Question 1

What level of French is required for the multi-year residence permit?

Accepted Answer

Level A2 of the Common European Framework. Since 1 January 2026, the first carte de séjour pluriannuelle is granted only on proof of level A2 (CESEDA art. L. 433-4, 1°) and a pass in the civics exam (art. L. 433-4, 2°). The detailed rules come from décret n° 2025-647 of 15 July 2025, made under loi n° 2024-42 of 26 January 2024. Higher levels apply to other permits: B1 for the carte de résident, B2 for naturalisation.

Question 2

TCF IRN or DELF A2 — which should I take?

Accepted Answer

Both are accepted, but they do different jobs. The TCF IRN is a test: the attestation arrives in roughly 2–4 weeks, but it is only valid for 2 years. The DELF A2 is a national diploma: it never expires, but results take 6–8 weeks and the paper diploma can take 3–6 months. If your préfecture appointment is close, the TCF IRN is realistically the only option; if you have time, the DELF A2 is a permanent asset. The TEF IRN, run by the CCI Paris Île-de-France, is the equivalent of the TCF IRN and is equally accepted.

Question 3

What is the pass mark?

Accepted Answer

This is the most commonly misreported point, because the answer differs between the two objects — and one of them has no pass mark at all: DELF A2: you need 50 points out of 100 overall AND at least 5 points out of 25 in each of the four épreuves. A mark below 5/25 in a single épreuve is eliminatory, even if your total is above 50.; TCF IRN: there is no pass mark. The attestation states a level, and the body receiving it — here the préfecture — decides which level it requires. For the multi-year residence permit that is global level A2.; Civics exam: 32 correct answers out of 40, i.e. 80 % (CESEDA art. D. 413-12-2). A wrong answer and a blank answer both score zero and there is no negative marking, so always answer.

Question 4

How is the TCF IRN marked?

Accepted Answer

The comprehension papers give a score between 100 and 499, translated into a level: A1 from 101 to 199, A2 from 200 to 299, B1 from 300 to 399, B2 from 400 to 499. The TCF IRN is capped at B2, which is why the scale runs to 499 rather than 699. Writing and speaking are marked out of 20, where A2 is 2–5 points and B1 is 6–9. The attestation also carries a table showing whether each global level was reached — that is the line the préfecture reads. Note that the mapping from correct answers to the score is not published, so no simulator, ours included, can produce a real TCF score.

Question 5

What is in the TCF IRN?

Accepted Answer

Four compulsory and indivisible papers, 1 h 35 in total since the reform of 12 May 2025 (many third-party pages still show the old figures): Listening — 25 multiple-choice questions, 4 options, 20 minutes. Each recording is played once only and the question comes after the recording.; Reading — 25 multiple-choice questions, 4 options, 35 minutes.; Writing — 3 tasks in 30 minutes in total: describe (30–60 words), narrate (40–90 words), give an opinion (40–90 words).; Speaking — 3 tasks in 10 minutes, with no preparation time at all: guided interview, interaction, point of view.

Question 6

Are your exercises in the TCF IRN format or the DELF A2 format?

Accepted Answer

Our practice comprehension papers (listening and reading) are written to the TCF IRN format: four options per question, exactly one correct, exactly like the official exam. The DELF A2 does not look like that, and two DELF A2 formats are in circulation at the same time: the updated "format 2", entirely multiple choice but with THREE options and with matching grids ("6 situations but only 4 dialogues"), and the older format, which keeps short written answers and true/false questions requiring a justification. Our exercises reproduce neither format 2’s 3 options nor its matching grids. If you are preparing for the DELF rather than the TCF IRN, the content and level of our exercises still help you revise, but practise on DELF-format papers too before the exam — both DELF formats are detailed below. Writing and speaking were not changed by the reform and look more similar across the two regimes.

Question 7

What is the civics exam (examen civique)?

