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The Texas Certified Food Manager (CFM) exam is required by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for at least one supervisory employee in every permitted food establishment. The exam consists of 75 multiple-choice questions and must be completed in 90 minutes. A score of 70% or higher is required to pass. The exam is administered online or in person through DSHS-approved providers including 360training, Learn2Serve, and others. Your certificate is valid for 5 years. If you do not pass on your first attempt, most providers allow one free retake. The exam covers five content domains drawn from the FDA Model Food Code: foodborne diseases, food protection, HACCP, physical facility design and maintenance, and active managerial control.
Exam details
The Texas Certified Food Manager exam is a 75-question multiple-choice test administered online or at approved testing sites. You have 90 minutes to complete the exam. Questions are presented one at a time with the ability to review previously answered questions. The exam is closed-book. Most providers offer the exam entirely online with identity verification. If you fail on the first attempt, you may retake the exam once at no additional cost through most providers. If you fail a second time, you must repurchase the exam. The certificate you receive upon passing is valid for 5 years in Texas and must be posted in an area conspicuous to consumers at your food establishment. The exam is approved by DSHS and accredited by ANSI under the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) standards.
This link downloads a pre-generated PDF when available for this certification.
Two areas account for the most missed questions on the Texas Food Manager exam. First, food protection — specifically cooking temperatures, cooling procedures, and cold-holding requirements. Candidates frequently confuse the correct cooking temperature for different proteins (145°F for fish and whole beef, 155°F for ground beef, 165°F for poultry) and mix up the two-stage cooling rule (135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F to 41°F within 4 more hours). These are exact numbers that must be memorized — there is no approximation on the exam. Second, foodborne disease identification — knowing which pathogen is associated with which food, which symptoms trigger exclusion versus restriction, and the difference between infection and intoxication. Questions about the Big Six pathogens requiring full exclusion (Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Salmonella Typhi, Shiga toxin E. coli, Shigella, Nontyphoidal Salmonella) appear frequently and are straightforward if studied directly.
Under Texas Health and Safety Code §438, at least one employee who has supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct food preparation and service must be a Certified Food Manager. This requirement applies to all permitted food establishments in Texas.
The exam consists of 75 multiple-choice questions. You have 90 minutes to complete it. A score of 70% or higher (53 correct answers) is required to pass.
The certificate is valid for 5 years from the date you passed the exam. Recertification requires retaking an approved Certified Food Manager exam — there is no continuing education renewal option.
DSHS-approved providers include 360training (Learn2Serve), ServSafe, Prometric, and others. The exam can be taken entirely online through most providers with identity verification. Visit the Texas DSHS website for the current list of approved providers.
Most providers allow one free retake if you fail your first attempt. If you fail a second time, you must repurchase the exam. Some providers require a waiting period before the second attempt.
Texas strongly recommends completing an accredited food manager training program, but it is not required. If you have sufficient knowledge of food safety topics, you can take the exam without completing a training course.
Texas law requires the official Certified Food Manager Certificate to be posted in an area conspicuous to consumers at the food establishment.
The exam covers five domains based on the DSHS content outline: Foodborne Diseases (23%), Food Protection (33%), HACCP (12%), Physical Facility Design and Maintenance (11%), and Active Managerial Control (21%).
ServSafe is one of several DSHS-approved exam providers. The ServSafe Manager Certification exam is accepted in Texas. Other approved providers include 360training/Learn2Serve and Prometric/National Registry of Food Safety Professionals.
Focus on the exact cooking temperatures for different proteins, the two-stage cooling rule, cold and hot holding temperatures, the Big Six pathogens requiring exclusion, and the 7 principles of HACCP. These topics account for the majority of exam questions. Practice with timed questions to simulate the 90-minute exam format.
Topics and blueprint percentages come from our topic bank; practice sessions allocate questions using those shares when set.
Start practicing free — no account required. The first two questions in each topic are unlocked. Our 75 practice questions are aligned to the official Texas DSHS exam blueprint across all five content domains, with detailed explanations for every answer.