How to Study for a French Exam

Co-authored by Marc Crabbé and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References Approved

Whether you're taking a French language proficiency exam or just a test for a French class in school, preparing for any test in a different language can be intimidating. While your specific study method will depend to some extent on the type of test you're taking, as long as you plan to study a little each day rather than waiting until the day before the test to cram, you'll probably do just fine. Focus on having a basic understanding of the language and how it works, rather than trying to memorize every technical detail exactly.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating a Study Schedule

1
Find out the structure and format of the test. Knowing the type of test you're going to take gives you a better idea of how to study. In addition to the types of questions you'll be asked, you also need to know whether the test will include speaking and listening components or be completely written.^{[1]
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- If you're taking the test for a French class in school, ask your instructor the types of questions that will be on the test and the approximate number of questions you'll have. You also want to find out if you'll have the whole class period to take the test or only a portion of it.
- Language proficiency exams and placement tests tend to be more global, addressing your understanding of French in general rather than specific skills and grammar. A test for school, on the other hand, will more likely focus only on the things you've covered in class since your last test.
2
Set aside time to study each day. Repetition is important to help you learn any language. You'll retain more if you study for a shorter amount of time every day for a month or longer before the test than if you try to cram it all in the night before the test.^{[2]
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- For example, if you have a language proficiency exam coming up in 3 months, you might set aside 30 minutes a day to study French for the first month, an hour a day for the second month, and then 30 minutes a day for the third month, up until the day before the test.
- If you're studying for a test for school, you'll have to balance your French studies with your other classes. However, if you don't have any other tests coming up, try to focus the bulk of your study time on your French test. The more you focus solely on French, the more you'll retain.
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3
Drill yourself on grammar. Search online for free grammar exercises and worksheets that you can use to practice grammar skills, such as conjugation and subject-verb agreement. You can also make your own drills and flashcards for grammar and vocabulary.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Marc Crabbé
Native French Speaker
Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.}
- If you're studying for 30 minutes a day, dedicate 10 to 15 minutes of your time to doing grammar drills or vocabulary flashcards.
- Divide your study sessions so that you're only working on one skill each day. You risk confusing yourself if you try to work on multiple grammar skills at a time.
Tip: If you have friends who are also studying French, it may help you both to get together and drill each other on the grammar and vocabulary that will be on the test.
4
Try your hand at translation. Take a longer French passage and translate it into your native language, then set it aside for a couple of days. When you come back to it, start with the English translation you made and translate it back into French.^{[4]
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- Compare your French translation to the original French text. Where your French differs from the original, dig into it and try to understand why. Based on this exercise, you can determine areas where you might need more practice.
- This exercise can also help you plan what parts of the language you're going to focus on for your studies. For example, if you find that you had a hard time conjugating irregular verbs, you might focus on that during your studies the following week.
5
Avoid last-minute cramming. The night before the test, do something relaxing to prepare for the test — especially if you're taking it first thing in the morning. If you try to cram, you'll only stress yourself out. You also run the risk of confusing skills that you previously knew.^{[5]
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- If you still want to do something French-related, watch a French movie or listen to French music. The night before the test, your primary focus should be relaxing and calming your mind.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Practicing Speaking and Listening Skills

