The annual National Civil Service Examination in the People’s Republic of China is always a fiercely competitive event, often likened to “a thousand soldiers crossing a single-log bridge.” Registration for the 2026 exam commenced at 8:00 am on October 15th, and the first day saw an exceptionally high volume of applicants. This year, there are a total of 20,714 positions available, with plans to recruit 38,119 individuals. However, statistics show that by 5:00 pm on the same day, nearly 190,000 people had registered within just 9 hours, with the competition for the most popular positions reaching an alarming ratio of 162 applicants to 1 position. The regions of Shandong and Beijing emerged as the most fiercely contested areas, where multiple positions witnessed a heated competition of “one position fought over by hundreds.”
The data from the National Civil Service Examination each year never fails to astonish, with the numbers often deemed overwhelming. This year, the figures continue to astound and challenge the perception of many.
According to reports from various mainland Chinese media sources, the popular exam positions are distributed widely across regions such as Shandong, Beijing, and Guangdong. For instance, the position of a grassroots police officer at the Jinan Railway Public Security Bureau in Shandong had 649 applicants for just 1 position, showcasing an exceptionally intense competition.
In Beijing, there was also intense competition for various positions, including those at the National Health Security Administration and the Beijing Municipal Taxation Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation, with high numbers of applicants. One notable example is the Comprehensive Management position at the National Health Security Administration, which aimed to recruit 3 individuals but garnered a total of 560 applicants, making it the second most applied for position.
The intensity of competition varies significantly across regions and departments due to differences in responsibilities, development prospects, and application requirements.
Concerning the number of applicants, the position of “First-level Chief Officer and Below” at the China Disabled Persons’ Federation Department of Education had 313 applicants under review, with 130 already approved, bringing the total to 443 applicants, highlighting a massive scale of qualification reviews. Similarly, the equivalent position at the Talent Development Department of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration in Beijing also attracted 259 applicants.
In terms of competition ratio, the competition for positions has reached a state of extreme intensity. The competition ratio for related positions at the Zhejiang branch of the National Food and Material Reserve Bureau reached an astonishing 162:1, ranking the highest nationwide, followed closely by positions at the China Disabled Persons’ Federation Department of Education Employment Department in Beijing, with a competition ratio of 130:1. Furthermore, positions in provinces such as Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Anhui also experienced competition ratios exceeding 50:1.
It is reported that the backbone of the 2026 National Civil Service Examination recruitment remains within the taxation system, with plans to recruit 25,004 individuals, accounting for approximately 65.6% of the total recruitment, a slight increase compared to the previous year. The overall recruitment plan covers all of China’s 31 provinces, with the top three provinces in terms of numbers being Guangdong, Shandong, and Sichuan.
The sudden change in the registration system for this year’s examination has sparked widespread attention. The familiar official website of the National Civil Service Bureau has been replaced with a brand new specialized website for central governmental agencies.
A blogger named “Don’t Want to Get Dark Circles” remarked that the system’s “relocation” caught many candidates accustomed to the old site off guard. It’s akin to changing the exam venue just before the test, with many candidates fruitlessly refreshing the old web address even after the registration channel had closed. The new registration entrance is now located at the “Specialized Website for Recruiting Civil Servants in Central Agencies and Their Directly Affiliated Institutions,” this lengthy new name now serving as the sole “boarding gate” for this year’s examination.
Many recent graduates only discovered the abnormality in the registration system a day or two before the deadline. A student named Xiao Li habitually checked the old official website for announcements until seeing a screenshot of the new web address posted in a group chat, realizing they had nearly missed the entire application season.
Data indicates that the new website experienced three peak traffic moments within its first week, with the server struggling to handle the sudden influx akin to a narrow passage overwhelmed by a rush of one hundred thousand people, leaving candidates anxiously waiting for pages to load. Candidates humorously remarked that in previous years, they competed based on their typing speed to secure positions but this year, the first challenge was to find the correct website with their eyes.