Millions sit nation's civil service exam

Young hopefuls compete for one of nearly 40,000 government positions

Millions of young adults on Sunday stepped into testing halls across the nation to vie for approximately 40,000 government jobs being offered this year.

Known as guokao, the annual recruitment exam for central and State organs kicked off at 9 am at testing sites in Beijing, provincial capitals and some megacities across the country.

The National Civil Service Administration said 3.03 million applicants had passed vetting this year and were eligible to take the test on Sunday. That was up from 2.6 million last year and is the highest level in the exam's history.

However, it's still unknown exactly how many actually sat the exam, as each year an average of more than 30 percent of examinees fail to show up.

Hebei Television estimated on microblogging platform Sina Weibo that about 2 million took the exam on Sunday based on past figures.

The test consists of two parts. In the first, from 9 am to 11 am, test-takers must answer about 130 multiple-choice questions covering topics such as math, data analysis, science and economics.

In the second, from 2 pm to 5 pm, they are asked to write five essays of 200 to 1,000 words each on social issues and government policies.

The test is closely watched each year for its connection to some of the country's most prestigious and most coveted government jobs.

The administration's figures showed 39,600 central government jobs are being offered this year, and the job-to-applicant ratio was about 1-to-77.

The number of job openings has been expanded for the fifth year in a row, the figures showed.

Despite the increase, applicants are competing against longer odds. The ratio was 1-to-70 last year, when there were 37,100 openings.

Scoring highly on the guokao increases the chances of landing a government job, although getting hired also means passing a battery of interviews, background checks and other reviews.

The administration said the most coveted position this year was one at the National Bureau of Statistics, which has more than 3,500 applicants.

In contrast, 137 positions had no applicants by late last month.

The less popular openings are mostly rank-and-file law enforcement jobs, such as railway police and customs officers.

Among the positions being offered, only 56 are open to graduates of junior colleges. That was fewer than last year's 162.

In comparison, there are 2,064 positions requiring a master's degree, an increase of 814 from a year earlier, while a doctorate is compulsory for 24 positions, 14 more than last year.

The administration said test results can be checked online in January.