1
Listen to French music. French music can help you become more familiar with the French language and the repetition of song lyrics will help you memorize more vocabulary.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Marc Crabbé
Native French Speaker
Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.} Search on YouTube or your favorite music streaming service for French music that you can listen to.^{[7]
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- Since you can listen to French music while you're doing other things, you can also use this as a way to increase your study time. For example, you could listen to French music while you're commuting to work or school.
- Singing along with a French song can also help your pronunciation, particularly since lyrics are repetitive and often slower than normal speech.
2
Watch French movies or television. French movies and television help you become accustomed to listening to French. Unscripted television programs and news broadcasts, in particular, help you become more familiar with normal French speech patterns and the rhythms of a natural French conversation.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Marc Crabbé
Native French Speaker
Expert Interview. 30 July 2019.}
- Many streaming services have popular programs over-dubbed in French. If you watch a show that you already like in English, you'll understand more of the context if you watch it in French.
Tip: Turn off English subtitles when watching French movies or television programs. You want to fully immerse yourself in the language. French subtitles, on the other hand, can help you connect the spoken and written words.
3
Seek out people with different French accents. If you've been taking French in school, you're probably accustomed to the Parisian accent, since that's typically what's taught in French classes. However, as in other countries, people from across France and other French-speaking countries have different accents and use different phrases to express themselves. ^{[9]
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- Becoming familiar with different accents is especially important if you're taking an official French proficiency exam with a listening component. Frequently, the speakers come from different parts of the world and have different socio-economic backgrounds, which can also alter their accent.
- Videos and newscasts from Montréal can give you more familiarity with the French-Canadian accent. Movies such as Manon des Sources give you the opportunity to hear a Provençal accent from southern France.
- Search "French accents" on YouTube to find videos the distinguish the different accents in France and other French-speaking countries.
- Videos of French standup comedians are also good to watch if you want to test your understanding of the language. Standup comedians also have many different accents, as well as exaggerating or making fun of accents in some bits.
4
Listen to a speech and write down what you hear. This exercise tests your listening comprehension. Find a speech or monologue in French that's only a few minutes long — ideally, one with a transcript so you can check your work. As you listen to the speech, write down what you hear in French. Then check what you wrote against the transcript.^{[10]
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- For this exercise, don't worry so much about your spelling as getting down the words quickly. Don't worry so much about articles and other smaller words that don't really add anything to the meaning of what the person is saying.
- Take note of the parts that you misunderstood or wrote down the wrong words and figure out why you got them wrong. Perhaps the person speaking had an unfamiliar accent or was speaking too quickly.
- Listen to the speech again after a few days and see if you can pick up more of the words the second time through.
5
Focus on understanding what is said generally rather than specifics. A listening test isn't testing your memory of what was said, but rather your understanding of what was said. You don't have to worry about vocabulary or verb conjugations that you may not know as long as you have a good idea what the person was saying.^{[11]
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- You don't need to be able to create a perfect translation of what was said either. Try to think in French and understand what is said in French, rather than struggling to translate French into your native language.
6
Mimic the pronunciation of native speakers. If the test you're taking includes a speech component, your pronunciation may need some work. Listening to and copying the pronunciation of native speakers will help you improve. Find a video online that you can pause. Listen to the speaker say a sentence or two, then pause the video and repeat the same words. If a particular word or phrase is giving you trouble, you may want to practice it several times before moving on to the next passage.^{[12]
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- An online dictionary with audio of the words can also help you with problematic words or sounds. A website such as Forvo (https://forvo.com/languages/fr/) can also give you examples of a word spoken in different French accents, since the audio files are contributed by volunteers from all over the world.
Tip: When you're watching someone speak on video, try to mimic their facial expressions as well. This will help you get your mouth in the right shape to say the words correctly.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Taking Practice Tests

1
Locate practice tests for the exam you're taking. If you're taking a formal or standardized test, you can likely find practice tests for free online or at your local public library. There are also commercial test preparation services that offer practice tests, although you typically have to pay for those.^{[13]
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- If you're taking a test for a class at school, it may be harder to find practice tests you can use. However, some teachers make practice questions or copies of old tests available at the school library. Ask your teacher if this is something they do.
Tip: Make sure you have answer keys for all of the practice tests you use. Otherwise, they won't do you much good for studying or preparation because you won't be able to check your answers.
2
Do a practice test cold to determine your starting point. Before you start studying for the test, take a practice test under simulated test conditions. When you grade the test, look for patterns in questions you got wrong. This will show you the areas you need to focus on when you study for the test.^{[14]
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- It's possible that you'll take the practice test and do relatively well the first time. When this happens, it can take some of the pressure off. However, don't take this as a sign that you don't have to study. There will always be areas where you can improve.
3
Go through your answers and study the items you got incorrect. When you check your answers, look at the questions you missed and figure out why you missed them. Pinpoint specifically what skill you're lacking that would have enabled you to answer that question correctly. Those are the skills you need to study the most.^{[15]
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- You may find that you have particular things that are giving you trouble. For example, you may consistently confuse the conjugation of an irregular verb. If you have a consistent error, use flashcards to correct your understanding. In your studies, don't give yourself an opportunity to write the conjugation incorrectly, as this will only reinforce the mistake.
Tip: Organize your errors into categories, such as "regular verb conjugation," "subject-verb agreement," "irregular verb conjugation," or "gender of nouns." This will help you track your improvement in these areas.
4
Schedule practice tests periodically to measure your progress. If you're studying for 3 months, try to take a practice test at least once every 2 to 3 weeks. When you go through your answers, take note of the areas where you've improved and the areas that still need more work. Then, you can adjust your study plan accordingly.^{[16]
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- If you grouped your errors into categories, you can compare the number of wrong answers in each category to track your progress.
- Sometimes, focusing too much on one thing will cause you to get rusty in another area. Try not to be too hard on yourself about this. Simply adjust your study plan to go back and recover the skills you've lost.

Community Q&A
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Question

How do I avoid spelling and grammar errors?

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Spelling and grammar drills will help you remember these things. You can also study the alphabet to have a better idea of how words are spelled in French. Although French (like English) is far from being a phonetic language, there are basic patterns you can memorize to improve your spelling. However, keep in mind that if you're taking a proficiency exam, your basic understanding and comprehension of the language will matter more than your mastery of spelling and grammar.
Question

How can I be confident for a test?

Community Answer

Remember that it's just a test. You won't be shot down because you fail it. Avoid thinking to the possible consequences. Just think to what to have to do right now. And study thoroughly.
Question

Is there any way I can ace it without much study?

Community Answer

It may be helpful to look at basic sentence structures. If you can find a few "core sentences" to memorize, then all you have to do on the day of the test is fill in the blanks.