MaisiePlague

For me, part of the pleasure of a trip to France is the opportunity to speak French. I’ve recently been thinking of going in for one of the French government D.E.L.F. (Diplôme d’Etudes de Langue Française) exams. Has anyone on here ever done one? It would be nice to have some sort of official certificate which attests to my level of French. I’d probably try the B1 or B2 level (fingers crossed!).

LucyLemonade

I'm doing the B2 this year.
I think they have practice tests online.

dlejhunt

I did one through the university where I was studying French, and am certified at the level B2. It's a fun thing to have but not really useful unless you're going to be looking for a job that requires some sort of official certification of your French speaking ability (e.g., if you're going to be working in France or teaching French as a foreign language).

The test is offered at various centers across the U.S. and I think at most of the Alliance Françaises. I'm not certain of the cost; it is relatively expensive ($100+?) but the university language department paid part of our fee.

MaisiePlague

Good luck with that LucyLemonade. I've bought the D.E.L.F test book and CD so we'll see how I get on

Christina

no, because I don't care about official certifications of my languages, I would have no purpose to having that. I did attend the Sorbonne one summer and they assigned me to level B2 classes, so I would guess their entrance test was some version of that same thing as the categories are the same.

Christina

PS They do charge about $125-150 to take the DELF B levels at the Alliance Francaise where I go. It gets cheaper the better you are (C levels are about $200).

LucyLemonade

Thanks Maisie! Good luck to you too.

Normally, I wouldn't do it as I absolutely hate hate hate exams! But I need it a minimum B2 cert for professional reasons.

Which book do you have? Do you like it?

MaisiePlague

Lucy, I've got Réussir le DELF B2 which is published by the C.I.E.P., the body that organises the exams and it’s meant to help you prepare and give you an idea of what to expect on the day. You can get it from Amazon. I’ve only just started looking at the book but it seems very well put together and well thought out. You also get a CD for the oral comprehension practice sections. I would say get it if you can. I hate exams too but hey, it would be nice to have the French government say your French is OK wouldn't it?

LucyLemonade

Thanks. I will look into that book.

For many years I thought that it wasn't important to get certified. But now I think it IS a good thing to do. It validates all that time and effort you put into to study and practice.

Good luck! I'll try to remember to tell you how it goes.

MaisiePlague

Same to you Lucy.

LucyLemonade

Done! Finished the DELF exam. It wasn't so bad. The nerves could very well have caused me some problems. I got really nervous and sort of messed up on the listening part. Not because I didn't understand but that I didn't remember the answer. If you try to take notes then you miss what they are saying. If you don't take notes you could well not remember the answer. Ugh!

Let me know if you have any questions.

I forgot to find out how long it takes to get the results.