The French exam
The French exam of the Office québécois de la langue française
All professionals in Quebec must be proficient in French.
Pursuant to section 35 of the Charter of the French Language, candidates must have appropriate knowledge of French to be granted a title by the Order. Individuals are considered to have the appropriate knowledge if:
They received no less than three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary instruction in French.
OR
They passed the fourth- or fifth-year secondary level examinations in French as a first language.
OR
They obtained a secondary school certificate in Quebec as of the 1985–86 school year.
If you don’t meet any of the above requirements, you can still apply for certification. However, you’ll have to commit to passing the French exam of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). You may be eligible for a one-year temporary certification, which can be renewed under certain conditions so you can continue to study French and pass the OQLF exam. OTTIAQ will contact you with all the necessary information.
What does the exam involve?
The exam has four parts. The first part is a preparatory exercise in which candidates read and take notes on a case study related to their professional reality. The second part is an oral communication exercise in which candidates discuss the case in groups. Candidates must participate actively in the group discussion to continue to the next parts of the exam. In the third part, each candidate writes a text about the case. The final part is a one-on-one interview with the invigilator on new aspects related to the case.
New resources to prepare for the OQLF French exam
The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has two new resources to help individuals preparing to take the French exam so they can learn more about the exam and how it is conducted: a video and a mock case study. The case study consists of three text samples that are similar in difficulty to those that will be used in the exam, and the video presents an animation of the steps involved.
OTTIAQ has compiled a list of organizations that can help you prepare for the exam. You are encouraged to make use of these new resources.
To register for the French exam, click here.