AUSTIN (KXAN) – Candidates for the Austin Fire Department will face tough competition Wednesday morning as 4,300 applicants vie for just 150 vacancies.

Doors open at the Austin Convention Center 9 a.m. with the written portion of the test happening at noon.

Last May the department came under scrutiny after someone sent a copy of five oral test questions to the fire chief to prove other firefighters were giving the exam to certain applicants so they could get a higher score.

The questions were scenarios that a firefighter might encounter on the job.

After the incident, the department fired the employee in charge of keeping the test questions confidential.

Apparently, she went missing for several hours during the workday while she was supposed to be guarding the test.

Since last year, a department spokeswoman said the department has “re-evaluated the process from start to finish.”