Recent graduates (N=173) and current student teachers (N=59) in the areas of early childhood, elementary education, and special education, rated 30 teacher competencies in terms of perceived importance and their own competency levels. Frequencies and percentages of responses were tallied for both groups and for each certification area. Analysis revealed that the 30 competencies (which are listed in the appendix) were generally perceived as important by both recent graduates and student teachers. Student teachers generally perceived the competencies to be more important than did the recent graduates. A high percentage of both groups perceived themselves as competent on most items. Lowest self-competence ratings for recent graduates included knowledge of school law and knowledge of professional journals and associations. For student teachers, lowest self-competence ratings were given to knowledge of specialists, procedures and referral sources for exceptional students, skills for working with parents, understanding of standardized test data on cumulative records, and knowledge of school law. Special education majors perceived themselves to be more competent than other education majors perceived themselves on nine competencies, while of the recent graduates special education majors perceived themselves as more competent than other majors perceived themselves on only three items. (CL)