Accepted Answer

A separate exam from the language one, also compulsory since 1 January 2026. It has 40 multiple-choice questions in French, 4 options with exactly one correct answer: 28 knowledge questions and 12 situational questions, in no more than 45 minutes. You need 32 correct answers out of 40. A wrong answer and a blank both score zero with no penalty, so always answer. The themes and their weights are set by the arrêté of 10 October 2025: principles and values of the Republic (11 questions), rights and duties of life in France (11), history, geography and culture (8), institutions and politics (6), living in French society (4). It can be retaken at any time and as often as necessary, and the pass attestation has no expiry date.

Question 8

Which tests and diplomas does the préfecture accept?

Accepted Answer

There are two separate families, and conflating them is the commonest mistake: Language certifications — TCF and TEF — whose attestation must include an identity check and a photograph and be less than 2 years old (arrêté of 22 December 2025).; French diplomas attesting the level, which never expire: DELF, DALF, DELF Pro, DUEF, DFP, DCL, RNCP-registered qualifications at level 3 or above, and the CAP, BEP, CFG and diplôme national du brevet.; Diplomas issued by a foreign authority in a foreign country are not accepted — not even from a French-speaking country, and not even if the studies were conducted in French.; The DILF does not qualify: it certifies level A1.1, below A2, and satisfies none of the 2026 requirements.

Question 9

Who is exempt from the language exam or the civics exam?

Accepted Answer

The main exemptions, as published on service-public.gouv.fr and in préfecture notices, are below. Because they are applied unevenly in practice, always have yours confirmed by your préfecture or by OFII before deciding not to sit an exam: People aged 65 or over, for both the language and the civics exam. The exemption must be requested explicitly from OFII and is not always automatic in practice.; People with a disability or a chronic illness, on a medical certificate using the model annexed to the arrêté of 30 December 2025; accommodations such as extra time are also possible.; People with at least three years of schooling in a French secondary establishment, in France or abroad, or at least one academic year of higher education in France.; Beneficiaries of international protection — refugees, subsidiary protection, stateless persons — and their families.; Holders of permit categories outside the contrat d’intégration républicaine, such as the passeport talent or the visitor permit: check your own category.; Algerian nationals are outside this scheme entirely: their residence is governed by the Franco-Algerian agreement of 27 December 1968, not by the CESEDA.

Question 10

Is signing the contrat d’intégration républicaine enough?

Accepted Answer

No. Since July 2025 OFII refers every signatory below A2 to language training, but the training does not replace the proof: you must still produce a diploma or a certification. Whether an OFII attestation de formation can be accepted instead varies in how préfectures word it — ask yours rather than relying on a forum.

Question 11

What does the exam cost, and where can I take it?

Accepted Answer

There is no national tariff: each accredited centre sets its own price, and neither France Éducation international nor the ministry publishes an official range. Prices observed at centres run at roughly €135–210 for the TCF IRN, €115–160 for the DELF A2 and €65–90 per attempt for the civics exam — always check the price at the centre where you register, as that is the one that counts. The TCF and the DELF are taken in the network of centres accredited by France Éducation international (Alliances françaises, universities, private centres); the civics exam is run by two accredited operators, the CCI Paris Île-de-France and France Éducation international, whose centres are listed on the ministry site. Allow 4–8 weeks to get the slot you want.

Question 12

How long does my result stay valid?

Accepted Answer

A TCF or TEF attestation is valid for 2 years, and for nationality the arrêté of 22 December 2025 requires it to be less than two years old when the file is filed — with current appointment delays this catches people out, so sit the test as close to filing as you can. A diploma (DELF, DALF, DCL, DUEF, DFP, brevet, CAP…) never expires. The civics-exam pass attestation has no expiry date either.

Question 13

Can I retake it?

Accepted Answer

The civics exam can be retaken at any time and as often as necessary, with no waiting period — it is the one of the three where the right strategy is to sit it early and resit until you pass. The DELF A2 is retaken at the next monthly session; a failure cannot be repaired paper by paper, you resit the whole exam. For the TCF IRN, France Éducation international applies a minimum interval between sittings: ask your centre when you register, as this rule changed with the May 2025 reform.

Question 14

What about the carte de résident and naturalisation?

