CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
CTCM EXAM 2026/2027 — CERTIFIED TEXAS CONTRACT
MANAGER PRACTICE TEST WITH 200 QUESTIONS
Texas procurement and contract management · 200 original four-choice items · Answers and
rationales integrated
Disclaimer. This is original study material for education. It is not an official, verified, authenticated, or Comptroller
examination, and it does not reproduce exam items. A result on this set does not predict certification or authorize a
purchase. Statutes, rules, and the current State of Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide govern
practice. Keyed choices are printed in readable cyan-blue (#007C8A) rather than pure cyan (#00FFFF), which is
nearly invisible on a white page.
Section 1: Brief Introduction
The Certified Texas Contract Manager credential is issued by the Comptroller’s Statewide
Procurement Division for post-award contract management under Texas procurement law.
This original 200-item set is for study and is not an official, verified, or Comptroller
examination. Current statutes, rules, and the State of Texas Procurement and Contract
Management Guide, including Supplement No. 1, govern practice.
Section 2: The Complete Exam
Each item has one best answer. The keyed choice is set in bold cyan-blue (#007C8A, used because
pure #00FFFF disappears on white). A rationale follows every item. Use the current Guide and
agency counsel for a real purchase or contract action.
Certification and the Statewide Framework
Who must hold CTCM, how certification and renewal work, and how SPD, DIR, CAT, and QAT divide the
work.
1. What does CTCM mean in Texas public procurement?
A. Certified Talent Competency Manager, a national human-resources license.
B. Certified Texas Construction Master, limited to highway projects.
C. A city-only purchasing card credential.
D. Certified Texas Contract Manager, a Comptroller certification for post-award
contract management.
Rationale: The Statewide Procurement Division of the Comptroller administers CTCM. It is not
a talent-management or human-resources credential. The source title’s contract-law category
matches this program.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 1
,CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
2. Which activity is the core of contract management, as the Comptroller defines it?
A. Actions after contract execution, including risk assessment, performance
verification, compliance monitoring, and enforcement.
B. Writing the solicitation and scoring proposals before award.
C. Hiring classified employees under the State Classification Plan.
D. Setting the statewide tax rate.
Rationale: Contract management begins after execution and runs through closeout.
Solicitation development is primarily a contract-developer function. The manager still must
understand the solicitation that produced the contract.
3. Which employee must be a Certified Texas Contract Manager before performing contract-
management functions for a state agency?
A. An employee whose title is contract manager, contract administration manager,
or contract technician.
B. Only an employee who has already held CTCD for five years.
C. Only a licensed attorney.
D. Any employee who approves a travel voucher.
Rationale: The duty also applies if contract management is 50 percent or more of the job, or if
the employee manages any contract over $5 million. A law license does not replace the
certification when the duty applies.
4. An analyst spends 60 percent of the workweek monitoring contractor deliverables, but the
job title is program specialist. What is the certification consequence?
A. A project-management certificate from any vendor satisfies the statute.
B. Only CTCD is required for post-award monitoring.
C. No certification is required unless the title contains the word manager.
D. CTCM is still required because contract management is at least half of the job
activities.
Rationale: The duty is not limited to job titles. Percentage of activities and management of a
contract over $5 million are independent triggers. CTCD does not substitute for CTCM.
5. What score is required to receive CTCM certification?
A. At least 80 percent.
B. Completion of the class alone, with no exam.
C. At least 70 percent.
D. A pass/fail rating with no published percentage.
Rationale: The Comptroller’s certification page states that certification requires at least 80
percent. Class attendance without a passing exam is not enough. Third-party sites that
advertise 70 percent should not be followed.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 2
,CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
6. A candidate fails the CTCM exam twice after the first attempt. What happens next?
A. The candidate has used the three permitted attempts and must retake the course
before testing again.
B. The score is automatically rounded up to 80 percent.
C. Certification is issued if the agency director writes a waiver.
D. One more attempt remains, because four failures are allowed.
Rationale: The rule is two repeats after the first failure, for three chances total. Another failure
requires the course again, and the full test fee is charged for each retest.
7. How long does an eligible applicant ordinarily have to take the exam after completing the
course?
A. Thirty days, with no extension available.
B. Until the next legislative session.
C. Three months, unless the Statewide Procurement Division director grants an
extension.
D. Two years.
Rationale: An extension must be requested by the end of the three-month period and may not
exceed 12 months. That course-to-exam extension is separate from the testing center’s 60-day
enrollment extension.
8. For how long is a CTCM certification issued?
A. Three years.
B. Ten years, with no renewal.
C. One year.
D. Five years, with 80 continuing-education hours.
Rationale: The current continuing-education page issues CTCD and CTCM certifications for
three years. Renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education, not an 80-hour five-year plan
from an older general page.
9. Which continuing-education package renews a CTCM certification that is not paired with
CTCD?
