Board orders · Texas Medical Board
The Texas Medical Jurisprudence Exam in a Board Order: What It Covers
If a Texas Medical Board order or remedial plan tells you to pass the Jurisprudence Examination, this page explains what the exam tests, how the order wording changes the usual rules, what a realistic one-year path to a pass looks like, and how to study for it alongside the other terms in your order.
Reviewed October 2026 against Tex. Occ. Code 155.054, 155.056, 164.001, 164.0015 and 204.153, 22 TAC 161.6, 180.5 and Chapter 181, and Texas Medical Board JP exam guidance and published disciplinary actions
Short answer: The Texas Medical Jurisprudence Examination is the Texas Medical Board's online test of the Medical Practice Act and Board rules. Every applicant must pass it with a score of 75 or better, and the Board also writes it into disciplinary orders, typically requiring the licensee to pass "within one year and three attempts." In an order, those deadline and attempt terms replace the open-ended retakes allowed at licensure, so treat the exam as a timed compliance task: open your My TMB account early, study the Texas law that governs your license, and keep a record of the pass for the compliance officer.
Key takeaways
- Texas law requires the Board to give the medical jurisprudence examination to all applicants (Tex. Occ. Code 155.054(b)), and TMB rules require evidence of a pass "with at least a score of 75" (22 TAC 161.6(b)(16)).
- The statutory limit on examination attempts does not apply to the jurisprudence examination (Tex. Occ. Code 155.056(a-1)), so the "three attempts" in an order comes from the order itself, not from the statute.
- At its June 21, 2024 meeting, the Board disciplined 27 physicians, and 9 of the published orders required the physician to pass the Jurisprudence Examination within one year and three attempts.
- The exam covers Texas Occupations Code statutes and Board rules for your scope of practice: licensure eligibility, registration and renewal, continuing education, scope of practice, and complaint investigation and enforcement.
- Once you open the exam you have one hour, and a pass is reported to TMB electronically; you do not need to mail a certificate.
- Not completing an order term on time is non-compliance under 22 TAC 181.4, and violating a Board order is listed as an aggravating factor in the sanction guidelines (22 TAC 180.5).
Same exam, different rules: licensure JP versus an ordered JP
Most Texas physicians took the JP exam once, as part of their license application, and then forgot about it. The exam itself has not changed in purpose. Section 155.054(b) of the Occupations Code says the Board "shall administer the Texas medical jurisprudence examination to all applicants," and the general eligibility rules list passing it as a condition of a license (Tex. Occ. Code 155.003). TMB's rules put a number on it: an applicant must provide evidence of passing the Texas Jurisprudence examination with at least a score of 75.
TMB lists the license types that must take it at application: physicians (full, administrative and conceded-eminence licenses), physician assistants, acupuncturists, faculty temporary license holders, radiologic technologists, respiratory care practitioners, medical physicists and perfusionists. Physicians who receive a license through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact must also pass it to register their Texas license.
When the exam appears in a board order, the content and passing score stay the same, but three things change. You now have a deadline. You usually have a cap on attempts. And the term is enforced by TMB's compliance program, not by the licensing division. The comparison below sets out the differences.
| Feature | JP exam at licensure | JP exam in a board order |
|---|---|---|
| Why you take it | A condition of getting a license (Tex. Occ. Code 155.003, 155.054) | A term the Board imposes to resolve a complaint or investigation |
| Passing score | 75 or better | 75 or better (same exam) |
| Attempts | Unlimited under TMB guidance, unless TMB staff notify you otherwise | Commonly limited to three in the order wording |
| Deadline | Tied to your pending application | Commonly within one year of the order |
| Who checks it | Licensing staff, through your application | A TMB compliance officer, before the order can be closed |
| Earlier pass counts? | Not after a cancellation: TMB requires the exam again if your license is canceled and you reapply, or if you apply for a different license type | Generally no. The order asks you to pass within the period it sets |
Sources: Tex. Occ. Code 155.003, 155.054, 155.056; 22 TAC 161.6; TMB Jurisprudence Exam page and JP exam FAQs; TMB disciplinary press releases, 2022 and 2024.
Physician assistants have their own version. The Physician Assistant Licensing Act requires PA applicants to pass a jurisprudence examination approved by the Texas Physician Assistant Board, covering the licensing requirements and other laws and rules that apply to PA practice in Texas (Tex. Occ. Code 204.153). If you are a PA and your order names the jurisprudence exam, everything below applies, but read the PA-specific statute and Chapter 183 of the Board rules in place of the physician chapters.
