Guide TEF Canada
TEF Canada listening: 40 questions in 40 minutes
TEF Canada listening has 40 multiple-choice questions (4 options) in 40 minutes, on computer. Each recording is played only once and you cannot go back.
Key facts
- 40 questions, 4 options, 40 minutes, over 46 screens. Automatic playback, one listening only, no going back; a few seconds to read before, answer time after.
- Structure in the official sample: questions 1–4, dialogues to match to a picture; 5–20, public announcements, phone messages, vox pops; 21–30, radio segments, interviews, reports; 31–40, various everyday recordings.
- Scoring: 1 point per correct answer, 0 otherwise; the total is converted into a score by difficulty. For IRCC: NCLC 7 = 249 to 279 in the “ancien score”.
- Some sites claim the vox-pop questions now have 3 options or play twice: the official page still says 4 options and one listening.
Official sources: TEF Canada — on test day · Le français des affaires — TEF Canada · Official TEF sample — listening (PDF) · TEF Canada — results · IRCC — language test results (Express Entry)
Practise now
No sign-up. An NCLC estimate as a range, never an official result.
Where candidates get stuck
What comes up most often in the candidate accounts we have read.
- No going back. A missed question is lost; dwelling on it costs you the next one.
- Vox pops. Several voices, different accents, street noise: this is where your ear tires.
- Noisy practice audio. Part of what is online relies on rebuilt, re-recorded questions: you get used to sound that has nothing to do with the exam.
Official sources: TEF Canada — on test day · Le français des affaires — TEF Canada
How to practise
- Use the seconds before each recording to read the four options and predict what to listen for (a number, a place, an opinion).
- Work on the official TEF samples (PDF and audio), with one listening only.
- Our original TEF listening sets: a few seconds to read, one listening, no going back, as on test day; then a practice mode with transcript and explanations. Practise · Full mock exam
FAQ
Can I replay a recording in TEF Canada?
No. According to the official test-day page, each recording plays once and you cannot go back.
Official source: TEF Canada — on test day
How many listening questions in TEF Canada?
40 multiple-choice questions, in 40 minutes.
Official source: TEF Canada — on test day
What listening score gives NCLC 7?
249 to 279 in the “ancien score” (IRCC table).
Official source: IRCC — language test results (Express Entry)
Read next
TCF TEF Study is independent: neither France Éducation international nor CCI Paris Île-de-France has reviewed this content. Facts come from the official pages cited; check them before you register, as the test owners can change them. Updated 22 October 2026.