Accepted Answer

Those are different levels and should not be confused with the A2 of the multi-year permit. The carte de résident requires B1 (CESEDA art. L. 413-7) and naturalisation requires B2 since décret n° 2025-648 of 15 July 2025, where B1 was previously enough. The civics exam is common to all three: the text provides for three mentions — carte de séjour pluriannuelle, carte de résident and naturalisation — without differentiating the content, and passing the "carte de résident" mention also satisfies the residence-permit condition.

Question 15

I have a diploma from a French-speaking country — is that enough?

Accepted Answer

No, and this is the most expensive misconception in the whole area. Diplomas issued by a foreign authority in a foreign country are not accepted — not even from a French-speaking country, and not even if your studies were entirely in French. The accepted list is French diplomas — DELF, DALF, DELF Pro, DUEF, DFP, DCL, RNCP qualifications at level 3 or above, CAP, BEP, CFG, diplôme national du brevet — or a TCF or TEF certification less than two years old. One exception exists for naturalisation only, where prefectures accept at least five years of schooling in a French-language establishment; but being a national of a French-speaking country is never sufficient in itself. If your diploma is foreign, the realistic route is to sit the TCF IRN or the DELF A2.

Question 16

Is the exam hard? Where is the real trap?

Accepted Answer

We will not quote a "pass rate": we have no reliable figure and we would rather not invent one. The real trap is not the language level, it is the marking rule — and it differs by exam. In the DELF A2, a mark below 5 out of 25 in a single épreuve is eliminatory even if your total is above 50 out of 100: one neglected skill sinks the whole exam, so work on your weakest paper first. In the TCF IRN the trap is elsewhere: it is the word count. A writing paper can be graded "A1 non atteint" if even one of the three tasks is not done with the required number of words, or if a task is not attempted at all. Count your words and attempt all three tasks, even briefly.

Question 17

What happens if I fail one paper?

Accepted Answer

It depends which exam, because one is a diploma and the other is a test. In the DELF A2 there is no paper-by-paper resit: if you are below 5/25 anywhere, or below 50/100 overall, you retake the whole exam at a later session — they run monthly in France except in April and September. The TCF IRN cannot be "failed": it gives you a level per skill and a global level, and the préfecture decides whether that level is enough. If your global level is below A2 you retake the test; France Éducation international applies a minimum interval between sittings, so ask your centre when you register. The civics exam can be retaken at any time, as often as necessary.

Question 18

In what order should I do this when the préfecture appointment is coming up?

Accepted Answer

Three practical rules. First, sit the civics exam early: retakes are unlimited with no waiting period and the attestation never expires, so there is no reason to wait. Second, schedule the language test as close as possible to filing your file: a TCF or TEF attestation is valid for two years, and for nationality the arrêté of 22 December 2025 requires it to be less than two years old at the moment of filing — which, with current appointment delays, catches a lot of people out. Third, if your appointment is less than two months away, choose the TCF IRN over the DELF A2: the DELF is a permanent diploma and often cheaper, but results take six to eight weeks and the paper diploma three to six months. Allow four to eight weeks to get the slot you want, either way.

Criterion	TCF IRN	DELF A2
Nature	A test — an attestation stating a level	A national diploma — pass or fail
Awarding body	France Éducation international	France Éducation international
Passing	No pass mark at all: the préfecture sets the level it requires (A2 for the residence permit)	50/100 overall AND at least 5/25 in each épreuve (below that: eliminatory)
Marking	Score 100–499 (A2 = 200–299); writing and speaking marked out of 20	4 épreuves × 25 points = /100
Duration	1 h 35 (since 12 May 2025)	1 h 40 of group papers + 6–8 min oral
Recordings played	Once only, and the question comes after the recording	Twice
Validity	2 years	For life — a diploma does not expire
Sessions	On demand, per centre	Monthly sessions in France (except April and September)
Results	About 2–4 weeks	Results in 6–8 weeks, the paper diploma in 3–6 months

French A2 exam and the civics exam — frequently asked questions

TCF IRN and DELF A2 compared

Frequently asked questions