1.5 Attempts, Eligibility, and Endorsement Window

Three attempts inside 180 days

Rule 219.1 is the source for licensing-exam attempts. An eligible examinee is allowed three attempts to pass the examination, and all attempts must be completed within 180 days from the completion date of the licensing course.

The rule is strict about timing. Any remaining attempts become invalid on the 181st day from the course completion date, or when the examinee passes. If an attempt is invalidated for another reason (for example, dismissal mid-exam), it still counts as one of the three — there is no free re-do.

Start the clock on course completion

Start the 180-day clock on the course completion date, not the first test attempt. If a student finishes BPOC on January 1 and waits until May for the first attempt, much of the window is gone. The clock is not reset by nerves, work schedule, or a preferred test date. Count 180 days forward from the documented completion date, and treat any attempt after the 180th day as barred.

Worked example

A candidate completes BPOC on March 1. Day 180 lands around August 28. The candidate fails on March 15 (attempt 1) and April 20 (attempt 2). To keep a valid third attempt, the candidate must test on or before day 180; testing on day 181 or later invalidates the remaining attempt and forces a full BPOC repeat. Failing all three by the deadline also forces a repeat. The lesson: schedule early — the window does not pause for a busy life, and every calendar day spent waiting is subtracted from the 180.

Two ways to prove eligibility

There are two acceptable proofs of eligibility, and the exam tests whether you can tell them apart:

1. Recent course completion — the candidate finished the licensing course within the last six months / 180 days, verifiable in TCLEDDS.
2. Unexpired TCOLE endorsement letter — TCOLE issues an endorsement (a form of permission to test) for candidates whose eligibility comes from a route other than fresh course completion, such as out-of-state, military, or reactivation applicants. The endorsement has an expiration date; an expired one is not valid proof.

The Proctor Manual gives the practical scheduling check: when scheduling, proctors confirm either recent completion of the licensing course within the last six months / 180 days, or an unexpired TCOLE endorsement letter. On exam day, proctors review records in TCLEDDS or the Public License Lookup to verify completion or endorsement before admitting the examinee.

When the system shows no eligibility

If the testing system says there is no endorsement to take the exam, the proctor first verifies the correct exam was selected — a wrong exam selection is the most common cause. If still unresolved, the manual directs the proctor to contact the Credentialing Division to verify eligibility. The candidate does not get to choose a different licensing exam just because another exam opens in the system; eligibility is exam-type specific (a jailer-eligible person cannot sit the peace officer exam, and vice versa).

Three events that force a full repeat

The repeat-course consequence is the harshest part of the attempt rule. Rule 219.1 requires repeating the basic licensing course when any of these occur:

1. Failing all three attempts — the candidate exhausts attempts without reaching 175 of 250.
2. Missing the 180-day window — the deadline passes before all attempts are used, even with attempts remaining.
3. Dismissal for cheating — remaining attempts are immediately invalidated, and the integrity violation may carry separate license consequences.

All three lead to the same place: re-enroll, re-attend the entire course, re-document completion, and restart a fresh 180-day window. Note the asymmetry: a single failed attempt has no required waiting period before retesting, but a third failure or a 181st-day lapse sends the candidate back to a full new BPOC. The exam likes to test the difference between a routine retake (no waiting) and one of these terminal events (full repeat) — read the fact pattern for how many attempts and which day.

Exam trap: three attempts within 180 days is not the same as three attempts within two years. The two-year issue belongs to score expiration / appointment or inactive status after passing. For retake eligibility after BPOC completion, focus on three attempts and 180 days. A second trap: an attempt invalidated for cause still counts as one of the three.

Source anchors: TCOLE Statutes and Rules Handbook (November 1, 2025), Rule 219.1; TCOLE Proctor Manual (2025), Scheduling and Appendix C.