Daily drill — 60–120 min routines by phase
Four routines, one per phase of the 120-day plan. Total time scales with how aggressively you’re pushing toward CLB 7 vs CLB 5.
Minimum (CLB 5 target): 60–90 min/day Recommended (CLB 7 target): 3–5 hrs/day on weekdays, 5–7 hrs on weekends
Phase 1 — Days 1–25 (Foundation)
Goal: install phonology + grammar core + ~1100 active words. End date: 2026-06-21.
Daily block — ~3 hrs (split if needed)
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20 min | Anki review | All due cards. Do this first thing every morning, no exceptions. |
| 15 min | Anki new cards | 30–50 new cards from frequency deck + TCF domains. (Days 1–7: zero new vocab — phonology only.) |
| 30 min | Pronunciation drill | Days 1–7: phonology only (nasal vowels, R, liaison, e-muet). Days 8–25: shadow podcast audio. |
| 30 min | Grammar study | One topic/day. Read explanation + do 20 exercises. Sources: Lawless French, Grammaire progressive du français (niveau débutant). |
| 30 min | Pimsleur | One lesson per day. Speak out loud. No skipping. |
| 30 min | Comprehensible input | Coffee Break French (Season 1–2) OR InnerFrench easiest episodes OR Easy French YouTube. Active listening — no skipping passages you don’t understand; replay. |
| 15 min | Output: shadowing | Pick a 60-second clip from today’s input. Listen → repeat → record yourself → compare. |
Weekly grammar topic rotation (Phase 1)
| Week | Days | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–7 | Phonology only — no new grammar. French sound inventory, nasal vowels, R, liaison, e-muet. |
| 2 | 8–14 | Articles (le/la/les/un/une/des), gender rules, plural, basic adjective agreement |
| 3 | 15–21 | Present tense: -er verbs, -ir verbs, -re verbs, key irregulars (être, avoir, aller, faire, prendre, venir) |
| 4 (partial) | 22–25 | Negation (ne…pas, ne…jamais, ne…rien), questions (est-ce que / inversion / intonation), basic pronouns (je/tu/il/elle/on/nous/vous/ils/elles) |
By end of Phase 1 (day 25): should be able to introduce yourself, describe routine, talk about likes/dislikes, ask basic questions. ~1100 active words. Pronunciation should be intelligible to a French speaker.
Phase 2 — Days 26–75 (Immersion + Output)
Goal: extend grammar to all tenses, build output reflex, hit ~2500 active words, intro to test format. End date: 2026-08-10.
Daily block — ~4 hrs (CLB 7 target)
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | Anki | All review + 20–30 new cards. Maintenance mode. |
| 30 min | Grammar | Tense system: passé composé → imparfait → futur → conditionnel → subjonctif (over 5 weeks). 30 min focused study + exercises. |
| 60 min | Input (active listening) | InnerFrench, Piano Facile, Easy French. Active = write down 5 new expressions per episode, add to Anki. |
| 30 min | Reading practice | 1 article from TV5Monde / Le Monde Facile / Cafébabel. Annotate + look up unknowns. |
| 30 min | Output: writing | 1 paragraph (~150 words) per day. Topic from your prep list. Get it corrected (ChatGPT, Claude, italki tutor, or HelloTalk language partner). |
| 30 min | Output: speaking | 3× per week with italki tutor through day 60, 4–5× per week from day 60. Other days: solo speaking — pick a topic, talk for 5 min recording yourself, then transcribe and identify errors. |
| 30 min | TCF format intro (from day 40) | One section per day rotating: reading (10 MCQ) → listening (10 MCQ) → writing (1 EE-1 message) → speaking (1 EO-1 question set). Build familiarity with format. |
Phase 2 weekly grammar rotation
| Week | Days | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 26–28 | Wrap up Phase 1 negation/questions/pronouns; introduce passé composé concept |
| 5 | 29–35 | Passé composé (with avoir + être, agreement rules) |
| 6 | 36–42 | Imparfait + the PC/imparfait distinction (the hardest grammar point — give it real time) |
| 7 | 43–49 | Futur simple + futur proche, conditionnel présent |
| 8 | 50–56 | Subjonctif présent (recognition + production of bien que, il faut que, je veux que, il est important que) |
| 9 | 57–63 | Pronouns object (le, la, les, lui, leur), pronominal verbs, en/y |
| 10 | 64–70 | Plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, conditionnel passé (recognition + occasional production) |
| 11 | 71–75 | Passive voice, relative pronouns (qui/que/dont/où), advanced subjonctif triggers |
Phase 2 mid-phase checkpoint
Day 55 — first diagnostic mock TCF (untimed, no pressure). Identifies which skill is dragging before test-prep grind starts. Don’t grade yourself harshly; just locate the weakest section and adjust weeks 8–11 accordingly.
By end of Phase 2 (day 75): produce passé composé / imparfait fluently in writing, hold a 20-minute B1-level conversation with a tutor unassisted, complete all 3 EE tasks within 60 min using the scaffolds. ~2500 active words.
Phase 3 — Days 76–105 (Test Prep + Endurance)
Goal: master the test format. Score-maximize, not skill-maximize. End date: 2026-09-09.
