of the Office of Personnel Management shall work with the heads of all agencies to ensure that, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, for positions within the competitive service, agencies assess candidates in a manner that does not rely solely on educational attainment to determine the extent to which candidates possess relevant knowledge, skills, competencies, and abilities. The heads of all agencies shall develop or identify such assessment practices. (b) Consideration of self-Evaluation In assessing candidates, agencies may not rely solely on candidates’ self-evaluations of their stated abilities. Applicants must clear other assessment hurdles in order to be certified for consideration. (c) Evaluation Agencies shall continually evaluate the effectiveness of different assessment strategies to promote and protect the quality and integrity of their hiring processes. 4. Application (a) In general Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect— (1) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof