- The standalone "qualified manager" registration ended September 1, 2019; company representative is now a designated role, not a separate license.
- The DPS exam is open-book: 50 multiple-choice/true-false questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass.
- One exam attempt is included with the original company license fee; retakes cost $100 each.
- Guard-company representatives need to be at least 21, with three years of relevant employment and one year of managerial/supervisory experience.
What TX-QM Means Today
If you searched "TX-QM certification" or "Texas Qualified Manager," you landed on the right topic, but the credential itself has evolved. The Texas Department of Public Safety Private Security Program used to require a separate qualified-manager registration for certain license holders. That standalone requirement ended on September 1, 2019. Today, the functional equivalent is the Company Representative Examination - a designated role within a licensed security company rather than an independent license or pocket card.
People still search "Texas QM" and "TX-QM" out of habit, and this site keeps those legacy terms in the title for that reason, but every current fact in this article reflects the Company Representative structure as it exists under DPS rules today. If you want the full breakdown of what the acronym covers and doesn't cover, see What Is TX-QM? and TX-QM Meaning for a plain-language history of the terminology shift.
Who Actually Needs This Exam
Not every security employee sits for this exam. It applies to individuals designated as company representatives for licensed guard companies or investigation companies applying through DPS's TOPS licensing portal. Because eligibility rules differ by company type, it's worth confirming exactly where you fit before you schedule anything - see TX-QM Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify for a full eligibility walkthrough.
Guard Company Representatives
Candidates representing a guard company must meet all of the following before applying:
- At least 21 years of age
- Three years of relevant accumulated employment in the industry
- One year of managerial or supervisory experience
Investigation Company Representatives
Eligibility for investigation companies is broader and can be satisfied through any one of these paths:
- Three consecutive years of investigative experience
- A qualifying bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a related field
- Specified combinations of a related degree plus investigative experience
- Completion of a qualifying university-affiliated specialized course of at least 200 instructional hours
Some license categories require more than one qualified representative if the company offers additional service categories. If your company plans to expand services, budget time to identify and prepare additional representatives, since each one must independently meet eligibility and pass the exam.
Exam Format and Structure
The Company Representative Examination is a written, open-book test administered by DPS. Here's what the format actually looks like:
- 50 questions, presented as multiple-choice and true/false
- 2-hour time limit
- 70% passing threshold
- Open-book format - you're allowed to bring printed statutes and rules for reference during the test
Because it's open-book, the exam rewards familiarity with where information lives in the source documents more than raw memorization. Knowing that licensing-document procedures sit in one part of Chapter 35 and disciplinary rules sit in another saves real minutes during a timed test. For a deeper look at how the question style plays out in practice, read How Hard Is the TX-QM Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and check TX-QM Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for how the 70% threshold is applied.
Key Takeaway
Open-book does not mean easy. With only 2 hours for 50 questions, you need to know your statutes well enough to find answers fast, not read them for the first time during the exam.
The Legal Framework You Must Know
Every question on the exam traces back to two source documents:
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1702 - the statute governing private security in Texas
- Texas Administrative Code Chapter 35 - the DPS rules that implement the statute
The exam emphasizes several recurring themes within those texts:
Individual-License Eligibility
Understand the requirements for the individuals a company employs or licenses - age, background, and disqualifying history.
- Distinguish eligibility rules for different license types
Pre-Employment Procedures
Know what a company must verify and document before placing someone in a security role.
- Background checks and documentation sequencing
Applications and Records
This covers both business and employee recordkeeping obligations tied to company licensing.
- What must be retained and for how long
Disciplinary Actions and Administrative Fines
Know the range of enforcement actions DPS can take and how fines are structured.
- Common violation categories that trigger action
Because Chapter 35 gets amended periodically, treat any printed study material as a starting point, not a final answer. The DPS-linked study compilation currently in circulation is the 2023-2024 edition, and it does not reflect licensing-document changes taking effect July 2, 2026. Anyone testing near that date should specifically verify how those amendments affect application and documentation procedures before relying on older material. For a topic-by-topic breakdown mapped to these themes, see TX-QM Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 0 Content Areas.
