Study Guides
TCF Study Guides
Tips, strategies, and stories to help you master the TCF test.
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TCF Sample Tests: Free Practice for All Four Sub-tests
Where to find free TCF sample tests, how to take and mark them under real conditions, and how to turn the results into a study plan.
TCF Results Explained: When They Arrive and What Your Grade Means
When TCF results are released, how to view and share them, the full grade table, what Grade B and C+ mean, and how to request a re-mark.
TCF Test Dates and Fees 2026: Costs, Booking and Results Dates
How often TCF runs, when bookings close, the 2026 fees for each test type, what changing or cancelling costs, and how to book.
TCF Test Format: The Complete Guide to All Four Sub-tests
Every TCF sub-test in order, with timing, question counts, what is profession-specific and how each one is scored.
TCF Sample Tests: Free Practice for All Four Sub-tests
Where to find free TCF sample tests, how to take and mark them under real conditions, and how to turn the results into a study plan.
TCF Results Explained: When They Arrive and What Your Grade Means
When TCF results are released, how to view and share them, the full grade table, what Grade B and C+ mean, and how to request a re-mark.
TCF Test Dates and Fees 2026: Costs, Booking and Results Dates
How often TCF runs, when bookings close, the 2026 fees for each test type, what changing or cancelling costs, and how to book.
How to Prepare for TCF in 8 Weeks: A Week-by-Week Plan
A week-by-week TCF study plan with daily tasks, checkpoints, a study-day template and how to adjust it to your weakest sub-test.
TCF for Nurses: What to Expect and How to Prepare
What is different in TCF for nurses, the letters and role-plays to expect, the grades regulators ask for, and how to prepare.
TCF vs IELTS for Healthcare Professionals: Which Should You Take?
How TCF and IELTS Academic differ for nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, and how to decide which to book.
TCF for Doctors: TCF Medicine Explained, from GMC to ECFMG
What doctors face in TCF Medicine, the letters and role-plays to expect, the scores medical regulators ask for, and how to prepare.
Which Countries Accept TCF? Regulators, Grades and What to Check
Where TCF is accepted for healthcare registration, the grade regulators usually ask for, and the questions to check with your own regulator before you book.
TCF@Home: How Taking TCF From Home Works
Who can take TCF from home, the computer and room requirements, what happens on test day, and how to prepare.
Every TCF study guide
TCF tests four sub-tests (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), and each is scored against its own criteria. These guides break the exam down one part at a time: what the screen looks like, how long you get, what the graders reward, and the mistakes that quietly cost marks.
Listening and Reading are the same paper for every profession and each runs to three parts. Writing is one referral letter and Speaking is two role-plays, both set for your own profession, so start with the guides for whichever your first mock test flagged as weakest.
Are the TCF study guides free?
Yes. Every study guide is free to read and does not need an account. Each one covers a part's format, timing, assessment criteria and common mistakes, with a step-by-step method and examples.
Which guide should I read first?
If you are new to TCF, start with the TCF test format guide so you know how all four sub-tests work. Then take a sample test and read the guides for the parts it shows are your weakest.
What score do I need to pass the TCF?
TCF reports each sub-test on a scale of 0 to 500 in steps of 10, with a letter grade beside it. Most registration boards require a Grade B, which is 350, in all four sub-tests. Some accept a C+ (300) in one or more, so check the requirement published by the board you are registering with.
Is the TCF the same for every profession?
Listening and Reading are the same paper for everyone. Writing and Speaking are profession-specific: the case notes you write from and the role-plays you take are set for your own profession, which is why the app asks you to choose one.