The imperial examination only gave a qualification to be an official, just like a university, it only gave students a platform for employment, but if they don't work hard, they may still not find a job.
As we all know, the imperial examination has to go through four rounds. First of all, a scholar can only take the provincial exam of Juren after passing the exam. Then, the imperial examination was held by the Ministry of Rites, and then the emperor personally participated in the inspection of the court examination. The majority of students need to go through layers of selection before they can enter the central organs. Although different dynasties have different regulations, the general examination process is the same.
In the Tang dynasty, it was still quite strict. Although the first kind of person is very glorious, he can't be an official right away because he has to go through the examination of the official department. These first-class winners participated in the re-examination of the "macro word" and "outstanding" of the official department. The re-examination of "macro words" and "outstanding" subjects is divided into four contents: body, speech, writing and judgment. Body refers to physical examination, the word is to test eloquence, the book is to test calligraphy, and the sentence is to test official document writing. Only those who pass these four standards can be awarded small officials such as Jiupin. There are two kinds of supplementary funding: one is to sort out and copy ancient books in the royal library, aiming to let them continue their studies and enrich their knowledge; The other is to work in a local office and serve as a deputy at or around the county level, which is intended to let them exercise their political talents in practical work.
Although it is an additional appropriation, there is also a probation period, ranging from one year, two years, three years, five years or even eight years. After the probation period expires, the court will formally order him to serve his sentence. Those who fail will have to wait three years to take the version. If they still fail, they will have to go through three and four tests until they fully meet the standards. The "former Jinshi" in the Tang Dynasty refers to those who failed in the second interview.
It's so difficult to take an examination of a Jinshi, not to mention the fact that there are Jinshi origins and fellow Jinshi origins. Speaking of it, even if there was a Cohen (Emperor's Chartered Examination, which began to appear in the Song Dynasty), people who took part in the imperial examination were very sad because of the Confucian orthodoxy of "being an official with worries about reading".
Of course, if you want to be an official, it is not only the imperial examination, but also the recommendation of dignitaries. For example, Li Bai, the "Poet Fairy", worships Hanlin because of his poems, but this requires you to be good enough.
Therefore, no matter in what era, it is difficult to succeed. Only by persistent efforts can we overcome the difficulties. Of course, sometimes you might as well learn from the violets. All roads lead to Rome.