How the requirement is written in TMB orders
The Texas Medical Board publishes a summary of each meeting's disciplinary actions. Older releases, including those from 2022 and 2024 quoted below, set out the terms of each order, and the jurisprudence exam appears again and again, almost always in the same words: "within one year and three attempts pass the Jurisprudence Examination." The Board's recent releases (late 2025 and 2026) list only names, license numbers and categories, so the full terms are found in each licensee's "Current Board Action" document on the TMB license lookup.
The June 2024 release shows how widely the term is used. It appeared in orders for impairment and an undisclosed arrest, a boundary violation, quality of care in an obstetric case, prescribing to a patient with a history of alcohol misuse, prescribing methamphetamine, discipline by another state, and improper supervision and delegation. In other words, the JP exam is not reserved for one kind of case. Across these cases, the term asks the licensee to show current knowledge of the Texas laws and rules that govern their practice.
Discipline in another state, then a Texas JP term
A physician entered an agreed order after being disciplined by another state's medical board for practicing without proper licensure. The Texas order required him, within one year and three attempts, to pass the Jurisprudence Examination, and within one year to complete at least four hours of CME in ethics.
Source: Texas Medical Board, "TMB disciplines 27 physicians at June meeting, adopts rule changes," July 12, 2024.
Boundary violation with a JP term alongside other education
A physician was publicly reprimanded for breaching professional boundaries, including an inappropriate relationship with a patient. Alongside a chaperone requirement, the order required him to pass the Jurisprudence Examination within one year and three attempts, complete professional boundaries courses within six months, and complete at least 32 hours of CME within one year.
Source: Texas Medical Board, "TMB disciplines 27 physicians at June meeting, adopts rule changes," July 12, 2024.
Out-of-state physician, a PACE course and the JP exam
An out-of-state physician entered an agreed order resolving a formal complaint about the standard of care and prescribing. Among other terms, the order required him to complete the PACE medical recordkeeping course within one year and, within one year and three attempts, to pass the Medical Jurisprudence Exam.
Source: Texas Medical Board, "TMB disciplines 14 physicians at October meeting, adopts rule changes," November 4, 2022.
Two practical points follow from the wording. First, the attempt cap is a term of the order, not a rule of the exam. Texas law expressly removes the jurisprudence exam from the statutory attempt limit, and TMB's exam guidance says attempts are unlimited "unless otherwise notified by TMB staff." An order with an attempt cap works as that kind of notice. Second, the deadline runs from the date your order specifies, typically its entry or effective date, not from the date you start studying. If your order uses different wording, such as a shorter deadline or a different attempt count, your order controls.
The exam can also be a term of a remedial plan, the lower-level resolution Texas allows under Occupations Code 164.0015 for some complaints. TMB's JP exam FAQs tell licensees under "an Agreed or Remedial order" that they can use their TMB license number to set up the My TMB account they need for the exam. A remedial plan cannot revoke, suspend, limit or restrict a license or carry an administrative penalty, and it cannot be used for complaints involving a patient death, a felony, inappropriate sexual behavior or contact with a patient, inappropriate personal or financial involvement with a patient, or a case that may call for a restriction on how the licensee practices.
What is on the exam: a topic map by law area
TMB describes the content briefly: the exam covers Texas statutes in the Occupations Code and Board rules in the Texas Administrative Code for the type of license involved. Its examples, which it says are not a complete list, are eligibility requirements to be licensed, renewal requirements and procedures, continuing education requirements, scope of practice, and investigations of complaints and enforcement procedures. For a physician, the statutes are the Medical Practice Act, which TMB lists as Occupations Code Chapters 151 to 171, and the rules are in Title 22, Part 9 of the Texas Administrative Code. TMB does not publish a chapter-by-chapter blueprint. The cards below are our map of where the law behind those topics sits, so you can study from the source rather than from a second-hand summary.
The Board and its powers
Occupations Code Chapters 151 to 153: definitions of the practice of medicine, how the Board is organized, and its general powers and duties. This is the background to every other topic, including what counts as practicing medicine.
Getting and keeping a license
Occupations Code Chapters 155 and 156 and 22 TAC Chapter 161: eligibility, examinations, types of license, registration and renewal, and the continuing medical education required for renewal (Subchapters G and H). This lines up with TMB's eligibility, renewal and continuing education examples.
