Food managers in Texas take the TFM exam to earn a Certified Food Manager credential under the Texas Department of State Health Services program. This page gives you free practice sets by topic, three worked questions with explanations, a study plan, and plain answers on delivery, scoring and renewal, each taken from official sources.

TFM Exam at a Glance

What the TFM is and how it works

According to Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Certified Food Manager (CFM) Program. Exams are delivered by DSHS-lice, “A passing score is 70% or higher. This is obtained by answering at least 56 out of 80 questions correctly. The exam has 90 questions; however there are 10 pilot questions that are for research purposes only.”^[2]

The Certified Food Manager (CFM) Program is run by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The credential is earned by passing a DSHS-approved or ANSI-CFP-approved food manager certification exam. DSHS says the exam may be taken through any licensed program, test site, national program or internet examination provider, so where you sit it depends on the provider you choose.

Scoring and format are set by the provider, not by this site. As an example, the ServSafe Food Protection Manager exam has 90 questions, of which 10 are pilot questions that do not count. A passing score is 70%, which means at least 56 of the 80 scored questions correct. The time limit is 2 hours. Online results are available almost immediately after the proctor submits the exam for grading, and print exams take 3-4 business days. If you test with a different provider, check its own rules before you book.

The certification is valid for 5 years. To renew, you retake the exam before it expires. Under ServSafe's rules you can retest only if you did not pass or if your current certification is expiring, and you buy a new exam each time. Fees, scheduling and identification rules vary by provider, so confirm them on the DSHS CFM page and with your provider.

Worked examples: how to reason through TFM questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: A food handler diagnosed with Hepatitis A must be excluded from food handling until:

1. They feel better
2. 7 days after the onset of jaundice, or as directed by the regulatory authority
3. The next shift after taking medication
4. Their symptoms have been gone for 24 hours

Answer: B. 7 days after the onset of jaundice, or as directed by the regulatory authority

Explanation:

The correct answer is that the food handler is excluded until 7 days after the onset of jaundice, or as directed by the regulatory authority. Hepatitis A spreads easily through food, so exclusion is tied to a defined point in the illness and to the authority's decision, not to how the person feels.

"They feel better" is wrong because feeling better is not a measure of whether the virus can still spread. "The next shift after taking medication" is wrong because medication does not end exclusion. "Their symptoms have been gone for 24 hours" is wrong because a short symptom-free period is a rule for some other illnesses, not for Hepatitis A.

Rule to remember: for serious illnesses such as Hepatitis A, the return-to-work condition is set by the timeline and the regulatory authority, never by self-reported recovery.

Example 2

Question: Listeria monocytogenes is particularly dangerous because it can:

1. Survive and grow at refrigerator temperatures (34–40°F)
2. Only grow above 135°F
3. Only infect animals, not humans
4. Be destroyed by freezing

Answer: A. Survive and grow at refrigerator temperatures (34–40°F)

Explanation:

The correct answer is that Listeria can survive and grow at refrigerator temperatures (34-40°F). That is what makes it different from many other pathogens, because cold storage slows most bacteria but does not stop Listeria.

"Only grow above 135°F" is wrong because it describes the opposite of Listeria's behaviour. Heat above that point is used to hold food safe, not to describe where Listeria grows. "Only infect animals, not humans" is wrong because Listeria causes illness in people. "Be destroyed by freezing" is wrong because freezing does not kill it; it can survive and resume growing once the food warms.

Rule to remember: refrigeration is not a kill step. For ready-to-eat foods held cold, control time and shelf life as well as temperature.

Example 3

Question: What happens if a Texas Food Manager Certificate expires without being renewed?

1. The holder must retake the initial training course and exam
2. The certificate is automatically renewed for an additional year
3. The holder can continue working without renewal for six months
4. The holder can appeal for an extension from the Texas DSHS

Answer: A. The holder must retake the initial training course and exam

Explanation:

The correct answer is that the holder must retake the initial training course and exam. Once a Texas Food Manager Certificate expires, the holder loses certification status, and the usual route back is to start over rather than file a simple renewal.

"Automatically renewed for an additional year" is wrong because certificates do not renew themselves. "Continue working without renewal" for a stretch of months is wrong because there is no grace period that keeps the credential valid after expiry. "Appeal for an extension from the Texas DSHS" is wrong because an expired certificate is not extended on request.

Rule to remember: renew before the expiry date. Waiting until after it lapses turns a renewal into a full restart. Confirm current requirements with DSHS and your exam provider.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official material. Read the DSHS CFM Program page and the study materials from the provider you plan to test with, so you know how that provider delivers and scores its exam. Then use the practice sets here to find weak spots.

1. Take TFM Food Safety Fundamentals first to set a baseline.
2. Work through the topic sets that follow: Foodborne Illness and Pathogens, Personal Hygiene and Employee Health, Cross-Contamination Prevention, Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Pest Control and Temperature Control and Food Storage.
3. For every miss, read the explanation, then find the same topic in the official material and note the rule in your own words.
4. Use Validity and Renewal and Local Jurisdiction Compliance to check how rules can differ by place.
5. Retake the sets you missed most, and stop when your results stay steady across a few attempts.

Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so use them to check understanding, not to memorise answers.

Sources & last verified

1. servsafe.com — time limit (official source). “90 questions | 2 hours” Verified Oct 22, 2026 · source checked Oct 20, 2026.
2. servsafe.com — passing score, renewal, score release (official source). “A passing score is 70% or higher. This is obtained by answering at least 56 out of 80 questions correctly. The exam has 90 questions;…” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
3. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Certified Food Manager (CFM) Program. Exams are delivered by DSHS-lice — validity (official source). “The food manager certification is obtained by passing a DSHS or ANSI-CFP approved food manager certification examination. The food manger certification examination may be taken…” Verified Oct 24, 2026 · source checked Oct 24, 2026.
4. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Certified Food Manager (CFM) Program. Exams are delivered by DSHS-lice — delivery (official source). “The food manager certification examination may be taken through any licensed program; test site; national program; or internet examination provider.” Verified Oct 24, 2026 · source checked Oct 24, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.