What Is the Guokao? China's National Civil Service Exam Explained

The guokao, formally the National Civil Service Examination, is the exam China’s central government runs every year to hire staff for its own ministries, party organs, and the agencies it manages directly. The State Administration of Civil Service (SCS) organizes it nationwide, and for the 2026 intake a record 2.83 million candidates sat the written test for 38,100 positions.

Who runs the guokao and who can take it?

The SCS, working with the party’s organization department and the human resources ministry, sets the recruitment plan, drafts the position list, and organizes the written test each year. Any Chinese national who meets the age, education, and position-specific requirements listed in that year’s announcement can apply; there is generally no household registration requirement, unlike some positions in the separate provincial exams.

What does the exam actually test?

Every candidate sits two public-subject papers on the same day: Xingce, a 120-minute multiple-choice test of verbal reasoning, quantitative ability, judgment, and data analysis, and Shenlun, a 180-minute essay paper built around a set of policy source materials. The full breakdown of what each paper covers, including how the sections differ by position level, is in Xingce versus Shenlun: what each paper actually tests. Positions in fields like public security, foreign affairs, or financial regulation add a professional subject paper on top.

What happens after the written test?

Candidates who clear the cutoff move to qualification review, an interview, and for some positions a physical fitness test, before a final medical exam and political review. Cutoffs and the interview format both vary a great deal by department and region, covered in why guokao score cutoffs differ so much by region and department.

How is the guokao different from the provincial exams?

China’s provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions each run their own separate exam, commonly called the shengkao, on their own calendar for local government posts. The two are administered by different bodies and do not conflict on eligibility, so a candidate can sit both in the same season. The full comparison is in guokao versus shengkao: how China’s national and provincial civil service exams differ.

Eligibility for the guokao itself, including the degree requirement most positions carry, is covered in guokao eligibility: the degree and qualification requirements, explained. The full recruitment calendar, from the announcement to the written test, is on the guokao exam page, and an exam countdown can help track the dates once the next cycle’s announcement is out.

Frequently asked questions

What does guokao mean? Guokao is the common short name for the National Civil Service Examination, the exam China’s central government uses to recruit staff for ministries and centrally managed agencies.

Who organizes the guokao? The State Administration of Civil Service organizes the guokao nationwide, working with the party’s organization department and the human resources ministry.

Is the guokao the same as the provincial exam? No. The guokao is a single national exam for central posts, while each province runs its own separate provincial exam, commonly called the shengkao, for local posts.

How many people take the guokao? For the 2026 intake, 2.83 million candidates sat the written test for 38,100 positions, a record for the exam.