Delegation and supervision
Occupations Code Chapter 157 and 22 TAC Chapter 169 (Delegation), plus Chapter 183 for physician assistants. Supervision and delegation failures appeared in several 2024 orders that carried a JP term, so it is worth reading closely; it falls under the scope-of-practice topic.
Records, confidentiality and reporting
Occupations Code Chapters 159 and 160, 22 TAC Chapter 163 (Medical Records) and Chapter 176 (Reporting Malpractice Claims): what the record must contain, patient access, confidentiality and its exceptions, and the reports physicians and others must make.
How practice is regulated
Occupations Code Chapters 162 and 168 to 170, with 22 TAC Chapters 164 (Advertising), 172 (Pain Management Clinics), 173 (Office-Based Anesthesia) and 175 (Telemedicine). This is scope-of-practice material, and it matters most if your practice model has changed.
Complaints, discipline and compliance
Occupations Code Chapters 154, 164 and 165, with 22 TAC Chapters 177 (Complaints and Investigations), 179 (Procedural Rules), 180 (Disciplinary Guidelines), 181 (Compliance Program) and 182 (Texas Physician Health Program). This matches TMB's complaints and enforcement example, and for someone under an order it is also the law that governs what happens next.
The Board rewrote and renumbered much of its rulebook in a rule review that took effect in January 2025. Disciplinary guidelines moved from Chapter 190 to Chapter 180, and medical records from Chapter 165 to Chapter 163, for example. Old study notes, forum posts and the PDF "study guides" that rank in search often cite the former chapter numbers and repealed rules. Study from the current Texas Administrative Code and from the material TMB provides in My TMB.
TMB provides a JP exam prep study guide inside your My TMB account. It is view-only online: it cannot be printed, saved or downloaded, and access lasts until you pass the exam or your active application expires. Because you cannot print it, plan to read the statutes and rules themselves as your working text and use the guide for checking your understanding.
From order to pass: a realistic one-year timeline
The deadline in a standard order is one year, which feels generous until it sits alongside CME hours, a course or assessment, an administrative penalty and, in some orders, monitoring. The timeline below assumes the common "one year and three attempts" wording and leaves room for a second and third attempt without crowding the deadline.
Note the effective date, the exact JP wording, the attempt cap and every other deadline. Put them all in one calendar. If anything is unclear, ask the compliance officer in writing.
Log in to My TMB, or create an account using your TMB license number, and confirm you can see the JP exam and the study material. Fix access problems now, not in month eleven.
Work through the six law areas above, starting with the rules your order says you violated. Use the TMB study guide to test yourself.
Take it on a computer with Chrome or Firefox, in a quiet hour, with no interruptions. Once opened, the session runs for one hour and is submitted automatically when time runs out.
If you did not pass, review the areas that felt weakest before trying again. Do not rush the retake: under a three-attempt cap, each attempt matters.
Keep the third attempt well before the deadline, so that if something goes wrong you can raise it with TMB while there is still time to act.
The score goes to TMB electronically; TMB says to allow 48 hours for processing. Download the certificate from My TMB for your own file and check that the compliance officer has recorded the term as complete.
Finishing every term early matters for more than peace of mind. Under 22 TAC 181.7, an order can terminate automatically if the order says so or on successful completion, once the compliance officer verifies timely completion of all its terms, no complaint, investigation or action is pending about a violation of it, and the order is not tolled. A late or missing JP pass holds up the whole order.
Format, scoring, attempts and cost
TMB's exam pages answer the practical questions most people search for. The table brings them together, with the rule that applies when you are under an order.
| Question | What TMB says | Under an order |
|---|---|---|
| Where is it taken? | Online only, through My TMB | Same; use your license number to set up access if needed |
| How long? | One hour once the session is opened; unfinished exams are submitted for grading | Same |
| Passing score | 75 or better | Same |
| Attempts | No limit, unless TMB staff notify you otherwise | As written in the order, commonly three |
| Cost per attempt | The current TMB exam page says there is no cost for each attempt | Older TMB pages listed a $34 fee per attempt; check what My TMB shows |
| Study material | A prep study guide in My TMB, view-only, not printable | Optional; not required to sit the exam |
| Reporting a pass | Sent to TMB electronically; certificate in My TMB for your records | Confirm the compliance officer has recorded it |
| Best device | Any modern browser; Chrome or Firefox on a PC or Mac recommended | Avoid a phone for an attempt that counts toward a cap |
Sources: TMB Jurisprudence Exam page; TMB JP Exam login page; TMB JP exam FAQs and registration page; TMB FAQ "Do I have to pass a jurisprudence examination?"
