Guokao vs Shengkao: How China's National and Provincial Exams Differ

The guokao is a single national exam, organized by the State Administration of Civil Service, that fills posts inside central ministries, party organs, and the agencies they manage directly. The shengkao is not one exam at all; it is the collective name for the separate civil service exams each province, municipality, and autonomous region runs on its own calendar, for its own local posts. The two do not conflict on eligibility, and many candidates apply to both in the same year.

Who organizes each exam, and for what posts?

The guokao is organized centrally by the SCS for central party and government organ posts and for vertically managed agencies such as customs, taxation, and financial regulators, described in central agency versus vertically managed agency posts, explained. The shengkao is organized independently by each province’s own personnel department for posts inside that province’s local government and party bodies. There is no single “shengkao”; a candidate takes a specific province’s exam, not a national one.

Do the two exams run on the same schedule?

No. The guokao follows one national calendar: the announcement lands in mid-October, registration runs a short window after that, and the written test is held in late November or early December. Shengkao timing varies by province and most provinces schedule their written test in spring, commonly March through May, though a given province’s exact dates come from that province’s own announcement rather than a national one.

Is one harder to get into than the other?

Both use a similar public-subject format, Xingce and Shenlun, covered generally in Xingce versus Shenlun: what each paper actually tests, but the guokao’s papers tend to run longer and cover more material at the higher position levels, and national-level competition ratios are typically steeper given the exam draws applicants from every province. Provincial competitiveness varies a great deal by province and by post, so there is no single answer for “which is harder.”

Does either exam have a household registration requirement?

The guokao itself generally carries no household registration restriction; nationality is the relevant requirement, not domicile. Some shengkao positions in some provinces do carry a household registration requirement, which is one of the clearest practical differences between the two tracks. This is covered in detail in does the guokao have a household registration requirement.

The guokao’s own recruitment calendar and structure are on the guokao exam page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between guokao and shengkao? The guokao is one national exam for central government posts; the shengkao is the general name for the separate exams each province runs for its own local posts.

Can a candidate apply to both the guokao and a shengkao in the same year? Yes. The two are organized independently and generally do not conflict on eligibility, so many candidates apply to both.

Do the guokao and shengkao run on the same schedule? No. The guokao follows one national calendar, with the written test typically in late November or early December, while most provinces hold their shengkao written test in spring.

Does the shengkao have a household registration requirement? Some shengkao positions in some provinces do; the guokao generally does not carry one.