AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Austin Police Department has changed its promotional examination process, eliminating the requirement that officers earn a minimum passing score on the written examination before advancing to the assessment center for sergeant and lieutenant promotions.
The changes were incorporated into the city’s five-year labor agreement with the Austin Police Association, which took effect October 29, 2024, and remains scheduled to run through September 30, 2029.
Under the revised system, candidates must achieve a combined score of at least 70% on the written examination and assessment center rather than independently passing the written examination. The written test remains part of the promotional process.
City documents confirm that the revisions followed recommendations from an independent assessment of the department’s hiring and promotion practices. That assessment identified racial and ethnic disparities in historical promotional examination results and recommended changes to the evaluation process.
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Previous Written Examination Requirement
Under the department’s earlier promotional procedures, candidates seeking advancement were required to score at least 70% on the written examination before their assessment center results could be considered.
The prior system also assigned different weights to the written examination and assessment center depending on rank.
For example, the 2018–2022 police labor agreement assigned 70% of the promotional examination score to the written test for sergeant candidates and 30% to the assessment center. Lieutenant candidates were evaluated using a 50% written examination and 50% assessment center formula.
Candidates who failed the written examination could not continue through the complete evaluation process under the previous requirements.
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What Changed Under the 2024 Police Contract?
Article 13 of the revised agreement establishes a combined examination requirement for officers seeking promotion to sergeant or lieutenant.
The provisions remove the separate written-examination passing threshold and instead require candidates to achieve a minimum cumulative score of 70%.
The revised process assigns equal weight to the written examination and assessment center for those ranks.
| Promotional requirement | Previous procedure | Revised procedure |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum written exam score | 70% | No separate minimum |
| Written exam weight for sergeant | 70% | 50% |
| Assessment center weight for sergeant | 30% | 50% |
| Combined passing requirement | Separate written threshold | 70% cumulative |
| Candidate with written score below 70% | Could not advance | May advance to assessment center |
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The city described the revisions in its 2024 labor agreement presentation under the heading “Increased diversity opportunities for Promotions.” The presentation explicitly credited recommendations from the Kroll Report for combining scores and equalizing the weighting of the two examination components.
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Official Examination Notices Confirm the Change
Publicly available examination notices issued by Austin’s Civil Service Commission confirm implementation of the revised requirements.
A notice posted January 28, 2025, for the July 12, 2025, sergeant assessment center permitted candidates who took the written examination on June 24, 2025, to participate regardless of their individual written score.
A separate notice posted May 23, 2025, established the same eligibility provision for the December 6, 2025, lieutenant assessment center.
Both notices state:
There shall be no minimum passing score for the written examination to participate.
The notices identify Industrial/Organizational Solutions, also referred to as I/O Solutions, as the administrator of the assessment centers.
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How an Officer Can Qualify With a Written Score Below 70%
The revised scoring formula permits a candidate with a written examination score below 70% to reach the required cumulative passing score through a higher assessment center score.
For example:
| Examination component | Candidate score | Weighted contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Written examination | 40% | 20 points |
| Assessment center | 100% | 50 points |
| Combined result | 70 points — Pass |
This is a mathematical illustration of the contractual formula, not an identified candidate’s actual examination result.
Officers who achieve the required cumulative score become eligible for placement on a ranked promotional list. Additional points for time in rank and education may then be included under the contract.
Meeting the 70% threshold does not automatically guarantee promotion.
Consultant Report Identified Racial Disparities in Promotion Outcomes
The promotional changes followed an outside review conducted by Kroll Associates, Inc., which examined several aspects of the Austin Police Department’s operations, including recruitment, training, hiring and promotions.
Kroll’s statistical examination of promotion outcomes from 2015 through 2020 found that white and Asian candidates were significantly more likely to receive promotions than Black and Hispanic candidates.
The review also identified disparities in written examination scores across racial and ethnic groups.
According to the city’s presentation of the Kroll findings, promotional written examinations may have had an adverse impact on candidates of color, as well as differences associated with candidate age.
The analysis did not find statistically significant gender differences in promotion outcomes.