A. Thirty-six hours, because every CTCM holder is treated as dual-certified.
B. Twenty-four hours of SPD-sponsored education, including one ethics hour, with
up to one non-SPD elective hour.
C. Eight hours of any professional seminar.
D. The Renewal Refresher course alone.
Rationale: The renewal fee for CTCM alone is $50. Dual CTCD/CTCM renewal requires 36
hours and a $75 fee. The Renewal Refresher is an additional requirement and does not count
toward the hours.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 3
, CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
10. When may the Renewal Refresher course be used for the current certification cycle?
A. On the day certification is issued, so it can also fill the ethics hour.
B. Any time, and it replaces all 24 hours.
C. No earlier than two years after initial certification or the last renewal, and it does
not count as a continuing-education hour.
D. Only after the certification has already expired for a year.
Rationale: A refresher taken too early does not satisfy the requirement. It is separate from the
24 or 36 continuing-education hours. Early completion does not create extra credit for the next
cycle.
11. A CTCM holder completes renewal requirements 10 months before expiration. When does
the next three-year period begin?
A. Five years after the early renewal.
B. After the current expiration date. Early renewal does not shorten the current
period.
C. Only if the holder also retakes the full CTCM course.
D. On the day the renewal is approved, so 10 months of the current period are lost.
Rationale: Renewal may be requested up to one year before expiration once requirements are
met. The next period still starts when the current certification expires. Hours used for this cycle
cannot be reused for the next one.
12. A certification expires, and the holder requests an extension 20 days later. If the Division
approves it, how long is available to finish renewal requirements?
A. Up to 60 calendar days from the date the extension is approved.
B. The holder must retake the exam the same day.
C. Two years.
D. No extension may be requested after expiration.
Rationale: The request itself must be made within 30 calendar days after expiration. Approval
does not renew the certification; it only allows a limited period to complete the missing
requirements.
13. Which organization is the central authority for non-IT statewide procurement guidance and
term contracts?
A. The Comptroller’s Statewide Procurement Division.
B. The State Auditor’s Office, which awards contracts.
C. A vendor association.
D. The Department of Information Resources, for every commodity.
Rationale: SPD manages non-IT statewide purchasing, the Guide, CMBL, ESBD, VPTS, and the
certification program. DIR is the information-technology and telecommunications agency. SAO
audits and advises; it does not award ordinary agency contracts.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 4
CTCM EXAM 2026/2027 — CERTIFIED TEXAS CONTRACT
MANAGER PRACTICE TEST WITH 200 QUESTIONS
Texas procurement and contract management · 200 original four-choice items · Answers and
rationales integrated
Disclaimer. This is original study material for education. It is not an official, verified, authenticated, or Comptroller
examination, and it does not reproduce exam items. A result on this set does not predict certification or authorize a
purchase. Statutes, rules, and the current State of Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide govern
practice. Keyed choices are printed in readable cyan-blue (#007C8A) rather than pure cyan (#00FFFF), which is
nearly invisible on a white page.
Section 1: Brief Introduction
The Certified Texas Contract Manager credential is issued by the Comptroller’s Statewide
Procurement Division for post-award contract management under Texas procurement law.
This original 200-item set is for study and is not an official, verified, or Comptroller
examination. Current statutes, rules, and the State of Texas Procurement and Contract
Management Guide, including Supplement No. 1, govern practice.
Section 2: The Complete Exam
Each item has one best answer. The keyed choice is set in bold cyan-blue (#007C8A, used because
pure #00FFFF disappears on white). A rationale follows every item. Use the current Guide and
agency counsel for a real purchase or contract action.
Certification and the Statewide Framework
Who must hold CTCM, how certification and renewal work, and how SPD, DIR, CAT, and QAT divide the
work.
1. What does CTCM mean in Texas public procurement?
A. Certified Talent Competency Manager, a national human-resources license.
B. Certified Texas Construction Master, limited to highway projects.
C. A city-only purchasing card credential.
D. Certified Texas Contract Manager, a Comptroller certification for post-award
contract management.
Rationale: The Statewide Procurement Division of the Comptroller administers CTCM. It is not
a talent-management or human-resources credential. The source title’s contract-law category
matches this program.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 1
,CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
2. Which activity is the core of contract management, as the Comptroller defines it?
A. Actions after contract execution, including risk assessment, performance
verification, compliance monitoring, and enforcement.
B. Writing the solicitation and scoring proposals before award.
C. Hiring classified employees under the State Classification Plan.
D. Setting the statewide tax rate.
Rationale: Contract management begins after execution and runs through closeout.
Solicitation development is primarily a contract-developer function. The manager still must
understand the solicitation that produced the contract.
3. Which employee must be a Certified Texas Contract Manager before performing contract-
management functions for a state agency?
A. An employee whose title is contract manager, contract administration manager,
or contract technician.
