Honestly, never have I thought that I would be learning french in my life until I needed it as a requirement to become a permanent resident in Canada thru the PEQ – Québec experience program or the Programme de l’expérience québécoise.
It is for an international student like me who is a Québec graduate and would like to obtain a Québec selection certificate to settle in Québec permanently.
I studied a web design course at an English school in December 2017 and graduated in August 2019. When I got my first job as a web designer in September 2019, I never really needed to be good at French since English is the primary language used at work.
It was only in the 2nd quarter of 2020, right after the first Pandemic lockdown, that I had a sense of urgency that I needed to be serious about learning french to reach the B2 level since my work permit will expire in August 2021.
So the main goal is to reach the B2 level in less than 12 months (starting at the A1 level).
From A1, Is it really possible to pass TEFAQ B2 in less than a year? Let's find out.
I only needed to pass the listening and speaking parts of the exam so below is a little overview of those two sections of the TEFAQ examination.
You can also do some tefaq listening practice for free here.
Since December of 2023, the TEFAQ Listening Exam Has a Brand New Format!
I started preparing around March 2020, right after the first Pandemic lockdown in Montreal. The timing was great because I didn't have much else to do after work, and since we were all working from home, I had more time to study.
In my estimate, I spent about an hour to 2 hours per day reviewing my old french books about basic french grammar. I was brushing up my A1 level french at this point.
In August 2020, I started practicing with native french speaking teachers in Italki .
In September 2020, I started my online French Conversation & grammar - Beginner 2 class at YMCA Montreal. It is a 42-hour class, 2 hours every Tuesday and Thursday.
In November 2020, I enrolled in the next-level class at YMCA. It is a Beginner 3 class. I also continued my speaking exercise with Italki teachers.
In February 2021, I enrolled in the TEF Canada/TEFaQ Test Prep Course (Oral Expression only) at McGill School of Continuing Studies.
This book also helped me a lot:ABC TEFAQIn April 2021, I scheduled the exam, and since I enrolled in McGill's Tefaq prep course, it was not a difficult decision for me to take the exam at McGill testing center. They are one of the few accredited testing centers for TEF, TEFaQ, and TEF Canada here in Montreal.
I have some advice in scheduling your exam: It is helpful to schedule your speaking and listening exam at least 2 hours apart. In my experience, I had my speaking scheduled at 10 AM and listening at 11 AM. I thought that an hour gap is more than enough already. However, on the actual exam day, my speaking exam started at around 1030, and finished at around 10:50.
I only had 10 mins to transfer to another room where the listening exam is held. I was the last person to enter the testing laboratory, I had no time to choose a seat, and I missed some early instructions, and I was already panicking!
Anyway, despite the chaotic start, I managed to calm down and relax.
Finally, in May 2021, I achieved B2 level on my TEFAQ exam!
An examinee needs to become familiar with the format and types of questions.
What really helped me the most in passing the exam is doing the practice and mock tests.
Bonus: I am sharing my TEFAQ cheatsheet here
One of the reasons why someone needs to pass B2 french is to obtain a CSQ and then apply for a permanent residency in Canada.
From my experience, it is indeed very possible to reach the B2 level (from A1 level) in less than a year or 12 months.
Aside from everyday practice, it is equally important to select the study materials, teachers, instructors, and even testing centers to attain success in passing the TEFAQ exam.
So If I was able to do it, so can you :)