Guide · Study plan

From zero to NCLC 7: a realistic timeline

Updated October 22, 2026 · 6 min read

NCLC 7 sits in the B2 range, which classroom schools put at roughly 530 to 650 hours of study from zero. At 10 hours a week, that's about 12 to 15 months. At 15 hours a week, about 8 to 10 months.

Short answerPlan for around 600 hours from absolute beginner to NCLC 7. Divide by your weekly hours to get your timeline, then add a few weeks of exam practice. Already have some French? Subtract the hours for the levels you've already reached.

Why B2?

The TCF Canada reports levels as well as scores. On its scale, 400 to 499 is B2. IRCC's minimum for NCLC 7 in reading is 453 and in listening 458: both in the B2 range, above its midpoint. So "B2" is the right target, and not the very start of it.

NCLC 7 scores from IRCC's equivalency charts; TCF level bands from Wikipedia's TCF article.

How many hours each level takes

Level	What you can do	Hours for this level	Total from zero
A1	Build simple sentences, introduce yourself	80–100	80–100
A2	Hold a basic conversation on daily topics	100–120	180–220
B1	Give opinions, handle everyday situations	150–180	330–400
B2 (NCLC 7)	Understand complex ideas, argue a point	200–250	530–650

Guided hours from Alliance Française de Seattle. For comparison, the US Foreign Service Institute estimates 600 to 750 classroom hours (24 to 30 weeks full-time) for English speakers to reach a professional level in French (via Alliance Française Sydney).

Your timeline by weekly hours

Using 600 hours from zero as a planning figure:

Hours per week	What it looks like	Time to NCLC 7
5	45 minutes a day	about 28 months
10	1 hour each weekday, 5 hours at the weekend	about 14 months
15	2 hours each weekday, 5 hours at the weekend	about 9 months
20	3 hours each weekday, 5 hours at the weekend	about 7 months

These are planning figures, not promises. People who already speak a Romance language, or who live surrounded by French, often go faster. Long breaks slow everyone down.

Making it work around a full-time job

Protect a daily slot. A short session every day beats one long Sunday session. Consistency is what keeps vocabulary from fading.
Mix the four skills every week. The exam needs NCLC 7 in all four. Writing and speaking usually lag behind reading, so give them time from A2 onwards.
Use dead time for listening. Commutes and chores are good for audio. Save focused time for writing and speaking practice.
Take a mock exam once you reach B1. It shows which skill is furthest behind, so you can shift your hours there.
Book the exam when your mocks are consistently at NCLC 7. Then spend the last six to eight weeks on timed practice in the exact format.

Starting from somewhere other than zero

If you studied French at school, you may already be at A1 or A2. Take a placement test, then use the "Total from zero" column: subtract the hours for the levels you've already reached from about 600. Someone solid at A2 has roughly 400 hours to go: about 9 to 10 months at 10 hours a week.

Get your own date. Francora's free placement test and study plan turn your level, weekly hours and exam date into a chapter-by-chapter schedule, and warn you early if you fall behind.

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Sources

Francora is an independent course, not affiliated with France Éducation international, CCI Paris Île-de-France or IRCC.