--- title: "TEFAQ 2026: the TEF for Quebec, usually just 2 oral tests" description: "The TEFAQ is the TEF adapted for Quebec, most often sat as compréhension orale and expression orale alone. Shorter than TEF Canada, and read by Quebec." canonical: https://francaisprep.com/tefaq last-updated: 2026-10-25 --- Quebec route # TEFAQ: the oral exam Quebec actually reads The TEF adapted for Quebec, usually sat as two oral sections rather than four. Shorter, cheaper, and aimed at a completely different authority from the TEF Canada most candidates have heard of. [Book a placement call](/book)[See TCF Québec](/tcf-quebec) - Usually sat as the two oral sections alone - Read by Quebec, not by IRCC - Speaking marked by hand, never by software ![Adèle, the native French teacher who runs Français Prep](/_next/image?url=%2Fadele.png&w=3840&q=75) Adèle SasonNative French teacher - every class, every correction By [Adèle Sason](/about), Français Prep · Updated 25 October 2026 In short The TEFAQ is the Test d'évaluation du français adapté pour le Québec: the TEF adapted for Quebec immigration and recognised by the Quebec ministry. It is most commonly taken as the two oral sections, compréhension orale and expression orale, which is why it is shorter and cheaper than a full TEF Canada sitting. The result is read on the échelle québécoise, not against the NCLC levels used for Express Entry, so a TEF Canada conversion chart will not tell you where you stand. ## TEFAQ at a glance Full name Test d'évaluation du français adapté pour le Québec. Who reads the result The Quebec ministry (MIFI). Which scale The échelle québécoise, not NCLC. Sections commonly sat Compréhension orale and expression orale. Written sections exist and can be added. Length and format Shorter than a full four-skill sitting, which is much of its appeal. Level required Set by programme and revised periodically. The two oral sections ## One section you can practise alone, one you cannot | Section | What you are asked to do | What is actually being measured | | --- | --- | --- | | Compréhension oraleListening. Machine-marked. | Recorded material at increasing difficulty, answered under time pressure. Announcements, conversations, short broadcasts and the kind of everyday speech you cannot ask to be repeated. | Speed of comprehension rather than vocabulary size. Most lost marks come from still processing the previous item when the next one starts, which is a practice problem rather than a knowledge one. | | Expression oraleSpeaking. Marked by an examiner. | Two tasks in the TEF family pattern: one where you have to obtain information by asking the questions, one where you present and defend a point of view. | Question forms in the first task and structured argument in the second. Candidates who have only ever answered questions in French find the first task much harder than they expected. | Why oral only ## An exam built around the half most people neglect Quebec's programmes have historically placed the weight on oral French, which is why the TEFAQ is commonly sat as the two oral sections alone rather than as a full four-skill exam. That makes it shorter and cheaper than a full TEF Canada or TCF Canada session. That has an awkward consequence. The two sections Quebec weights are exactly the two a candidate studying alone finds hardest to improve, because one needs a person on the other side of the conversation and the other needs sustained practice under a clock. An oral-only exam removes the sections where self-study works best and keeps the ones where it works least. - ### It is shorter, so it is cheaper An oral-only sitting takes less examiner time than a full four-skill session, and the fee reflects that. For a candidate whose route only reads oral French, paying for written sections is money spent on paperwork nobody will read. - ### It concentrates the risk Two sections means two chances to have a bad morning rather than four. That cuts both ways: there is nowhere for a weak section to hide, and no strong written result to point at. - ### It is the hardest half to self-study Listening improves with free material you can find anywhere. Speaking under pressure to a person who will not help you does not, which is why an oral-focused exam is the one where a self-study plan most often stalls. - ### It does not close the federal door by itself Whether a TEFAQ result can serve a federal application depends on the accepted test list at the time you apply. Before you book ## Make sure Quebec is actually your route Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and does not use the federal Express Entry system. That means a different ministry, a different French scale, and different accepted tests. A result prepared for Express Entry is read against NCLC levels by IRCC; a result prepared for Quebec is read against the échelle québécoise by the Quebec ministry. The French is the same French, but the paperwork is not interchangeable, and this is the single thing candidates most often get wrong. If you have not settled that question, settle it before you pay a test fee. The [TCF Québec page](/tcf-quebec) sets out the same distinction from the other exam's side, [TEF Canada vs TEFAQ](/blog/tef-canada-vs-tefaq) compares the two versions of this exam, and [our TEF and TCF comparison](/tef-vs-tcf) covers choosing between the