The TCF IRN is the French test that sits between many applicants and their next immigration step in France. It is not a pass or fail exam, which surprises people, and it tests four skills rather than one paper, which surprises them more.
What is the TCF IRN?
The Test de connaissance du français pour l’intégration, la résidence et la nationalité, designed and delivered by France Éducation international (FEI).
It exists to place you on the Common European Framework of Reference scale, from A1 to B2, across four separate tests. Since 1 January 2026 a set French level is required depending on which step you are applying for, which is what turned the TCF IRN from a formality into something worth preparing for properly.
Who needs the TCF IRN, and at what level?
The level you need depends on the step, not on the test. Broadly:
- A2 for some residence permits
- B1 for the carte de résident
- B2 for naturalisation
The gap between B1 and B2 is substantial, so knowing which one applies to you before you start preparing matters more than any study technique. Immigration requirements change; confirm your own case against the official sources rather than against a forum post.
How is the TCF IRN structured?
Four mandatory tests, all of which count:
- Compréhension orale (listening): multiple choice, about 25 questions, roughly 20 minutes.
- Compréhension écrite (reading): multiple choice, about 25 questions, roughly 35 minutes.
- Expression écrite (writing): three tasks, about 30 minutes.
- Expression orale (speaking): a short three part interview, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Your performance is placed on the CEFR scale rather than marked question by question. That is why “how many do I need to get right” has no clean answer: the level is a judgement about what you can do, expressed on a scale.
Why do writing and speaking matter more than people expect?
Because all four skills count, and the two productive skills are the ones most candidates never practise. Listening and reading are multiple choice, so they feel studiable. Writing and speaking require you to produce French under time pressure, which is a different competence and the one that most often drags a result below the level someone needs.
The speaking test being an interview rather than a recording is part of this. Three parts in ten to twelve minutes leaves no room to warm up.
What does the TCF IRN actually cover?
The tasks are built around everyday, functional French rather than literature or grammar drills. The recurring settings are:
- Daily life
- Work and study
- Housing and services
- Health and social matters
- Administration and citizenship
- Society and culture
- Travel and leisure
If you can handle a phone call about a housing problem, read a letter from an administration and explain a situation at a counter, you are working at the level the test is built around. Our app groups its practice and flashcards by exactly these seven themes.
How long is a TCF IRN result valid?
Two years from the date you sit the test. This is a practical planning point: if your application is delayed past that window you may have to sit it again. It is one of the better arguments for preparing thoroughly on the first attempt rather than treating the first sitting as a diagnostic.
Where does this app’s content come from?
The exam format, the four mandatory tests and the two year validity are verified against the official France Éducation international page for the TCF IRN at france-education-international.fr and the 2026 French regulations.
All practice material is original. No official question, audio or image from France Éducation international is reproduced; the app is built to match the publicly documented format, not to copy protected content.
The current build is 252 original listening and reading questions with audio, 42 reading passages, 15 writing tasks with graded model answers, 15 speaking tasks with spoken examples, and 602 flashcards across the seven themes. Every question is cross-model verified, and every answer is explained in French, English and Arabic.
This is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with France Éducation international or any French government body.