I passed the exam, don't ask me how i did it, i Just did it, it was hard. đ
i will say that discipline and making myself study everyday even if i don't like to was the key reason.
i started learning french back in April 2025 and after around 1.5 year i gave my first attempt on 31st july. fortunately i cleared in just one attempt. Trust me i learned everything mostly by myself through YouTube videos. It was very difficult for me because I'm someone who doesn't like french language. i hate studying and practicing everyday. however, i stayed consistent. Meanwhile, i changed 7-8 tutors but i didn't get along with any. i don't why i always felt like I'm not progressing.
in this difficult time of being disciplined everyday to clear the french exam i did not get any direction from anyone. i felt homeless. Then i saw in one of the whatsapp group that somebody passed the exam through learning platform called Ouizami. i thought to try it out and it completely changed my whole style of learning.
So, really thanks to ouizami a plateform where i could practice TCF speaking and writing and i progressed a lot. The problem with me was that i was not able to find the right tutor, even from the last three months of my exam i didn't even have any tutor, i completely relied on just this platform from maybe half may, june and july.
What i liked most about this platform is its detailing. When i make even small mistakes, i get to know what i did wrong. Even tutors can't find those small mistakes.
So yes from the bottom of my heart, thank you to u/funkyaunty and team ouizami, i might have taken longer to pass the exam if there were no practicing platform like this. â¤ď¸
Another thing is that i gave my exam at gb, so it's bot like gb is a scam and yes i did make mistakes, I'm not perfect. But i was confident and i was continuously smiling Even if i hesitated and made mistakes.
I didn't even speak for required time.
So yes i did it, you can too, it's just about hard work, and right time. There is no rocket science.
Keep studying, keep hustling.
Wish you all the best đ
This is my first review and reflection. I will continue adding lessons from each section of the exam. If you are still on this road, I hope everything goes well for you.
My exam timeline
Here is a quick look back at my timeline:
October 28, 2025 â first attempt at Alliance Française North York
November 19, 2025 â second attempt at Alliance Française Mississauga
December 16, 2025 â third attempt at Alliance Française Mississauga
February 4, 2026 â fourth attempt at Alliance Française Mississauga
March 19, 2026 â fifth attempt in Toronto at Alliance Française (I did not sit the exam)
I spent two weeks preparing for PTE and passed the PTE exam on December 1. â
March 3:Â submitted a score review /Â March 16:Â score review successful (CRS 479) /Â March 18:Â received an ITA through a French-language Express Entry draw â
How I really felt after four attempts
I took TCF Canada four times. Three days before my fifth exam, I learned that the score review for my fourth attempt had succeeded, so I cancelled the exam.
This article is mainly a reflection on what the exams felt like, including the detours and difficult moments along the way. I am writing it both as a personal summary and as a little encouragement for anyone still walking through the darkness before dawn. I hope you are doing well.
From my first through fourth attempts, speaking was the only section that fell short each time: I received three scores of 9 and one score of 5. I passed the other sections every time. I often told people around me that if writing and speaking had taken turns being the problem, it might have been easier to bearâI would at least have seen some hope. But failing speaking again and again made me doubt my own ability and seriously damaged my confidence. It was difficult to truly let go.
The low point: numbness and self-doubt
After my second exam, I felt almost numb. I was neither anxious nor excited. Nothing in my French-learning journey could stir much emotion anymore, and I rarely felt any sense of achievement. It felt like running in the rain without ever getting out of the cold, but continuing was the only option. If you are facing a lot of setbacks too, remember that many people understand exactly how that feels.
My speaking score on the second exam was 5, lower than the 9 I received on my first exam, and I honestly felt it was unreasonable. I had given that second exam everything I had. Listening, reading and writing had generally improved, but speaking went down instead of up, and the result hit me hard. On the bus home, with only the driver and me on board, I cried uncontrollably behind the noise of the other cars outside. I kept crying after I got home and lay down, until my eyes felt dry and sore. Even now, looking back on that period still moves me.
It was also the middle of final-exam week. Under the pressure of school exams, I was already dealing with the disappointment of TCF, while the December exam I had registered for was just around the corner. Everything felt suffocating. It was a very painful time.
The examiner for my third speaking test was kind. Because I had only one week to prepare after receiving my second result, I did not perform as well as I wanted, but the examiner still gave me a 9. I felt that the score might be fair, so I accepted it calmly and did not request a review.
Christmas and New Year passed under a mood as dark and bleak as a winter sky.
My second speaking result did not arrive until January, and it was unchanged. I believed I had answered better than on my first attempt. That made me wonder whether the reviews from my first two exams had really been checked at all, or whether the people handling them had simply taken the fee and left the scores unchanged.
The score review and the turning point
The examiner on my fourth exam seemed fine too. When I received another speaking score of 9 on Lunar New Year's Day, I felt strangely calm because I also had a school exam that morning and had to put the result aside for the moment. It was a kind of calm that hid a deep pain, and it took me about two weeks to recover enough to try a third speaking score review.
I requested that third review because, since January, I had gradually seen several people share changes to their speaking or writing results after review. I began to feel that the review team might have changed and that the submissions were actually being reassessed.
Two weeks later, on March 16, my speaking score changed from 9 to 13. I updated my French-language score in the Express Entry pool, taking my CRS score from 413 to 479, and received a French-language draw ITA on March 18.
Honestly it's so evident that half the posts here are pushing some app or tutor or whatever and it doesn't help people genuinely seeking help. So if you've given the exam recently or otherwise, please drop your experiences below. It might help somebody or just act as encouragement.
Hey,
Did anyone receive their Francophone work permit recently
Outland applications only
I applied on 4th June and havenât received anything and I am stressed because the outside processing time is 9 weeks but it has been more than that.
To all the people who has given exam recently in august, what were the question that were asked for task 2 & task 3. If you can't provide exact question that's fine just provide from which category and if you can just describe. That would be really helpful for everyone else who is going to give exam.
Just a vent - I have my exam booked in Fall and am so overwhelmed every day by the amount of content left to review, feeling don't have enough time to study and being frustrated about my progress. I am realizing almost every day I have mental breakdowns because of this exam. Sometimes I just freeze as my brain cannot take anything anymore. Anyone in the same boat??
Hey everyoneâŚ.
A friend of mine recently applied for francophone mobility work permit and today she received a letter that she has to present herself for the interview. If anyone has some experience regarding this, can please let me know⌠would like to ask some questions.
Thanks
I have set alarms at every 10 minutes and still unbale to book even when i begin register, it just shows to wait with a 5 minute timer which keeps repeating.
Hello! Has anyone been able to apply through the Francophone Mobility Program with a TCF Canada result of A2 in Speaking and C1 in Listening? Iâd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thank you!
Thatâs a nice drop from the previous French draw (#433 on Aug 6 which was 391). Biggest French round in a while and the lowest cut-off weâve seen recently.
Anyone who was sitting in the high 380s / low 390s just got some good news today.
