Final answer:
The civil service examination is a test for employment in government positions, aimed at ensuring positions are filled based on merit. Initially a requirement under the Pendleton Act, nowadays, most federal jobs consider a candidate's qualifications rather than exam scores, except for specialized roles. Historically significant, these exams originated during the Tang dynasty and played a major role in the formation of the scholarly gentry in Chinese society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The civil service examination is a test for employment in government positions. Historically, these exams assessed a variety of qualifications including skills in clerical work, postal service, military, health and social services, and technical fields such as accounting and engineering. The high scorers on these exams were typically the ones hired for the desired government positions.
Under the Pendleton Act, the merit system required applicants for government jobs to perform well on civil service exams. This approach has evolved, and now a significant majority of federal jobs are filled through evaluations assessing the candidate's education, background, knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, for certain specialized positions such as air traffic controllers and federal law enforcement officers, civil service exams are still required.
The inception of the United States Civil Service Commission (CSC), as a result of the Pendleton Act, was a pivotal change in the employment for civil positions. It aimed to mitigate political influence by implementing a system where government appointments were made based on merit through examinations.
Looking back at history, during the Tang dynasty, the civil service examinations were an essential part of government recruitment, with several levels of exams that fostered the rise of the gentry based on educational merit. Over time, these examinations became a means for maintaining class status and prestige, despite some level of democratization that allowed theoretically anyone to participate, provided they could afford the education and the time to prepare.