Registration, Fees, and Retakes
The exam itself isn't purchased separately in the usual sense - it's bundled into the company license process. Applications run through DPS's TOPS system, and both company and representative documentation are submitted together.
One examination attempt is included with the original company license fee. The posted company fee schedule (which includes subscription charges) breaks down like this:
| Company License Class | Fee (includes subscription charges) |
|---|---|
| Class A | $361 |
| Class B | $412 |
| Class C | $556 |
These figures cover the company license and its included exam attempt only. Applicant fees, fingerprint processing, and required insurance are billed separately and are not part of the license fee schedule above. If you fail the exam, a retake costs $100 each time, and scheduling a retake depends on appointment availability within the applicant's 90-day application window - so a failed first attempt puts real time pressure on getting a second one scheduled and passed. For a complete cost breakdown including these separate line items, see TX-QM Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for how the timing pressure affects scheduling decisions, check TX-QM Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Because retakes cost money and depend on limited appointment slots inside a 90-day window, treat your first attempt as the one that counts - there's little room for a casual "see how it goes" approach.
What to Bring on Exam Day
Since this is an open-book test, what you're permitted to bring matters as much as what you know. Plan to arrive with:
- Printed copies of the relevant statutes and rules (Chapter 1702 and Chapter 35)
- A valid driver license or state-issued ID
- Two sharpened pencils with erasers
Tab or highlight your printed statutes ahead of time by topic - eligibility, pre-employment procedures, records, and disciplinary actions - so you're not flipping through unmarked pages under a 2-hour clock. A well-organized reference copy is arguably more valuable on this exam than memorization drills, since the test format assumes you'll be looking things up.
Building a Study Plan Around the Real Content
Generic study techniques only matter here to the extent they map onto the actual legal content you'll be tested on. A simple way to structure preparation is to dedicate blocks of study time to one theme at a time rather than reviewing everything at once.
Chapter 1702 Foundations
- Read through individual-license eligibility sections
- Note age, background, and disqualifying-history rules
Pre-Employment and Records
- Map out required pre-employment verification steps
- Compare business record vs. employee record retention rules
Disciplinary Actions and Fines
- List common violations and associated penalty ranges
- Practice locating fine schedules quickly in printed rules
Timed Practice
- Run full 50-question, 2-hour practice sessions
- Refine your tabbed reference materials based on where you slow down
For a structured walkthrough of this kind of preparation with more detail on pacing and review cycles, see TX-QM Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you'd like a condensed reference to keep nearby during final review, TX-QM Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts summarizes the highest-yield points in one page. You can also run full timed sessions similar to the real exam format on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the pacing before test day.
Licensing Cycle and Ongoing Obligations
Company licenses renew annually, while individual licenses generally run on a two-year cycle. Continuing education requirements are tied to the individual's specific licensed role rather than to a standalone "qualified manager" credential - another reminder that the old QM registration has been absorbed into the broader licensing structure rather than preserved as its own recurring requirement.
If you're weighing whether pursuing a company representative designation is worth the time and cost given these renewal cycles, Is the TX-QM Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the tradeoffs. And if you're trying to figure out where this designation fits into a broader security career, TX-QM Jobs and TX-QM Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis look at how companies use this role in practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The standalone qualified-manager registration ended September 1, 2019. The current equivalent is the company representative designation, which is part of a company's DPS license record rather than an independent license or pocket card.
The exam has 50 multiple-choice and true/false questions, with a 2-hour time limit and a 70% passing threshold.
One exam attempt is included with the original company license fee. If you don't pass, retakes cost $100 each and depend on appointment availability within the 90-day application window.
Because the exam is open-book, you can bring printed copies of the relevant statutes and rules. You'll also need a driver license or state-issued ID and two sharpened pencils with erasers.
Guard company representatives need to be at least 21 with three years of relevant employment and one year of managerial or supervisory experience. Investigation company representatives can qualify through three consecutive years of investigative experience, a qualifying degree, a degree-plus-experience combination, or a 200-hour university-affiliated specialized course.