civil service examinations
Government hiring assessments
Civil service examinations are standardized tests used to select government employees based on merit rather than patronage or political connections.
The system originated in imperial China, where examinations determined entry into the bureaucracy.
Modern civil service exams test knowledge and aptitude for specific government positions: She spent months preparing for the civil service examination.
- public sectorState-controlled economic portion
- social mobilityMovement between societal strata
- standardized testingIdentical assessments across populations
- mandarinsEasy-peel citrus fruits
- recruitmentSeeking new personnel
Confucianism · bureaucracy · scholar-officials · essay writing · meritocracy · governance · Han dynasty · literati · accountability · fairness · education access · aptitude tests · multiple choice · test scores · professionalization · glass ceiling · efficiency · upward mobility
civil service examinationspatronage
Supporter's financial backing
nepotism · spoils system · cronyism · favoritism · political appointments
civil service examinationsroyal appointment
Monarch-bestowed position or honor
civil service examinationsclosed shop
Employment requiring union membership
old boy network · class privilege · exclusive access · political purge
civil, civility, civilian, civilize, civilized, civilization, civics, civic, service