The Texas PSB (Private Security Bureau) qualified manager’s exam is
given in Austin, Houston and Irving.
Exams are scheduled for manager, supervisor,
and consultant applicants after the proper applications and required fees
have been received and when
it is determined that the applicants
meet the
experience requirements for that particular position.
Experience will only be considered when it is
submitted directly on the PSB-02 (PDF) form.
The manager’s exam is designed to ensure that every
manager, supervisor, and consultant have a
working knowledge
of the rules and regulations that
govern the private security industry in Texas.
Every applicant for these three positions must pass
the same exam which covers the statute and rules
(regardless of the category of company for
which the managers/owners are applying).
Examinations are currently administered at the following locations: Austin, Houston, and Irving.
Addition locations will be made available once those arrangements can be finalized.
Applicants are required to bring their Driver License or state-issued ID,
facemask or face covering, printed copy of the statutes and rules, and two (2) sharpened pencils with erasers.
The exam consists of 100 questions and the time
allotment is two hours. Multiple versions of the exam.
Question format is true/false and multiple choice.
A score of 70% or greater is required to pass the exam.
Examination results are sent to the applicant's email address on file.
If the score is below passing and the applicant wishes to re-take the examination,
a $100 re-examination fee is required.
Applicants are allowed to re-test as often as the examination
schedule allows within their 90-day application window.
Scheduled applicants must bring a copy of their invitation
letter as well as their driver’s license or state ID to the exam;
they must also know their application or company license number.
All correspondence from the Private Security Bureau will include this number.
The Managers exam was significantly modified.
The current exam questions now focus on issues of general concern to
managers of licensed companies, such as the eligibility criteria
for registrations, pre-employment obligations and procedures,
application requirements, record-keeping, and the procedures
relating to disciplinary actions and administrative fines.
Examinations are administered at the following locations:
Irving, Houston and Austin.
Each company representative must meet the eligibility requirements of Occ. Code Section 1702.113, meet all qualification and experience requirements listed below, and pass a written examination administered by the department. If a company representative lacks the experience to qualify in each category of service included in a license or application, the license holder must designate an additional company representative who is responsible for each service for which the primary company representative is not qualified. All company representatives must pass the examination.
Guard Company Representative Experience:
Pursuant to Occ. Code Section 1702.115 and TAC 35.122 all company representatives of a guard company must be at least 21 years of age at the time of application. Additionally, all such applicants must have:
Pursuant to Occ. Code Section 1702.114 and TAC 35.121, investigator experience must meet one of the following qualifications; three (3) consecutive years of investigation related experience; a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or related course of study; or a bachelor's degree with twelve (12) months of investigation related experience; or an associate degree in criminal justice or related course of study, with twenty-four (24) months of investigation related experience; or a specialized course of study directly designed for and related to the private investigation profession, taught and presented through affiliation with a four (4) year college or university accredited and recognized by the State of Texas. This course of study must be endorsed by the four (4) year college or university's department of criminal justice program and include a departmental faculty member(s) on its instructional faculty. This course of study must consist of a minimum of two hundred (200) instructional hours including coverage of ethics, the Private Security Act, and Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 35. Other combinations of education and investigation related experience may be substituted for the above at the discretion of the department or its designated representative. The degrees referenced above must be affiliated with a college or university recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or other accreditation organization recognized by the State of Texas.
Pursuant to Occ. Code Section 1702.115 and TAC 35.123 Two consecutive years of full-time locksmith-related experience; or Successful completion of a Department-approved 48-hour basic locksmith course and a 600-hour fundamentals of locksmith course, with the following curriculum content:
Successful passage of a basic locksmith proficiency examination that covers a minimum of 12 locksmith subjects and is approved by the Department; and
Successful completion of a 2000-hour internship with a locksmith company, licensed in continuous good standing in the state of Texas.
Other combinations of education and locksmith-related experience may be substituted for the above at the discretion of the Department.
Pursuant to Occ. Code Section 1702.115 Experience for any Class B (except Guard Company), Security Services Contractor license must have before the date of application, two (2) consecutive years of verifiable work experience performed on a full-time basis in each category of license for which you are applying.
Note: Texas has no reciprocal agreements with any other states for acceptance of private security licenses. Experience legally obtained in another state may meet the experience requirements for the company representative positions.
Texas Guard Company Manager Requirements:
(a) All applicants for registration as manager of a guard
company must be at least 21 years of age at the
time of application.
(b) All such applicants must have at least three (3) years accumulated
employment experience in the field
in which the applicant’s prospective
employer
is licensed, including at least one (1) year of experience in
a managerial or supervisory position.
Texas Manager Exam Information:
The applicant applying as a manager/supervisor or consultant is required
to demonstrate qualifications in
the person’s license classification,
including knowledge of applicable state laws and administrative
rules by taking and passing an examination.
The exam consists of 100 questions – multiple choice and true/false.
A score of 70 or
greater is required to pass the exam.
Scheduled applicants must bring in a copy of their invitation letter as well as their driver’s
license or state ID to the exam; they must also know their application file number or
company license number. Please refer to correspondence letter from the Private Security
Program to obtain your application or company license number.
Exam results are released not later than the 30th
day after a person takes a licensing
examination.
The “exam fee” is included in the original company license application fee. A person who
fails the examination must pay a reexamination fee to take a subsequent examination. The
cost for a reexamination is $100. Applicants are allowed to retest as often as the exam
schedule allows within their 90 day application window.