civil service exams
Government job tests
Civil service exams are standardized tests used to select candidates for government positions.
The system aims to award jobs based on merit rather than political connections or patronage.
In the U.S., civil service reform in the late 19th century replaced the spoils system with competitive examinations.
China's imperial examination system, which selected government officials for over a millennium, is the historical model: She spent months preparing for the civil service exam.
- ConfucianismChinese ethical philosophy
- multiple-choice questionsItems with preset answer options
- scholar-officialsExam-selected Chinese administrators
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
social mobility · career ladder · waiting list · invigilator · statecraft · aptitude tests · merit-based hiring · government jobs · mandarins · grading systems · passing score · test prep · transparency · public administration · competitive exams · study guides · ancient China · filial piety
- hiringhiring, job, interview, resume, application
- Imperial ChinaHan dynasty, emperor, dynasties, emperors, Three Kingdoms
- Asian educationConfucian academies, private academies, Peking University, examination halls, scholar-officials
- Tang Chinacourt music, court dance, imperial exam, pagodas, pagoda
- Federal Hiringfederal jobs, merit system, job classification, veteran preference, direct hire
- Joseon KoreaJoseon dynasty, hangeul, Neo-Confucianism, Confucianism, Seoul
civil service examsnepotism
Preferring kin in hiring
cronyism · patronage · favoritism · old boys' network · backroom deals
civil service examsspoils system
Awarding posts to supporters
patronage system · Tammany Hall · machine politics · political patronage · political machines
civil service examsclass privilege
Benefits from economic status
birthright · hereditary privilege · noble birth · dynastic succession · caste system