The Imperial Examinations

Son, You had better do well on the tests, or you will have no place under my roof.

The Imperial Examinations are the entrance tests for those who wish to enter the Civil Service. Anyone may take these tests by paying a sum of money. However, without expensive and time consuming education it is nearly impossible to pass the tests, not to mention get good marks. One's marks on these tests decide what departments a graduate is qualified to work in. Those who have passed their exams and apply for entry into The Civil Service are assigned a position by the Department of Departmental Assignments. There are allegations that nepotism means poorer and less well connected applicants rarely make it into the more prestigious departments, but the government refuses to even comment on such baseless allegations.

Execution

The Examinations take place once every year near the winter solstice in all the major towns in the Wend Wall. Representatives from the Department of Imperial Examinations oversee the process and ensure there is not cheating. The Examinations generally take about 12 - 16 hours to complete, during which the student is expected to write an original five legged essay, answer numerous questions on everything from religion to math, as well as reproduce the entire Oath of Fealty to the Emperor word for word. Given that the Oath written out composes 1241 words this is not necessarily an easy feat. Each section of the Examinations are graded separately, then the combined score is converted into a grade. Top grades are normally only once or twice each year, and guarantees a posting in the Department of Administrative Affairs.

Components and tools

Pen, paper.

Primary Related Location

Central Pelagus