Goryeo Civil Service Examination System

Timeline

1. 958Kaesong · GoryeoGoryeo King Gwangjong, modeling the Chinese examination system, established civil and military examination subjects, replacing aristocratic recommendation with examinations and establishing the basic framework of selecting officials by Confucian learning.
2. 1001–1010Kaesong · GoryeoThe examination became the regular Goryeo method of recruiting scholars, with local recommendations linking up with central provincial and palace examinations; scholars sat for exams after education at the National Academy and local schools, deepening the Confucianization of the bureaucratic class.
3. 1170–1270Kaesong · GoryeoAfter military officers took power, the examination was at times restricted or suspended, but the tradition of selecting civil officials did not die out; against the background of Yuan-Goryeo relations, the system continued through twists and turns and influenced the design of later Joseon examinations.