B. Only an employee who has already held CTCD for five years.
C. Only a licensed attorney.
D. Any employee who approves a travel voucher.
Rationale: The duty also applies if contract management is 50 percent or more of the job, or if
the employee manages any contract over $5 million. A law license does not replace the
certification when the duty applies.
4. An analyst spends 60 percent of the workweek monitoring contractor deliverables, but the
job title is program specialist. What is the certification consequence?
A. A project-management certificate from any vendor satisfies the statute.
B. Only CTCD is required for post-award monitoring.
C. No certification is required unless the title contains the word manager.
D. CTCM is still required because contract management is at least half of the job
activities.
Rationale: The duty is not limited to job titles. Percentage of activities and management of a
contract over $5 million are independent triggers. CTCD does not substitute for CTCM.
5. What score is required to receive CTCM certification?
A. At least 80 percent.
B. Completion of the class alone, with no exam.
C. At least 70 percent.
D. A pass/fail rating with no published percentage.
Rationale: The Comptroller’s certification page states that certification requires at least 80
percent. Class attendance without a passing exam is not enough. Third-party sites that
advertise 70 percent should not be followed.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 2
,CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
6. A candidate fails the CTCM exam twice after the first attempt. What happens next?
A. The candidate has used the three permitted attempts and must retake the course
before testing again.
B. The score is automatically rounded up to 80 percent.
C. Certification is issued if the agency director writes a waiver.
D. One more attempt remains, because four failures are allowed.
Rationale: The rule is two repeats after the first failure, for three chances total. Another failure
requires the course again, and the full test fee is charged for each retest.
7. How long does an eligible applicant ordinarily have to take the exam after completing the
course?
A. Thirty days, with no extension available.
B. Until the next legislative session.
C. Three months, unless the Statewide Procurement Division director grants an
extension.
D. Two years.
Rationale: An extension must be requested by the end of the three-month period and may not
exceed 12 months. That course-to-exam extension is separate from the testing center’s 60-day
enrollment extension.
8. For how long is a CTCM certification issued?
A. Three years.
B. Ten years, with no renewal.
C. One year.
D. Five years, with 80 continuing-education hours.
Rationale: The current continuing-education page issues CTCD and CTCM certifications for
three years. Renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education, not an 80-hour five-year plan
from an older general page.
9. Which continuing-education package renews a CTCM certification that is not paired with
CTCD?
A. Thirty-six hours, because every CTCM holder is treated as dual-certified.
B. Twenty-four hours of SPD-sponsored education, including one ethics hour, with
up to one non-SPD elective hour.
C. Eight hours of any professional seminar.
D. The Renewal Refresher course alone.
Rationale: The renewal fee for CTCM alone is $50. Dual CTCD/CTCM renewal requires 36
hours and a $75 fee. The Renewal Refresher is an additional requirement and does not count
toward the hours.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 3
, CTCM PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027 · Texas contract management review
10. When may the Renewal Refresher course be used for the current certification cycle?
A. On the day certification is issued, so it can also fill the ethics hour.
B. Any time, and it replaces all 24 hours.
C. No earlier than two years after initial certification or the last renewal, and it does
not count as a continuing-education hour.
D. Only after the certification has already expired for a year.
Rationale: A refresher taken too early does not satisfy the requirement. It is separate from the
24 or 36 continuing-education hours. Early completion does not create extra credit for the next
cycle.
11. A CTCM holder completes renewal requirements 10 months before expiration. When does
the next three-year period begin?
A. Five years after the early renewal.
B. After the current expiration date. Early renewal does not shorten the current
period.
C. Only if the holder also retakes the full CTCM course.
D. On the day the renewal is approved, so 10 months of the current period are lost.
Rationale: Renewal may be requested up to one year before expiration once requirements are
met. The next period still starts when the current certification expires. Hours used for this cycle
cannot be reused for the next one.
12. A certification expires, and the holder requests an extension 20 days later. If the Division
approves it, how long is available to finish renewal requirements?
A. Up to 60 calendar days from the date the extension is approved.
B. The holder must retake the exam the same day.
C. Two years.
D. No extension may be requested after expiration.
Rationale: The request itself must be made within 30 calendar days after expiration. Approval
does not renew the certification; it only allows a limited period to complete the missing
requirements.
13. Which organization is the central authority for non-IT statewide procurement guidance and
term contracts?
A. The Comptroller’s Statewide Procurement Division.
B. The State Auditor’s Office, which awards contracts.
C. A vendor association.
D. The Department of Information Resources, for every commodity.
Rationale: SPD manages non-IT statewide purchasing, the Guide, CMBL, ESBD, VPTS, and the
certification program. DIR is the information-technology and telecommunications agency. SAO
audits and advises; it does not award ordinary agency contracts.
Original study material · Not a Comptroller examination · Page 4
