In countries with “civil service examinations”, what is a “civil service” and why does it need an exam?

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I’m American so I don’t think we have any such thing so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around.

[The Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_service?wprov=sfti1#) makes it sound like it’s all non elected government employees, but it’s hard for me to imagine a single exam that you need to pass to become a post office worker or a DMV worker or something like that.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

There is not a single exam.

For instance, in the state of Massachusetts we issue a civil service exam to police officers, correctional officers and firefighters.

The United States Postal Service has *four* different entry-level exams depending on the position.

Many public positions require employees to take a training course, and pass an exam, on things like ethics, security, and the legal requirements of their job.

They’re a way to make sure that the people being paid for in part by taxes are qualified to perform their job.

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