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The Alliance Française de San Diego is an Official Exam Center for the TCF certification.
The TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is a French Ministry of Education language certification operated by France Education International. It is intended for people 16 years of age or older, for whom French is not their native language, and who wish to have their level of French assessed. Your certificate will be valid for 2 years from the date on which the results were issued. This date of validity will be indicated on your certificate.
We offer the option to take different versions of the TCF:
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TCF Tout Public (TP): It is intended for anyone of any nationality who needs to evaluate and validate their knowledge of French for personal or professional reasons. As part of the application for prior admission (DAP) for entry into the first year of a university degree or for admission to a school of architecture, the candidate must take a TCF for the general public with a compulsory written expression test.
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TCF Intégration, Résidence et Nationalité (IRN): It can be used to get a residency card, naturalization, reinstatement, or declaration of nationality due to marriage with a French spouse.
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TCF Canada (CA): It is required for anyone 16 years of age or older, regardless of nationality or mother tongue, who needs to certify his or her level of French for immigration and/or citizenship purposes in Canada.
Before registering for a test, please verify the required certification and level of French, based on your specific goal (e.g., academic admission, administrative procedures, naturalization, etc.).
Please note: the French language requirements for French naturalization and residence have changed as of 2026. For more information, you may consult the website of France Education.
For Canada, the level of French may vary depending on your goal. You may consult the website of the Canadian government.
These information are provided for guidance only. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they select the appropriate test for their needs.
If you have questions, consult the FAQ below. If you do not find the answer to your question, you may contact us at certifications@afsandiego.org
Before registering for a test, be sure of your French proficiency level. If you're unsure which test suits you best, consider taking a placement test.
01
Prepare for the test
Prepare online at your own pace.
https://www.afsandiego.org/product-page/prepmytcf
Complete your preparation with some private classes with us!
02 - Exam Test Dates
TCF Canada
January 26, 2026 (closed)
Tuesday, February 10 (closed)
Wednesday, March 11 (sold out)
Wednesday, April 15 (sold out)
Wednesday, May 13 (registration deadline: May 6)
Wednesday, June 10 (registration deadline: June 3)
TCF IRN:
Tuesday, February 24 (sold out)
Tuesday, March 24 (registration deadline: March 17)
Tuesday, April 28 (registration deadline: April 21)
Tuesday, May 26 (registration deadline: May 19)
Tuesday, June 23 (registration deadline: June 16)
TCF Tout Public
Tuesday, March 3 (registration deadline: February 24)
Tuesday, June 2 (registration deadline: May 26)
Exams are hosted at our facility:
Alliance Française de San Diego
6390 Greenwich Dr, #185,
San Diego, CA 92122
Please note that there is a maximum of 4 candidates per session and registration may end earlier if we are at capacity.
All exams start at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
Please be on site by 8:40 a.m. If you arrive late, you will not be eligible to take the exam, as it must begin at the same time for all candidates.
FAQ:
- Deadlines are set globally for all certifications. We cannot register a student after the due date since the system will not allow it.
- Registered persons will receive an exam notification once all registrations are closed. There is no need to contact us before that date since we need to wait for the final list to send out notifications.
- Exams are in person only.
- The written part is on paper until February. Then we are switching to the computer-based format for all TCF sessions starting in February, which enables us to offer more sessions.
- Plan ahead: if you are late for the exam, we won't be able to accommodate you, refund you for the exam fees or transfer to another session.
- For the TCF, candidates receive the certificate with their results three weeks after the exam.
03 - Pay
Before registering for a test, please verify the required certification and level of French, based on your specific goal (e.g., academic admission, administrative procedures, naturalization, etc.).
Please note: the French language requirements for French naturalization and residence are expected to change before the end of 2025. For more information, you may consult the website of France Education.
For Canada, the level of French may vary depending on your goal. You may consult the website of the Canadian government.
These information are provided for guidance only. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they select the appropriate test for their needs.
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