Re: Mystical tests of character?
Isn't that what happened?
Of course, the other point of the film was that the original purpose of the exercise was to train Starfleet officers to be able to function in losing and/or apparently hopeless situations, and that Kirk, though commended for original thinking, wound up with a hole in his training as a result.
Actually that film had depth to it that's almost unthinkable for Hollywood. Themes of aging, legacy, of facing death, sacrifice and new beginnings...