I am looking for  sources in the old testamanet in which
potential groups of leaders are screened through some test or evaluation
criteria. I am looking for the earliest known examples of leadership
screeing by testing of groups (not individulas).
Can you be of assistance in locating such stories? 

Jim

I'm certainly not a biblical scholar, but I suspect it will be hard to
find many sexamples in the O.T.

Judging by this http://bible1.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=leaders+chosen&section=1&version=rsv&new=1&oq=leaders+test,the
means by which they were chosen was a decision from above,His methods
of determination are not subject to human scrutiny.

I agree!  This decision was made by God and often times it was a
person you would least expect to be a leader.  Our ways are not His
ways.   Think of Moses; he was found in as a baby in a basket(at the
right place, at the right time) and later became a great leader
leading the people out of evil hands.  It was all God's timing-nothing
else!

Good luck on your search!

Perhaps you will find examples in books describing other nations'
methods of choosing leaders. In Israel, God made all of the decisions,
and if ever the people made the decisions themselves or chose the
leaders themselves, it was usually in rebellion to God.