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/tcfcad) - [Pack IMED TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-imed) - [OPAL TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/opal) - [Packs Nabil TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-nabil) - [TV5Monde TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/tv5monde) - [Work out where you stand first](/tools/score-converter) NEXT STEP ## Find out where your French actually stands Book a short assessment with Adèle: one writing task, one speaking task, and an honest plan for the weeks you have left before the exam. [Book an assessment](/book)[See the course tiers](#tiers) --- For agents: site index https://francaisprep.com/llms.txt, developer access https://francaisprep.com/developers, and TCF or TEF to NCLC conversion over a plain GET at https://api.francaisprep.com/v1/score/convert?exam=tcf_canada&listening=512&reading=470&writing=12&speaking=11 (exam is tcf_canada or tef_canada).