TMB does not publish the number of questions on its current exam pages, and question counts quoted in older guides may no longer apply, so do not plan your study around a question count. Plan around the topic areas and the one-hour limit.
A study plan for a busy clinician
The exam is not a test of clinical knowledge. It rewards people who have read the Texas rules closely, and it is easy to underestimate for that reason. A rule you assume you know, such as a delegation limit or a record-retention period, may be more specific than you remember. A short, structured plan works better than a long, unfocused one.
Start with your own order
List the statutes and rules the order says you violated. Read each one in full in the current code. These are the provisions you most need to know, and showing that you know them is part of what the Board is asking for.
Read the licensure and renewal rules
Go through 22 TAC Chapter 161, especially registration and the CME requirements for renewal. Note every number: hours, time frames and deadlines.
Cover delegation, records and reporting
Read 22 TAC Chapters 163, 169 and 176 and the matching Occupations Code chapters. Delegation and records problems feature regularly in published orders.
Learn the discipline and compliance rules
Read 22 TAC Chapters 177 to 181. They explain the process you are in now, including how orders are monitored, modified and terminated.
Test yourself, then sit the exam
Use the TMB study guide to find gaps, revisit them, and book a quiet hour for the attempt. Keep notes on weak areas after each attempt.
- Order effective date, JP deadline and attempt cap in one calendar with every other term
- My TMB access confirmed in the first two weeks
- Current Occupations Code chapters and 22 TAC Part 9 chapters bookmarked, not old PDFs
- Rules named in your order read in full, with notes
- First attempt booked by month three, on a computer, in a quiet hour
- Certificate saved and completion confirmed with the compliance officer
If an attempt fails, a deadline slips or you practice outside Texas
If your first or second attempt fails, or the deadline is getting close, act early rather than hoping the next attempt will work. TMB's compliance rules say licensees are "solely responsible for timely providing to the board all requested or required documentation of compliance" (22 TAC 181.2), and failing to comply with a term or condition of an order is non-compliance under 22 TAC 181.4.
Where a compliance officer identifies possible non-compliance, the informal settlement conference process under Chapter 179 applies, with at least ten days' notice to the licensee; the licensee can also waive appearance and accept a settlement agreement (22 TAC 181.5). The sanction guidelines list "violation of a board order" among the aggravating factors the Board can weigh in any later case (22 TAC 180.5). In short, a missed JP term can turn a completed case into a new one.
What happens after a third failed attempt depends on the wording of your order, and press summaries do not show it. Read the full order. If it is silent or unclear, ask the compliance officer in writing what the order requires, and consider asking a Texas licensing attorney to review your options before you use your last attempt.
22 TAC 181.1 defines tolling as extending the term of an order for any period when a licensee practices exclusively outside Texas, when the license is canceled for non-payment of fees, when a court stays the order, or when the licensee has not actively practiced for more than 60 consecutive days. Tolling extends the order; it does not erase the JP term. If you live or work out of state, ask the compliance officer how tolling applies to your deadlines.
Requests to modify an order follow 22 TAC 181.6. The timing of the first request is set in the order itself, requests must be in writing and explain the basis, and later requests can be made only once a year. Grounds include a significant change in circumstances or an unanticipated, unique or undue hardship. Remedial plans cannot be modified at all; they end automatically when their terms are completed.
What the JP exam does not cover, and the education ordered with it
The JP exam tests whether you know the rules. It does not test judgment, ethics or communication, and the Board often pairs it with other terms. In the June 2024 orders described above, the JP term sat beside CME in ethics, professional boundaries courses, CME in clinical and recordkeeping topics, and a chaperone requirement. TMB's sanction guidelines recommend at least eight hours of CME per appropriate topic in agreed orders, and at least four hours per topic in remedial plans (22 TAC 180.5(d)).
Some orders also require a structured program from a named provider, such as the PACE medical recordkeeping course in the 2022 order above, or a clinical competence assessment. Our guide to KSTAR, CPEP and PACE assessments explains how those programs work. When an order names a provider, program or accreditation standard, only that provider or standard will do; our overview of board-ordered ethics courses for physicians explains how to read that wording.
If your case has not yet reached an order, the education you complete before an informal settlement conference can matter. See starting remediation before a board conference for timing and evidence, and the guide on how to respond to a medical board complaint if you are earlier in the process. For how long each stage typically takes, see the medical board investigation timeline.
