Quebec French Points Calculator for the PSTQ

The mistake almost every candidate makes

If you have already researched Express Entry, you know that IRCC tells you to ignore the “Score / 699” column on your TEF attestation and file the équivalence ancien score numbers instead.

Quebec does the opposite. The ministère converts TEF results using the 0–699 scale — the exact column IRCC rejects.

This means the same TEF result produces two different, both correct answers depending on which system you are applying to. A candidate reading their federal NCLC level and assuming it transfers to Quebec will get their eligibility badly wrong in either direction. There is no shortcut between the two scales, so convert each separately.

The Échelle québécoise, and how TEF and TCF map to it

The Échelle québécoise has twelve levels in three stages: beginner (1–4), intermediate (5–8), and advanced (9–12). The correspondence tables group them into pairs, so a single test score places you in a band, such as “7–8,” rather than a single level.

Two things follow from this table. TEF uses the same band for all four abilities, making it easy to read. TCF splits: listening and reading run on 0–699, speaking and writing on 0–20, where a single point can move you a whole band.

What recent Arrima rounds have actually required

Scoring rules tell you how the pool works. Invitation rounds tell you where the bar sits. Quebec ran a four-stream round on 30 July 2026 and invited 523 candidates in total: 105 under Stream 1, 296 under Stream 2, 110 under Stream 3, and 12 under Stream 4. Cut-off scores across the exercises ranged from 376 to 702.

Two things follow from that spread. Stream 2 carries the largest volume, and it requires only oral level 5, a genuinely reachable target within a year of serious study. Stream 1 invites fewer people at a higher bar, so if you sit in FEER 0 to 2, you are competing on French points rather than simply clearing the condition. Read your own result against the table above, then check it against the round that matches your stream rather than against the highest cut-off you have seen quoted.

Quebec publishes each round on its Arrima invitations page. Rounds are irregular, so check before assuming a gap in the calendar means a pause.

What French level does each PSTQ stream require?

French is a selection condition for three of the four streams, not merely a scoring factor. Falling short is a gap that strong points elsewhere do not compensate for.

Your FEER category is the second digit of your five-digit NOC code.

How does France score in the Arrima ranking

Meeting the condition gets you into the pool. Points decide whether you are invited. French sits in the human capital group and is scored separately for each of the four competencies.

Four competencies mean a maximum of 200 French points on your own, or 160 with an accompanying spouse. Against a human capital section capped at 520, French is by some distance the largest single lever in the group. It is larger than age, education, or work experience.

An accompanying spouse’s French scores separately under adaptation factors, worth up to 10 points per competency, for a total of 40.

Worked Examples: Reading Your Quebec Result

Quebec judges each ability against the Échelle québécoise, and the condition is a gate before points ever matter. Three quick cases show how it plays out.

• Example 1 — strong reading, weak speaking (the classic trap). TEF 430 listening, 380 speaking, 460 reading, 420 writing, applying under Stream 1. Listening reaches the 7–8 band, but speaking at 380 sits in the 5–6 band. Stream 1 requires an oral level of 7+ in both oral competencies, so this profile fails the condition—the strong reading and writing cannot compensate. Lifting speaking from 380 to 400 flips the whole file to eligible.
• Example 2 — clearing Stream 1. TEF 420 listening, 405 speaking, 340 reading, 320 writing. Both oral scores are 400 or higher (level 7–8), and both written scores are 300 or higher (level 5–6), so the French condition is met. Points: 44 + 44 for the two oral competencies and 38 + 38 for the two written = 164 French points with no accompanying spouse.
• Example 3 — Stream 2’s lower bar. TEF 330 listening, 315 speaking. Stream 2 only requires an oral level of 5+, and both fall in the 5–6 band, so this candidate is eligible for Stream 2 even though the same scores would fail Stream 1. Reading and writing don’t gate Stream 2, but at any level 5+, they still add points.

Why Quebec rewards speaking more than the federal system

The federal CRS treats all four abilities identically. Quebec does not. Both oral competencies must reach level 7 for Stream 1, while the written ones only need level 5. A candidate with strong reading and weak speaking — the typical profile for Indian learners who studied French from textbooks — will clear the federal bar long before the Quebec one.

This is why our French face-to-face courses in Noida give speaking practice in every class from the first week rather than saving it for exam preparation. For Quebec specifically, oral work is not one factor among four. It is the gate.

Related Calculators & Tools for the French Language

• TEF Canada Score Converter
• TCF Canada Score Converter
• Express Entry CRS Calculator
• CEFR to CLB/NCLC
• List of top French calculators.

FAQs for Quebec Calculator