Examinations are a common feature of career-based teacher employment systems like France, Japan, Korea or Spain (OECD, 2013). Examinations play a vital role in countries where there are concerns about the quality of initial teacher education or an oversupply of teachers - both of which are the case in Costa Rica. While examinations cannot fully discriminate all the requirements for effective teaching, they can be a valuable tool for ensuring that all teacher candidates have a minimum level of know ledge and skills. Established Teaching Standards would help to define the parameters of the exam. A minimum level should be established that all candidates should reach, independently of the availability of teaching posts.