Civil Service Exam (Korea)

⚖️ Law By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 26, 2026

Korea's civil service exam is the open competitive recruitment test for public officials under the State Public Officials Act, run by the Ministry of Personnel Management for national posts and by provinces for local posts.

Contents

1. Structure
2. Subjects
3. FAQ
4. References

Structure

National recruitment is split into grade 5 (formerly the Haengsi), grade 7 and grade 9. Candidates pass a written test and then an interview; grade 5 adds an essay stage.

Subjects

Grades 5 and 7 start with the PSAT, and English and Korean history are replaced by certified test scores. Grade 9 tests Korean, English, Korean history and two specialty subjects, with Korean and English reformed in 2025 toward job-based questions. There has been no upper age limit since 2009.

FAQ

Is there an age limit?: Only a minimum of 18.
Can I take both national and local exams?: Yes, if the dates differ.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

국가공무원법, 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr
공무원임용시험령, 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr
인사혁신처 사이버국가고시센터. https://www.gosi.kr

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This article was last updated on October 26, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.