Recommendations for all the tests
Before the examination
- Find out about the material available at the center (on the computer or on paper), the conduct of the tests, the content, the duration of each test, the format of the answer sheet (cf. downloadable candidate handbook on the France Éducation international website).
- Practice answering questions based on the different material: check boxes on an answer sheet (on paper) or click on the on-screen buttons (on the computer).
During the examination
1. Read the instructions carefully.2. Answer all the questions.
3. Manage your time!
Recommendations for the listening comprehension test
Content and conduct of the test
- The start of a question is notified to the candidate with an audio sound.
- There are several question formats, discover them with our TCF trainings.
- The questions become more and more difficult and the theme changes from one to another.
- During the listening comprehension test, each question has a set time limit, you will not be required to move on to the next question, it will be done automatically. You must wait until the end of the ongoing question.
- Be careful:
- you will hear the audio file and the question only once;
- you will hear the question after listening to the audio file;
- the questions are not written down in the candidate handbook.
Before the examination
- Practice switching from one theme to another and to stay focus during 30 minutes.
- Practice listening and understanding audio files after one listen.
- Practice answering questions asked after one listen of a audio file.
- Practice imagining speech that could be pronounced by characters presented in a picture or a drawing.
- When listening to an audio file, write down the key words and ideas of the document. Then gradually stop writing down these key words and ideas, and practice memorizing them. In everyday life, you will not always have with you something to write down (paper, pen) what you hear. On the day of the examination, neither.
- When listening to an audio file, practice imagining what questions could be asked on this document.
- When listening to an audio file, practice identifying quickly the communication setting: who speaks to who? What for?
During the examination
- You will hear the audio file and the question only once: in that case, listen carefully.
- For exercises related to the instruction “Listen to the audio file and the question.”, try reading the four answer options before listening to the audio file.
Recommendations for the language structures command test
Grammar and vocabulary
The exercises for this test are fill-in-the-blanks exercises. The instruction written in the candidate handbook is always the same: choose the correct answer.Before the examination
Practice with the suggested exercises: remember, there is only one correct answer.
During the examination
You manage your time. You will be able to come back on it later. If you hesitate for too long, move on to the next question.Recommendations for the reading comprehension test
Content and conduct of the test
The exercises offered in this test always include:
- one document to read;
- one written question in the candidate handbook;
- 4 answer options written in the candidate handbook.
These exercises are all listed under the instruction : “ Read the documents. For each question, select the correct answer and check the box on the answer sheet. ”
Before the examination
Practice with different text reading methods: find the key words, scan a text to find a specific information, identify the section of the text to which the question relates to, etc.
During the examination
- You manage your own time. You will be able to come back on it later. If you hesitate for too long, move on to the next question.
- Read the question and the 4 answer options before reading the text of the document.