Kroll recommended reevaluating the relative weighting of written examinations and assessment centers, noting that assessment centers can measure a wider range of job-related competencies and may produce smaller differences in outcomes between demographic groups.
The findings identified statistical disparities; they did not, by themselves, establish that every difference resulted from discriminatory conduct or that individual candidates were unqualified.
What Is an Assessment Center?
An assessment center is a structured evaluation process designed to measure skills that may not be fully captured by a conventional written examination.
According to the city’s description, these evaluations assess competencies including communication, interpersonal skills, reasoning, application of knowledge, management and leadership.
Candidates receive scores based on their performance in the assessment exercises, which are administered and evaluated by designated assessors.
Austin’s revised promotional system incorporates these assessments alongside written examinations rather than replacing written examinations entirely.
City Authorized Nearly $2.4 Million for Kroll Consulting Contract
Austin city records confirm that the Kroll consulting contract reached a maximum authorized value of approximately $2.4 million.
A March 23, 2023, city council agenda item proposed increasing the contract’s total authorized amount to $2,375,000.
The contract covered multiple projects involving the police department, including training academy evaluations, organizational assessments and implementation reviews.
Consequently, the full contract amount should not be attributed exclusively to the examination or promotional recommendations. The records reviewed also do not independently establish that the entire authorized amount was paid.
The promotional changes were subsequently incorporated into the 2024 labor agreement negotiated between the city and the Austin Police Association.
Austin City Council Discussed the Changes Publicly
During an October 8, 2024, Austin City Council work session, the proposed promotional changes were discussed in connection with the Kroll recommendations.
The presentation explained that the former system prevented candidates who scored below 70% on the written examination from continuing to the assessment center.
Under the proposed revision, candidates would complete both evaluations before a passing determination was made using their cumulative score.
The presentation also discussed the change to equal weighting and additional assessor training. These provisions were later reflected in the labor agreement.
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Current Status — November 14, 2026
The revised promotion requirements are included in the labor agreement scheduled to remain effective through September 30, 2029. Official notices show that the procedures were used for sergeant and lieutenant assessments conducted in 2025.
The available records confirm that a candidate may advance despite scoring below 70% on the written examination, provided the combined assessment score meets the contractual passing requirement.
However, the records reviewed do not establish how many candidates actually qualified with written scores below 70%, how many were subsequently promoted, or whether the revised process has changed the demographic composition of APD’s supervisory ranks.
Those questions would require additional promotional examination results, eligibility lists and demographic data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Austin Police eliminate written promotional examinations?
No. Written examinations remain a required component of the sergeant and lieutenant promotional process. The change removes the separate minimum passing score for those examinations.
Can an officer score 40% on the written examination and still qualify?
Yes. Under the documented 50/50 weighting formula, a candidate who earns 40% on the written examination and 100% on the assessment center reaches the minimum combined passing score of 70%.
Were the changes connected to racial disparities?
Yes. City documents specifically identify the Kroll Report’s findings concerning differences in promotional outcomes and examination performance among demographic groups. The city also described the changes as an effort to increase diversity opportunities.
Does achieving the combined passing score guarantee promotion?
No. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements and compete through the promotional ranking process. The minimum cumulative score establishes qualification to continue, not an automatic promotion.
Have Austin officials released evidence showing the new system improved promotional outcomes?
The reviewed records do not establish a comprehensive post-implementation evaluation demonstrating how the revised scoring system affected actual promotions or candidate performance.
Sources and References
- City of Austin — 2024–2029 Police Labor Agreement: Article 13 establishes the revised promotional examination requirements, including the combined 70% passing score. Official Agreement
- City of Austin — 2024 Police Contract Presentation: Slide 10 outlines the changes to promotional testing and references recommendations from the Kroll Report. Official Presentation
- Kroll Associates — Austin Police Department Evaluation (2022): Examines historical promotional outcomes, demographic disparities and recommended changes to testing procedures. Kroll Report
- Austin Police Sergeant and Lieutenant Examination Notices (2025): Confirm removal of the separate minimum written examination passing requirement. Sergeant Notice | Lieutenant Notice
- Austin City Council — March 23, 2023: Documents authorization of the Kroll consulting contract, totaling up to $2,375,000. Official Council Agenda
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