This inquiry supplies a critical analysis of metalinguistic awareness (MLA) in relation to its measurement through a French-language test of metalinguistic capacity. The outcomes on the Test d’Habiletés Métalinguistiques (THAM-3) completed by 66 francophone college students in Québec are read with regard to the concepts of noticing and understanding. There is a necessity to re-assess the role of explicit knowledge of grammatical concepts and metalanguage in MLA measurement.