THE Public Service Commission (PSC) is introducing a new test to size up potential President's Scholars from next year.

It will last a day or two, with candidates made to do different tasks - individually and in groups - to assess their strengths and weaknesses.

This is on top of the usual rounds of psychometric tests and interviews, to give the PSC a better feel of a candidate's abilities, says PSC chairman Eddie Teo.

He singled out leadership skills as one quality that PSC is looking for. Candidates could be given group activities to see who emerges as the natural leader.

Explaining why the test is just for the President's Scholarship, the most prestigious PSC award, Mr Teo said: 'It's more manageable because we may get about 20 to 30 of them and then pick a few from there.

'Ideally we should do this for all scholars, but it's not possible because by the time we finish going through this process, the university term will have started.'

Five people were awarded the President's Scholarship this year.

Details of the new tests have not been firmed up. The PSC will work with psychologists from the Civil Service College to design the tests.

Psychologist Ng Ee Ling, a senior consultant at the college, said there is no fixed formula for such tests, which have been around since the 1940s.

The tests will usually simulate real-life situations, with observers assessing how candidates behave. They are used by firms who want to select people for top-level jobs, or promote an employee to a high position.

But there is also an increasing trend overseas of consultancies offering similar tests to individuals who are keen to gauge their development needs, she said.

These tests are better than interviews at predicting whether someone will succeed in a particular job, she said. 'At interviews, you tell people what you're good at. But during such assessments, observers will be able to evaluate if you can or cannot deal with a situation.'

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) use these tests.

The MOE started using these tests in 1999 to identify staff with the potential to move to school leadership positions. Each year, about 70 people are called to go through the tests.

The MFA has used these tests in its recruitment of foreign service officers (FSOs) since 2002. Almost 300 people went through the test in the last two years.

Candidates are evaluated through a series of structured assessments which are centred on a case study and include discussions and presentations.

'It has served MFA well in improving the rigour of the FSO selection process,' said its spokesman.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 1 Dec, 2008.