OF ADMINISTRATORS ( GRADES 7 AND 6 OF CATEGORY A ). IT WAS OPEN ONLY TO CANDIDATES CLASSIFIED IN GRADES B 3 TO B 1 SINCE 1980 AND WAS DESIGNED TO ENABLE OFFICIALS TO MOVE FROM CATEGORY B TO CATEGORY A . 283 CANDIDATES WERE ADMITTED TO THE COMPETITION .
3 THE COMPETITION COMPRISED THREE PHASES : A PRELIMINARY SELECTION STAGE, A TRAINING STAGE AND, FINALLY, AN ORAL TEST .
4 ON COMPLETION OF THE FIRST STAGE, THE SELECTION BOARD NAMED THE CANDIDATES WHOM THEY CONSIDERED THE MOST SUITABLE TO GO ON TO THE NEXT STAGE ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PERSONAL FILES AND THE RESULT OF A WRITTEN PAPER .
5 THE 87 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING THE APPLICANTS, THUS SELECTED FOR THE SECOND STAGE OF THE COMPETITION UNDERWENT COMPULSORY FULL-TIME TRAINING, ORGANIZED AND DEFINED BY THE SELECTION BOARD, FOR A PERIOD OF FOUR WEEKS . THE SELECTION BOARD HAD DECIDED UPON FOUR PRINCIPAL AREAS OF TRAINING, NAMELY COMMUNITY ECONOMICS AND FINANCE, THE COMMUNITY LEGAL ORDER, MODERN MANAGEMENT METHODS AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNIQUES AND OPERATING PROCEDURES, AT THE RATE OF ONE SUBJECT-AREA EACH WEEK .
6 THE CANDIDATES WHO COMPLETED THE TRAINING STAGE THEN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COMPETITION NOTICE, TOOK PART IN AN ORAL TEST, MARKED OUT OF 50, FOR WHICH A MINIMUM OF 30 POINTS WAS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY ON THE LIST OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES . OF THE 84 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING THE APPLICANTS, WHO TOOK PART IN THE ORAL TEST, 38 WERE ENTERED ON THE LIST OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES .
7 BY LETTERS OF 20 JUNE 1986, THE APPLICANTS WERE INFORMED OF THE NUMBER OF POINTS OBTAINED BY EACH OF THEM AND OF THE FACT THAT, SINCE THEY HAD BEEN AWARDED FEWER THAN 30 POINTS, THE SELECTION BOARD HAD BEEN UNABLE TO INCLUDE THEM ON THE LIST OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES .
8 IN SUPPORT OF THEIR CLAIM THAT THAT DECISION WAS UNLAWFUL, THE APPLICANTS SUBMIT THAT THE ORAL TEST WAS IMPROPERLY CONDUCTED AND OF INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT, AND THAT THERE WAS NO STATEMENT OF THE REASONS ON WHICH THE CONTESTED DECISION WAS BASED .
9 REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE REPORT FOR THE HEARING FOR A FULLER ACCOUNT OF THE FACTS OF THE CASE AND OF THE SUBMISSIONS AND ARGUMENTS OF THE PARTIES, WHICH ARE REFERRED TO OR DISCUSSED HEREINAFTER ONLY IN SO FAR AS IS NECESSARY FOR THE REASONING OF THE COURT .
THE SUBMISSION AS TO IMPROPER CONDUCT OF THE ORAL TEST
10 THE APPLICANTS CLAIM, ESSENTIALLY, THAT BOTH THE CONDUCT AND THE CONTENT OF THE ORAL TEST INFRINGED THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY AS BETWEEN CANDIDATES AND THE PRINCIPLE OF OBJECTIVITY, BOTH OF WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO ANY COMPETITION, AND WERE NOT IN CONFORMITY WITH THE FRAMEWORK LAID DOWN FOR THAT TEST IN THE COMPETITION NOTICE . THE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, PREPARED AND USED BY THE SELECTION BOARD FOR THAT TEST, IN ITSELF MEANT THAT THE REQUIREMENT OF COMPLETE EQUALITY BETWEEN THE CANDIDATES COULD NOT BE FULFILLED . THE RANDOM SELECTION OF QUESTIONS MEANT THAT CHANCE