Seven months spent preparing for an exam that came and went like an ice cream that melts on a hot summer’s day.
I took the Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française B2 (DELF B2) exam on June 11 at L’Alliance New York, formerly known as the Alliance Française. The DELF B2 exam is an intermediate-advanced level French language test, which corresponds to an upper-intermediate proficiency level. Basically, the test assesses your ability to communicate in the French language, both written and oral.
Why did I take the exam? I can’t provide specifics just yet. What I can say is that having this diplôme will be incredibly valuable in the future.
So, what is the exam format? What resources did I use to study for this exam? How much did I spend on those resources? How did I prepare for the exam? And how well did I do?
Here are my tips for navigating the DELF B2 exam from day 1 to exam day.
TIP 1: Know the exam format
The DELF B2 exam consists of four parts: oral comprehension (listening), written comprehension (reading), written production (writing), and oral production (speaking).
The first three are grouped together in one two-and-a-half-hour block while the oral production is scheduled separately on the same day. For example, I was scheduled to take the oral and written comprehension and the written production from 12:00 – 2:30 p.m., and the oral production at 4:00 p.m.
Each part has a time limit.
For the oral comprehension part, you’re given 30 minutes to complete three exercises. You’re asked to listen to an audio and then answer multiple choice questions. In the first two exercises, you listen to the audio twice. So, the audio plays followed by one minute of silence, and then the audio plays a second time.
In the third exercise, you only listen to the audio once and answer three questions each with two choices.
Side note: You might come across posts on social media talking about the old and new format. I do not know the difference between these two formats. I’m describing the exam I took.
The questions follow the audio, which means question #1 will be based on something said at the beginning. Question #2 will be based on the next thing, so on and so forth. There are seven questions in total.
Advice: Read the questions before the audio plays. Listen to the audio and write down notes on the blank sheet of paper provided by the examiners, if this method works for you. By notes, I mean the answer you think fits based on the first listen.
Next, you’re given two hours to complete the reading and written portion of the exam. The examiners gave us the choice to start with one or the other. I decided to start with the reading portion of the exam because I needed and wanted as much time as possible for the written portion.
For the written portion of the exam, you must write a minimum of 250 words. You will get points deducted if your written text has less than that amount. Give yourself 5-10 minutes before time is called to count your words. The examiners will ask you to provide an approximate word count on the last page of your exam printout.
Side note: I cannot provide the contents of the exam because I’m sure they’ll change it for the next exam.
Advice: If you’re not a strong writer or fear getting writer’s block, I recommend starting with the reading portion. You’ll want as much time as possible for the written portion. If the opposite is true, then start with the written portion of the exam and move on to the reading portion.
The final section of the exam is the oral production. This is where you’ll be able to speak the beautiful French language.
You will be given an envelope with 15 topics, from which you will blindly select two. From those two options, you will select one. You will return the unwanted topic to its envelope and then begin your 30-minute preparation. Once the 30 minutes are up, you’ll be taken to a room where you’ll present your topic, and then you’ll have an informal conversation with two examiners. The presentation and débat takes 20 minutes.
Side note: I cannot provide the two topics I pulled out of the envelope because I doubt you will pull out the same topics, and the topics might change for the next exam.
Advice: Use the blank sheet of paper you’re given to plan out your argument or point of view: positives (les avantages) and negatives (les inconvenients). Try to think of a few questions the examiners might ask you and write your response.
Now that you know what the DELF B2 exam looks like, let’s move on to the resources I recommend using to prepare yourself for the exam.
Tip 2: Choose a resource and stick with it
You do not need to buy every app or book on the market. Pick three resources and call it a day.
First, you need to pick resources based on your budget. There are resources worth paying for, and there are resources for which you’ll receive the same benefit for free.
Equally as important as your budget is avoiding analysis paralysis. Your goal is to pass the DELF B2 exam not to get the perfect product because some language “guru” told you to buy it.
Finally, it’s all the same shit just packaged differently.
A necessary resource is a language tutor, and a language tutor costs money.
I met my French tutor on Français Authentique, which a French language community. You can find tutors on iTalki or Preply.
Why have a tutor? It is important to pay for a tutor because you’re going to get honest feedback in real time.
You need someone with whom you can practice speaking. A good tutor will listen to you and correct your mistakes, so you can work on them.
You also need someone who is going to help you write in French. Writing in French is not the same as writing in English. The French use “formules de politesse” that Americans do not use, and you need to make sure your written production is littered with “les connecteurs.”
Side note: I’ve paid $899.81 thus far for one-on-one instruction since I began on November 25, 2024.
No app or book will ever replace a good tutor, a human, who knows their own language.
A book with DELF B2 exercises is a good resource to own. I used Réussite 100%. It cost 27€. The digital version allows you to enter your answer and provides the answers or suggested responses.
Because I went to Paris in January, I decided to pick up two additional books: Grammaire essentielle du français and Vocabulaire essential du français (B1). I either made a mistake when I bought these two books because they’re both in B1, or I decided to buy them because I couldn’t find a B2 equivalent. I can’t recall.
The books are great. If you find that you need a refresher in basic grammar and vocabulary as I did and want the books in French instead of in English, here’s the link. They’re not necessary because they’re not specific to the exam.
If you’re more technologically inclined, and even if you’re not, there are websites that are very helpful and they’re free.
Side note: I do not have any language apps on my phone. First, the screen is too small. Two, I’m trying to limit the amount of time on my phone.
To work on and improve my oral comprehension, I started with TV5 Monde Apprendre. You can sign up for free, which I recommend so you can keep track of your progress.
The website provides audio exercises for levels A1-B2. These exercises are taken from real sources: documentaries, news, movies, shows. The exercises consist of multiple-choice questions, true or false statements, and crossword puzzles.