Common mistakes with an ordered JP exam
- Assuming your licensure pass counts. An order that says "within one year and three attempts pass" asks for a new pass. A pass from your original application years ago does not meet the term.
- Treating attempts as unlimited. The unlimited-retake rule applies at licensure. Under a three-attempt order, a casual first attempt uses up a third of your chances.
- Studying from old PDFs. Rule chapters were renumbered in 2025. Material that cites Chapter 165 for medical records or Chapter 190 for discipline is out of date.
- Leaving it to the last month. Access problems, a failed attempt or an illness can leave no time to recover. Aim to pass in the first quarter of the year.
- Taking a counted attempt on a phone. TMB recommends Chrome or Firefox on a PC or Mac. A dropped connection on an attempt that counts toward a cap is avoidable.
- Not confirming completion. A pass is reported electronically, but check that the compliance officer has recorded it before you assume the term is closed.
Professional Standards for Physicians
A self-paced course of about three hours for MDs and DOs covering how the state license sits alongside DEA registration and privileges, the standard of care, prescribing and controlled substances, telemedicine, supervising PAs and APRNs, and how boards handle physician cases. It ends with 20 scenario questions and a structured reflective account. It is not preparation for the Texas JP exam and does not satisfy a JP term; it supports the wider professional-standards learning that often sits alongside one.
Our courses are education.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Texas JP exam open book?
TMB's exam pages do not describe the exam as open book or closed book. They say the exam is taken online through My TMB, that you have one hour once you open it, and that the study guide is view-only and cannot be printed or downloaded. Prepare as though you will need to know the material without looking it up, because one hour leaves little time for searching.
Do I have to retake the JP exam to renew my Texas medical license?
No. TMB says the exam is not part of registration renewal, including for licenses issued before the JP requirement took effect. You need it again if your license is canceled and you reapply, if you apply for a different license type, or if a board order or remedial plan requires it.
How soon will TMB know I passed?
Scores are sent to TMB electronically. TMB's login page says to allow 48 hours for processing. You do not need to send in the certificate, but keep a copy for your records and confirm completion with your compliance officer.
Does the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact exempt me from the JP exam?
No. TMB states that physicians issued a license through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact must take the JP exam to register their Texas license.
Can a third-party course or prep program satisfy a JP exam term?
No. The term is met only by passing the Board's own Jurisprudence Examination. Outside courses, including ours, can help you understand professional standards, but they do not replace the exam or any course your order names.
Is a JP exam term public?
The terms of a disciplinary order appear in the licensee's "Current Board Action" document on the TMB license lookup, and earlier TMB press releases summarized them. Whether and how a remedial plan appears on your profile is a question to raise with TMB or your attorney, because it depends on the type of resolution.
I am a physician assistant. Is my exam the same?
PAs take a jurisprudence examination approved by the Texas Physician Assistant Board, covering the licensing requirements and other laws and rules that apply to PA practice in Texas (Tex. Occ. Code 204.153). The content follows the PA statute and Chapter 183 of the Board rules rather than the physician chapters, but the approach to an ordered exam is the same.
Official sources
- Texas Medical Board: Jurisprudence (JP) Exam
- Texas Medical Board: General JP Exam Facts and login
- Texas Medical Board: JP Exam Frequently Asked Questions
- Texas Medical Board: JP Exam Registration and Login
- Texas Medical Board FAQ: Do I have to pass a jurisprudence examination? What is a passing score?
- Texas Medical Board: Laws and Practice Acts (Medical Practice Act chapters)
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 155: License to Practice Medicine (Sections 155.003, 155.054, 155.056)
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 164: Disciplinary Actions and Procedures (Sections 164.001, 164.0015)
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 204: Physician Assistants (Section 204.153)
- Texas Administrative Code: 22 TAC 161.6, General Requirements for Licensure
- Texas Administrative Code: 22 TAC 180.5, Sanction Guidelines
- Texas Administrative Code: 22 TAC Chapter 181, Compliance Program (Sections 181.1 to 181.7)
- Texas Register, January 10, 2025: Texas Medical Board adopted rules (22 TAC Part 9, effective January 9, 2025)
- Texas Medical Board: TMB disciplines 27 physicians at June meeting, adopts rule changes (July 12, 2024)
- Texas Medical Board: TMB disciplines 14 physicians at October meeting, adopts rule changes (November 4, 2022)
- Texas Medical Board: TMB disciplines 18 physicians at June meeting (June 18, 2026)
Checked October 2026.