English proficiency tests alone are inadequate to weed out foreign professionals, managers and executives (PME) or job applicants with fake degrees or qualifications ("Tests can weed out foreign PMEs with fake degrees" by Mr Tan Kok Tim; Forum Online, July 12).

Besides verifying with the educational institutions that issued the certificates, aptitude tests on the subject matter can be taken by job applicants with dubious qualifications.

These tests can cover theory and practical components to ensure that the job applicant has attained the required minimal qualifications.

An interview with the job applicant will give clues on the credibility of the acquired qualifications.

After a few months into the job, an internal assessment can be conducted to reconfirm the competency of the job applicant.

These steps will help to reduce the possibility of applicants with fake qualifications being employed.

Lim Lih Mei (Ms)