Exhibit 31.1

                    CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                 PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER
                 THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED


                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Kenneth  S. Shifrin, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of American Physicians
Service Group, Inc.;

2. based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make the statements
made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.  based  on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.  the  registrant's  other  certifying  officers  and  I are  responsible  for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

          (a)  designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
               disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
               supervision, to ensure that material information relating to
               the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
               made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
               during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)            evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
               controls and procedures and presented in this report our
               conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
               and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
               report based on such evaluation; and

(c)            disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
               the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's
               fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that
               has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
               affect, the registrant's internal control over financial
               reporting; and

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5. The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our
most recent  evaluation of internal  control over  financial  reporting,  to the
registrant's  auditors  and the audit  committee  of the  registrant's  board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)            all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial
               reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
               registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report
               financial information; and

(b)            any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
               or other employees who have a significant role in the
               registrant's internal control over financial reporting.


Date: March 30, 2004                      /s/ Kenneth S. Shifrin
                                              ------------------------------
                                              Kenneth S. Shifrin
                                              Chairman of the Board