Candidates in Tai’an, East China’s Shandong province, line up to take the provincial civil service examination on Saturday. The exam was conducted in over 20 provinces across the country that day, to recruit 168,476 civil servants, an increase of more than 17% from last year. Photo: VCG

A staff member inspects candidates’ identification outside a testing point in Linyi, Shandong, on Saturday. A total of 362,000 people are vying for 8,255 civil service vacancies in Shandong. Photo: VCG

Job seekers check out exam schedules Saturday at a test site in Xiangyang, Central China’s Hubei province. Those who secure positions will work in local government agencies, their subordinate and representative bodies and public institutions governed by the national civil servant law. Photo: VCG

Candidates review study materials while waiting to take the exam Saturday in Yichang, Hubei, on Saturday. Hubei plans to recruit 11,268 servants for its 6,235 positions. Photo: VCG

Test-takers wait in line Saturday to take the civil servant exam in Zhengzhou, Central China’s Henan province. Many provinces, including Henan, have extended the age limit of from 35 to 40 years old for newly graduated masters and doctoral graduates. Photo: VCG

Candidates leave a testing site in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, on Saturday. Guangdong is recruiting the largest number of civil servants this year, with some 144,280 people competing for the 12,768 positions. Photo: VCG

People leave a testing point in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Saturday. The provinces of Gansu and Yunnan, as well as Guangxi Zhuang and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions, plan an increase of over 50% more civil servants than last year. Photo: Chen Guanyan/China News Service, VCG