Along with improving my oral comprehension, I needed to work on my French grammar and vocabulary. During the last two months before the exam, I came across Linguno and Clozemaster.
These two websites are great. And free!
I really like Linguno because they have conjugation exercises as well as daily crossword puzzles in specific tenses. Linguno also has listening exercises where you listen and type out what was said. I use Clozemaster to improve both my grammar and vocabulary. The free version of Clozemaster limits the number of daily exercises to 30 a day. That’s absolutely fine.
Let me address the elephant in the room: YouTube. YouTube is a great resource if used correctly.
Do not waste your time watching or listening to language gurus. The tips and tricks are all the same. Your goal is to practice and improve your listening and reading comprehension so you can pass the DELF exam not to buy into language gurus’ gimmicks.
So, let’s talk about what I watched and still watch.
Réussir le Delf B1 – B2 is a channel dedicated to all four sections of the exam. I highly recommend this channel. The videos on the written production don’t always show you an example at the end. Practice them anyway and review them with your tutor.
Another good way to use YouTube is to watch long format programming. It’s a good way to train your ear.
I recommend C a vous. The head journalist, Elisabeth, and her colleagues interview French politicians and other journalists during the first hour. The second hour is dedicated to culture, so they’ll invite French artists, actors, comedians and novelists. Occasionally, English-speaking guests will be invited, and the show will provide French translators for them.
I like watching travel shows, and Echappées belles is a great way to improve your oral comprehension while exploring different regions in France or countries around the world.
Tip 3: Study, study, study
If you really want to pass this exam, and pass this exam with an excellent grade, then you need to dedicate time every day to practicing a section of the exam.
Pick Mondays for oral comprehension, Tuesdays for written comprehension, Wednesdays for written production, and Thursdays for oral production. You can review what you did on Friday. Saturday can be your exam day. Yes, I mean mimic the actual exam on Saturday (3 hours).
Sundays = not-lifting-a-freaking-finger-for-anything-day.
Obviously, our schedules are all different. Life gets in the way of many things.
BUT…
You can control that to some extent. Plan your week out either on Sunday afternoon/evening or Monday morning. Dedicate at least 30 minutes every day to a section of the exam.
Use your dead time (i.e., commutes, household chores, waiting periods) to listen to an interview or music in French. Read a book at your language level on your commute. There are small actions that you can take every day that will improve your chances of passing this exam.
For how long before the exam should you begin studying? That’s a question only you can answer.
It depends on your existing language level and your goal. If you’re at B1 and you want to get to B2 to take the DELF B2 exam, then I recommend beginning six months in advance. You want to make sure you feel as ready as possible on exam day.
Yes, there is a big difference between B1 and B2. Well, that’s what the examiner told us.
My Journey
I started thinking about the DELF exam in November 2024.
I wasn’t sure which exam I would register for since I felt incredibly rusty. I asked my French instructor how soon we would know, a stupid question, and she said that she would decide in a month to a month and a half. Her decision, obviously, was based on my progress, which was based on my effort.
I revisited my question in March 2025, and my instructor confirmed that I spoke at a B2 level, so I registered for the DELF B2 exam later that month.
I paid $195 for the exam, which was charged in May for some reason.
I thought I would feel nervous in the days leading up to the exam and on the day itself, but I felt very calm. I ate an early lunch at my favorite place, Mangia, and then grabbed a Cortado at Gregory’s, another favorite place.
I arrived at L’Alliance New York only to face a broken elevator. I’m sure what seemed like an eternity was less than five minutes, then again, the elevator was broken so maybe I waited longer than that. I was supposed to present myself in room 501, but the room was occupied.
I can’t recall why I headed up to the 7th floor, but I was there with a group of people who were waiting for additional instruction.
I’m not one to be at the head of a group, so I fell back and waited as the woman responsible for examinees packed the elevator to go up to the 8th floor. I wish she had given us the option to use the stairs, because the elevator into which we filed in descended to the basement, stopping at almost every floor.
I didn’t say anything because experience has taught me otherwise. Then again, I could’ve asked to use the stairs instead of suffering a hot mobile sardine can right before the most important exam of my life.
One of the sardines asked if we were good on time, and Madame Sardine replied, “Oui. Il y a beaucoup de temps.” Beaucoup de temps? It was 11:55 a.m., and our exam started at 12:00 p.m.
I love the French, but their nonchalance at this very moment was insulting.
We finally arrived on the 8th floor. I signed in and waited.
Once they allowed us in, I scoped out two chairs: one for my purse, and one for my butt. We were only allowed to have pens, white out, and a bottle of water at our desks.
The exam started at 12:15 p.m.
I finished the exam with 10 minutes to spare at which point the examiners informed me that my oral production exam was moved up to 3:00 p.m. I was delighted because it meant that I had to wait only 15 minutes versus an hour and a half for the next part.
At 3:00 p.m., the examiner called my name. I was taken to another room with three others. There, we were asked to pick two topics blindly from an envelope and then pick one. We were given 30 minutes to prepare.
After 15-20 minutes, I thanked the examiners and headed for the exit. I was glad it was over.
I honestly think I passed the exam just not with the grade I wanted. I prepared myself as best I could. I studied for months, so my effort will have paid off.
So, what happens next?
The results will be emailed to me in one month. The physical diploma, if I passed, will be mailed in 3-6 months. Yikes!! I knew this, but it’s still a long time to wait for a diploma.
If you’re planning to take the exam, please do. Please study. A lot!
Don’t get hung up on what to use. I’ll list additional resources below. The name of the game is to pass the test.
To anyone taking this exam, bonne chance!
Vous réussirez, bien sur!