U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 3931. Board of Examiners

(a) Establishment; membership; chairman

The President shall establish a Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service to develop, and supervise the administration of, examinations prescribed under section 3941 (b) of this title to be given to candidates for appointment in the Service. The Board shall consist of 15 members appointed by the President (no fewer than 5 of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who are not Government employees and who shall be qualified for service on the Board by virtue of their knowledge, experience, or training in the fields of testing or equal employment opportunity). The Board shall include representatives of agencies utilizing the Foreign Service personnel system and representatives of other agencies which have responsibility for employment testing. The Board shall be chaired by a member of the Board, designated by the President, who is a member of the Service.

(b) Review of examinations; report to Secretary of State

The Board of Examiners shall periodically review the examinations prescribed under section 3941 (b) of this title in order to determine—

(1) whether any such examination has an adverse impact on the hiring, promotion, or other employment opportunity of members of any race, sex, or ethnic group;

(2) methods of minimizing any such adverse impact;

(3) alternatives to any examinations which have such an adverse impact; and

(4) whether such examinations are valid in relation to job performance.

The Board of Examiners shall annually report its findings under this subsection to the Secretary of State and shall furnish to the Secretary of State its recommendations for improvements in the development, use, and administration of the examinations prescribed under section 3941 (b) of this title.

Any vacancy or vacancies on the Board shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise the full powers of the Board.

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