§ 3. Candidates will be chosen by a Board of Selection, after passing a preliminary qualifying examination by the Civil Service Commission (for particulars see below), but in addition there will be a compulsory examination in French (chiefly oral). A slightly lower standard of French may be accepted provided the candidate has a good knowledge of other foreign languages, one or more of which (besides French) can be offered at option. No candidate will be allowed to offer himself for a colloquial test alone in a foreign language, but must also show skill in translation and composition.