test families once you know which authority is reading the result. Quebec revises its programmes, its selection grid and its accepted tests more often than the federal system does, and the thresholds move with them. Every number that matters to your application should be read off the current Quebec government pages rather than from any third party, including this one. Questions ## TEFAQ, answered ### What is the TEFAQ? The Test d'évaluation du français adapté pour le Québec: the TEF adapted for Quebec immigration and recognised by the Quebec ministry. It is most often sat as the two oral sections, compréhension orale and expression orale, which makes it shorter and cheaper than a full TEF Canada session. Written sections exist and can be taken where a programme requires them. ### Is the TEFAQ the same as TEF Canada? No. They come from the same test family and the speaking tasks follow a similar pattern, but they are aimed at different authorities. TEF Canada produces a result IRCC reads against NCLC for federal immigration. The TEFAQ produces a result Quebec reads on its own scale for Quebec selection. If you book one when your application needs the other, you have bought the wrong exam. ### Why do most people only take the oral sections? Quebec's programmes have historically placed the weight on oral French, which is why the TEFAQ is commonly sat as the two oral sections alone rather than as a full four-skill exam. That makes it shorter and cheaper than a full TEF Canada or TCF Canada session. ### What score do I need? That depends on the Quebec programme you are applying under, and Quebec revises both the programmes and the thresholds. ### How long is a TEFAQ result valid? Results have to be recent when your application is made. ### Can I prepare for the TEFAQ with TEF Canada material? Largely yes, for the oral sections, because the task types are close cousins. What you should not reuse is the score interpretation: a TEF Canada conversion chart reads against NCLC and tells you nothing about where you sit for Quebec. Use the material, ignore the thresholds. ### Do you prepare candidates for the TEFAQ? Yes, and the oral focus suits how we teach: both live tiers mark speaking every week, which is the section you cannot practise alone. Say on the placement call that the TEFAQ is your exam and the plan drops the written work you do not need. ### Is this immigration advice? Français Prep prepares candidates for French exams. We are not licensed immigration consultants, we do not assess eligibility for any Quebec programme, and nothing here is immigration advice. If federal Express Entry is also on the table, read [the difference between TEF and TCF](/tef-vs-tcf) for that route, and [TCF Québec](/tcf-quebec) for the other Quebec option. The [TEF Canada preparation course](/tef-canada-course) trains the same listening and speaking the TEFAQ tests; tell us Quebec is your route when you [book a placement call](/book). Preparation ## An oral exam needs oral practice, weekly Both live tiers mark speaking every week. For a TEFAQ candidate that is not an extra, it is most of 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. WHY PREPARE HERE ## Preparation built around the exam you are actually sitting Four things every tier includes, whether you study on your own or work with Adèle every week. - ### Marked against the real criteria Every writing and speaking task comes with a model answer and the marking grid, so you can see exactly what an examiner rewards. On the live tiers, Adèle marks your own work by hand and tells you which mistakes are costing you the most points. - ### Timed practice in the real exam format You practise each section under the clock, in the order and the length you will meet on test day, so the paper itself is never the surprise. - ### The NCLC threshold always in view Every section is worked against the NCLC thresholds IRCC publishes. A practice result is not an NCLC level; only your attestation gives one. Practice shows you where you lose marks. - ### Study from anywhere, in your timezone Everything is online, for candidates in Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, India, France and Canada. The free plan and the weekly plan run entirely on your own clock. On the live tiers, if you miss a class the recording and the correction still reach you. Keep reading ## The other exams, in the same detail - [TCF Québec 2026: read on the échelle québécoise, not NCLCTCF Québec is read by the Quebec ministry on the échelle québécoise, not by IRCC on the NCLC. How it differs from TCF Canada, and which one you need.](/tcf-quebec) - [TEF Canada 2026: 4 tests for PR, 2 for citizenshipPermanent residence needs four TEF Canada tests, citizenship only two. Reading 40 questions in 60 min, listening 40 in 40, writing and speaking 2 each.](/tef-canada) - [TEF Canada expression orale 2026: 2 sections in 15 minutesTwo speaking sections in fifteen minutes, Section A being the first five. What each asks, how the mark becomes an NCLC level, and where points go.](/tef-canada/expression-orale) - [TEF vs TCF Canada: which is easier, and how they differNeither is officially easier: both convert to the same NCLC levels and IRCC treats them as equal. What differs is format, timing and section counts.](/tef-vs-tcf) 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).