Ask a McAllen student what score they need to pass the Level 3 exam and you will usually get a shrug or a guess borrowed from their License to Carry class. The actual figure is in the rulebook, and it is higher than the guess.

Start With the Number

1. The minimum passing grade on Level 3 and Level 4 school examinations is 75%, set by 37 TAC §35.144(c).
2. That threshold is higher than the Texas License to Carry written test threshold.
3. It applies to the written exam in the classroom portion of the course. The part ETXSTA delivers online.
4. It is a rule, not a school policy, so no approved school anywhere in Texas can set it lower.

You can confirm all of that yourself in 37 TAC Chapter 35, which is the chapter governing private security training in this state.

Where the Wrong Number Comes From

The LTC comparison is not something students invent out of nowhere. On the range, the two really do overlap: under §35.145, the firearms proficiency qualification for a commission may use the DPS Primary Issued Handgun Qualification Course or the DPS Approved LTC Course, and the proficiency exam is close to identical in format to the LTC proficiency exam. Someone who already holds an LTC walks into Part 2 recognizing the drill.

The mistake is carrying that familiarity backwards into the classroom half. An LTC is a private citizen’s permit. A security officer commission is an occupational authorization to carry a firearm while working a post, with a body of law attached to it about use of force and about what the commission does and does not let you do. The state tests that material to a different standard because the responsibility is different.

So Take the Online Half Seriously

Level 3 splits into two parts. Part 1 is the classroom material: the law governing armed security work, use of force, the duties that attach to a commission, and the written exam. Part 2 is in person and covers defensive tactics, firearms handling and the firearms proficiency exam. ETXSTA runs Part 1 entirely online.

Convenience is the selling point and also the trap. Students who click through the online material between shifts, half-watching, are the ones who meet the 75% standard the hard way. Students who sit with the use-of-force sections, read them twice and make notes generally clear it without drama. The format is flexible; the exam is not.

Worth knowing: the online course price covers the online training only. The in-person firearms qualification is scheduled separately and is not included. The online portion contains no firearms work at all.

Level 3 Is Not Level 4

Since §35.144(c) names both courses in the same sentence, it is worth being clear about the difference. Under §35.141(a)(2), Level 3 is required for anyone seeking a security officer commission and for personal protection officers. Level 4 is the personal protection officer course itself, the bodyguard credential, a separate class with a minimum of fifteen classroom hours under §35.141(a)(3). Two different courses, not two tiers of one.

Note also that passing Level 3 is not the same as holding a commission. DPS issues the commission on application, and under §35.81(a) that application requires copies of both your Level 2 and your Level 3 certificates of completion, plus the other items the department lists. Your Level 2 certificate does not become obsolete when you go armed. You need it in the file. The licensing side is handled by the Texas DPS Private Security Bureau.

The McAllen Angle

The Rio Grande Valley runs on logistics and retail, and both generate armed post work: warehouse and distribution operations along the border trade corridors, high-value retail and jewellery, banking and credit union branches, hospital and medical district contracts. An officer with a commission is competing for a different and smaller pool of openings than an unarmed officer, which is the practical reason most people in this market take the step.

One structural point specific to Level 3: it may only be taught by a DPS-approved school using a DPS-approved instructor, with course material prepared by and obtained from DPS. Unlike Level 2, your employer cannot have an in-house designee deliver it. That makes an online approved-school option genuinely useful this far south, where the nearest classroom seat can be a long drive.

After you qualify, §35.147 requires the school to issue your original certificate of completion, the PSP 30, within seven days, and to retain training records for 24 months. Down the line, the renewal course keeps the commission current. Questions about which class fits your situation are covered on our FAQ page.