Does Gao-Pu Kao Give Bonus Points? What Actually Exists Instead

Gao-pu-kao itself does not add bonus points to a candidate’s score based on indigenous status, disability, or veteran status. What Taiwan actually provides is a set of separate special exams, most notably the Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples (原住民族特考) and the Special Examination for Persons with Disabilities (身心障礙特考), which candidates in those groups can sit instead of, or in addition to, the general gao-pu-kao.

Does gao-pu-kao add bonus points for any candidate group?

No, not in the sense of adding points to a score sat in the general gao-pu-kao exam. Bonus-point schemes tied to indigenous or disabled status that people commonly search for typically apply to school admission processes under separate education regulations, not to Taiwan’s national civil service exams. For gao-pu-kao and Taiwan’s other national exams, the mechanism used instead is a dedicated, separate exam with its own eligibility rule, rather than a points adjustment layered onto the general exam.

What is the Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples, and how does it relate to gao-pu-kao?

The Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples is a distinct national exam, open only to candidates who hold indigenous status, running since 1956 specifically to support indigenous employment in the civil service. In the 2026 (115) cycle it opened 30 categories across roughly 189 total vacancies, and its pass rate has run notably higher than gao-pu-kao’s overall figure, reaching 16.57 percent in a recent cycle according to a report on the exam’s history and structure. Pay for passers is set at the same level as gao-pu-kao passers at the equivalent rank, and candidates who hold indigenous status may still choose to sit the general gao-pu-kao instead of, or alongside, this special exam.

What is the Special Examination for Persons with Disabilities, and how does it relate to gao-pu-kao?

The Special Examination for Persons with Disabilities is a similarly distinct national exam reserved for candidates with a recognized disability. Its eligibility requirements by tier roughly mirror gao-pu-kao’s own education requirements, and candidates who qualify are explicitly permitted to sit gao-pu-kao, the elementary exam, or the judicial special exam in addition to the disability-specific exam, rather than being restricted to one path. The point of the separate exam is a smaller, more relevant applicant pool for those posts, not an adjustment to scores earned in the general exam.

Is there a bonus for veterans on gao-pu-kao?

Confirmed bonus-point schemes for veterans found in Taiwan’s regulations apply specifically to admission into senior secondary and higher education institutions, calculated as a percentage addition to entrance-exam scores based on years of military service. That is a separate regulatory framework from the national civil service exam system, and no equivalent points-based veteran bonus applies within gao-pu-kao itself as documented for this page.

What should a candidate from one of these groups actually do?

A candidate who holds indigenous status, a recognized disability, or veteran status should evaluate the relevant special exam and the general gao-pu-kao as two separate, comparably legitimate paths rather than assuming one requires the other or that bonus points apply automatically. Reading both that year’s gao-pu-kao recruitment announcement and the corresponding special exam’s own announcement is the only reliable way to confirm eligibility, category list, and vacancy count for the current cycle, since both change year to year.

The special exam for disabled candidates specifically, and how its structure compares in more detail to gao-pu-kao, is covered separately in the disability special exam versus gao-pu-kao. General age and citizenship eligibility that applies to gao-pu-kao regardless of these special paths is in who can sit gao-pu-kao. For the base facts and current schedule of gao-pu-kao itself, see the exam page. The age relaxation calculator can help candidates check age-related eligibility details across different exam categories.

Frequently asked questions

Does the general gao-pu-kao exam add bonus points for indigenous candidates? No. Indigenous candidates are instead served by a separate national exam, the Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples, rather than a points adjustment within gao-pu-kao itself.

Can a candidate with a recognized disability sit gao-pu-kao normally? Yes. Candidates with a recognized disability are explicitly permitted to sit gao-pu-kao, the elementary exam, or the judicial special exam, in addition to the disability-specific special exam.

Is there a points bonus for veterans taking gao-pu-kao? Confirmed veteran bonus-point rules apply to school admission exams, not to gao-pu-kao or Taiwan’s civil service exam system as documented for this page.

Does the pay differ between passing gao-pu-kao and passing a special exam at the same rank? No. Pay for passers of the Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples, for example, is set at the same level as gao-pu-kao passers at the equivalent rank.

Where should eligibility for a specific special exam be confirmed? In that special exam’s own recruitment announcement for the current cycle, published separately from gao-pu-kao’s announcement by the Ministry of Examination.