Daily block — ~5 hrs (CLB 7 target)
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | Anki | Maintenance + only new TCF-domain vocab + connecteurs deck. |
| 60 min | Reading drills | 30 TCF-style reading MCQ, timed. Review wrong answers, classify by distractor type. |
| 60 min | Listening drills | TCF-style listening at 1.0× then 1.25×. 30 MCQ. Note tricky numbers, negations, corrections. |
| 60 min | Writing drill | Rotate: Day A — EE-1 (~15 min) + EE-2 (~20 min). Day B — EE-3 alone (~25 min) with extra revision time. Submit for correction. Track recurring errors. |
| 60 min | Speaking drill | Italki tutor 4–5× per week — rotate EO-1 / EO-2 / EO-3 with full timing. Other days: solo recording + self-review. |
| 30 min | Active input | One episode of harder French content (Hugo Décrypte, France Inter podcasts, Arte documentaries) to keep pushing comprehension ceiling. |
Mock TCF schedule (Phase 3)
Buy Hachette Réussir le TCF Canada + download France Éducation International’s free official samples. Full timed mocks every 5 days:
| Day | Mock # | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | #1 (baseline) | Set Phase 3 baseline; identify weakest section |
| 81 | #2 | Check 5-day intervention on weakest section worked |
| 86 | #3 | Re-baseline; pivot if needed |
| 91 | #4 | Should approach target score on at least 2 sections |
| 96 | #5 | Should hit target score on 3 of 4 sections |
| 101 | #6 | Final Phase-3 diagnostic — if not at target, Phase 4 is intensive remediation rather than polish |
Between mocks, do partial tests (single section) every 2 days.
Phase 3 milestones
| Day | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 80 | EE-1, EE-2, EE-3 scaffolds automatic — no looking at notes, all three within 60 min |
| 85 | EO-1 — 5 well-formed questions in 3 min using vous + conditional politesse, no hesitation |
| 90 | EO-2 4-beat scenario automatic, can adapt to 2+ examiner objections without breaking flow |
| 95 | EO-3 5-minute opinion delivery automatic. EE-3 written with 6+ connecteurs naturally |
| 100 | Listening drills at 1.5× still ≥ 70% accuracy |
| 105 | Phase 3 close: at or above target on 3 of 4 sections in mocks |
Phase 4 — Days 106–120 (Polish & Peak)
Goal: land peak performance on test day, not 2 weeks before. Volume drops, precision and stamina rise. End date: 2026-09-24. Test ~day 115 (2026-09-19).
Daily block — ~4 hrs
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | Anki review only | No new cards after day 110. Mature deck maintenance only. |
| 30 min | Scaffold automaticity check | Daily: cold-start EE-1 opener (both registers), EE-2 D’une part frame, EE-3 intro + conclusion, EO-1 5 angles, EO-2 4-beat opener, EO-3 position + concession. Each in <5 seconds from prompt. |
| 45 min | Error log review | Read through your accumulated Phase 2/3 correction notes every other day. Drill the recurring errors. |
| 60 min | Targeted drill (rotating) | One full section per day (CE → CO → EE → EO), under timed conditions. Focus on whichever section is closest to target — squeeze the last points there. |
| 45 min | Listening at normal speed | Drop the 1.25–1.5× drilling. Re-acclimate ear to test cadence. |
| 30 min | Light input | Easy French podcast, familiar episodes. Keep ear warm without strain. |
Phase 4 schedule
| Day | Plan |
|---|---|
| 106 | Mock TCF #7 — full timed, simulated test conditions (morning if your slot is morning, no phone, no pauses) |
| 107–110 | Address whatever mock #7 surfaced. Last day for new vocab is day 110. |
| 111 | Mock TCF #8 — final full mock |
| 112 | Light review only. Re-read all 4 scaffolds. |
| 113–114 | 48-hour taper. No mocks, no new material. 30 min listening at normal speed. Sleep. Hydrate. Walk. |
| 115 | Test day (~2026-09-19) |
| 116–120 | Buffer for date slippage, sickness, retake decision, or second-attempt registration if needed |
What NOT to do in Phase 4
- Don’t add new vocab after day 110 — pollutes mid-confidence retrieval
- Don’t do mock tests in the 48 hours before the test — guaranteed to spike anxiety on a bad result
- Don’t try a “final intensive push” on day 113–114 — every prior cohort regrets this
- Don’t watch new French content the night before — re-watch familiar comfort content
Universal rules
- Anki every day, no exceptions. Skipping a day costs 3 days of recovery. Do it on the bus, at lunch, before bed — but do it.
- Speak out loud during all study, not just speaking drills. Read articles aloud. Mouth the Anki sentences. Build motor memory.
- Output > input from day 26 onward. Comprehension grows faster than production; output is the rate-limiter for CLB 7.
- Track minutes per skill in
progress-log.md. Any skill that gets <30 min in a day is in deficit; fix the next day. - Sleep 7+ hrs. Memory consolidation happens during sleep. Cutting sleep to study more is net-negative.
- One rest day per fortnight is fine. Zero rest days for 120 days is not — burnout will tank weeks 10–14.
- The plan must be visible. Print this and the scaffolds. Pin them somewhere you see daily.