The Chapter 143 Civil Service Exam: What Denton's Entrance Test Is

30-second answer. Denton hires firefighters under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143, so the entrance exam is the statute's exam: open, competitive and free, based on general knowledge and aptitude, scored out of 100 with a minimum passing grade of 70. Passing puts you on the eligibility list. Appointment starts at the top of that list: Section 143.026 lets the department head pass over a name only for a valid reason, and only as far as the third-highest grade, so rank matters more than the pass mark. Denton names Fire and Police Selection, Inc. as the source for study guides, and states the next exam will take place in 2026 at a time and place yet to be determined.

What the statute requires the exam to be

Chapter 143 governs the exam itself, not just the hiring order. Section 143.025 requires the civil service commission to provide "open, competitive, and free entrance examinations to provide eligibility lists for beginning positions in the fire and police departments." The exam "must be based on the person's general knowledge and aptitude and must inquire into the applicant's general education and mental ability." No one may be appointed to the fire department except as a result of the examination.

Two rules candidates miss: the exam is held "in the presence of each applicant" and "an applicant may not take an examination unless at least one other applicant taking the examination is present"; and "an applicant may not take the examination for a particular eligibility list more than once."

How it is scored

Section 143.025(i), read live September 7, 2026: "Each applicant's grade on the written examination is based on a maximum grade of 100 percent and is determined entirely by the correctness of the applicant's answers to the questions. The minimum passing grade on the examination is 70 out of 100. An applicant must pass the examination to be placed on an eligibility list."

The grade placed on the list is the written grade plus any veteran points under subsection (f). Those five points are added only to a passing grade, which is covered on this site's Denton veterans page.

Why 70 is not the number to train for

Section 143.026 sets the appointment mechanics. When a vacancy occurs, the director certifies "the names of the three persons having the highest grades on the eligibility list," and the chief executive "shall appoint the person having the highest grade unless there is a valid reason why the person having the second or third highest grade should be appointed," with that reason set out in writing. A list stays in effect for six to twelve months at the commission's discretion.

Read those two sections together and the strategy writes itself. Seventy puts you on the list. The top of the list gets called. Denton's own careers FAQ describes the same funnel from the department's side: background packets go to the highest exam scores in the numbers needed to fill the next step.

Denton's specifics

• Vendor. The careers page states "study guides are available on the Fire and Police Selection, Inc. website."
• Timing. The last exam was Saturday, January 10, 2026 (NEOGOV Fire Fighter-Recruit bulletin, job 26-0000000306). The next date is not posted; the FAQ's line that the next exam "will take place in 2026" predates the January exam. The city's Waiting List is the notice channel, and the study-guide question has its own answer.
• What comes after. Background and polygraph, then the department's physical agility test, then hire, in that order.