Students sit national public servant exams at Yiling Middle School in Yichang, Hubei Province on November 30, 2025. Photo: VCG

China's annual national civil service exam, the first since the relaxation of age threshold, were held on Sunday, with more than 2.83 million applicants sitting the written exams for general subjects at the same time in 250 cities across the country. The ratio of qualified applicants to planned hires is about 98:1, according to China News Service.

More than 3.7 million applicants were qualified to take the 2026 national civil service exam, meaning the participation rate was approximately 87.4 percent. 

Central government agencies and institutions directly under them planned to recruit about 38,100 civil servants among examinees. The recruitment number dropped by 1,600 from the 2025 figure, while the number of applicants reached a record high, according to China News Service.

Enthusiasm for national civil service exam keeps rising in recent years, and public data shows the number of qualified applicants has increased from nearly 2.6 million in 2023, crossed 3 million for the first time in 2024, reached 3.416 million in 2025, and now to over 3.7 million this year, China News Service said. 

From 2023 to 2026, the ratio of qualified applicants to planned hires has increased year by year, standing at approximately 70:1, 77:1, 86:1, and 98:1, respectively, reflecting intensifying competition, according to China News Service.

Among popular positions, one position for a police officer at the Ruili city repatriation center under the National Immigration Administration, which recruits only one person, saw an application-to-recruitment ratio of 6,470:1, as of one hour before the registration deadline. 

This year's age threshold for the national civil service exam has been lifted to 38, three years older than the previous limit of 35. For new graduates in 2026 with a master's or doctoral degree, the age limit has been raised to 43 from the previous limit of 40, media report said. The move is hailed as a welcome move to break the 35-year ceiling normally seen in the job-seeking market, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Chinese Academy of Governance, people around the age of 35 have already accumulated certain work experience and professional skills in their careers. Their participation can help improve public services. Meanwhile, relaxing the age limit will also provide more employment options for those who choose to pursue further education after starting their careers, Zhu told the Global Times on Sunday.