If you are preparing for study, work or immigration to Canada, begin with the organisation or program that will receive your results. The right language test depends on that purpose. An exam name, a practice score or a friend’s experience is not enough to confirm your requirement.
Maple Verba supports independent preparation for CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and General Training, TCF Canada and TEF Canada. This guide helps you organise your research and practice; it does not determine immigration eligibility.
Which language tests does Express Entry accept?
IRCC’s Express Entry guidance lists CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. Maple Verba currently offers practice for four of these exam families; it does not offer PTE Core practice.
For Express Entry, choose the IELTS General Training option rather than IELTS Academic. Other study, professional or immigration purposes can have different rules. Confirm the current requirement directly with the receiving organisation and IRCC’s language-test page.
CELPIP General: practise everyday communication
CELPIP General covers listening, reading, writing and speaking. Preparing useful responses means understanding the situation and communicating clearly: explain an issue, support a viewpoint or describe what matters in a scene.
Start with the CELPIP practice guide, explore a preview and note one task that needs attention. The official CELPIP format page explains the current test. Use both official examples and original independent practice to understand the range of tasks.
IELTS: choose Academic or General Training carefully
IELTS Academic and General Training share listening and speaking formats, while reading and writing differ. Your intended organisation or program decides which version it accepts. The official IELTS General Training overview is a useful starting point.
When using the IELTS mock practice library, read the variant label before starting. A well-completed task from the wrong variant may not address the preparation you actually need. Practise planning, timing and clear responses in the format you have confirmed.
TCF Canada and TEF Canada: build a French routine
TCF Canada and TEF Canada assess French through different task structures. Compare the official formats, test-centre arrangements and sample tasks before deciding. Avoid choosing solely because someone calls one test easier.
Explore the TCF Canada practice guide and TEF Canada practice guide, then make a plan across comprehension and expression. For French-language test details, use France Éducation international and Le français des affaires.
Understand CLB, NCLC and practice results
IRCC uses Canadian Language Benchmarks, or CLB, for English and Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, or NCLC, for French. These are reference frameworks used with official test results. Do not treat a raw mock percentage, an AI estimate or a practice goal in your profile as an official equivalency.
Assess your needs skill by skill. An overall practice average can hide a weaker writing or speaking result. Use official program requirements and equivalency information when reviewing real test results; use practice feedback to choose what to improve.
Compare free practice options by what they offer
- Check the test version and the skills included.
- Look for clear instructions, usable audio and honest explanations of timing.
- Find out whether writing and speaking receive feedback or are self-practice only.
- Check whether results are saved and whether you can review earlier responses.
- Read any account, subscription, access-code or attempt conditions.
On Maple Verba, Guest Free Previews are available without an account. Choice-based listening and reading tasks receive raw practice marks. Guest writing and speaking are unscored, and guest responses are temporary.
Create an account when you want a practice history
Use email registration with a one-time verification code, or Google where enabled. In the signed-in workspace, Mock Tests brings search, progress filters and eligible Begin, Resume and Retake actions together. Results & progress keeps completed attempts and released feedback accessible.
Publicly previewable tests are labelled Always free for subscription access, including eligible saved attempts. Other tests follow current access settings. Sittings, access codes and attempt allowances still apply. External AI-assisted evaluation requires consent and depends on the available workflow; it is a learning aid, not an official score.
Your next three steps
First, confirm the exact test and version required for your goal. Second, choose a free preview and identify one skill to work on. Third, schedule a short practice-and-review routine that you can repeat. Choose your exam when you are ready, and revisit official requirements before booking or submitting results.