Beijing (People's Daily) - Over 1.1 million people took China's national civil service exam on Sunday, an increase from last year's 984,000.

Candidates are vying for 28,000 positions, which means only one out of every 39 applicants will enter the party and state official system this year.

Many Chinese consider civil service positions as the "golden bowl" as they offer a stable income and a decent social status. Favored by job-seekers, the exam is nicknamed “guokao,” or national test.

The exam is composed of an aptitude test and a written policy essay, which are designed to evaluate mathematics, logic, verbal skills and world knowledge. Only by passing the two tests can they proceed to the interview round.

The applicants can check the results of the exam by mid-to-late January. The interview round is scheduled to be held in March.

Photo: Candidates take the national civil service exam in Taiyuan, capital of east China's Shanxi Province, Dec. 10, 2017. (Chinanews.com)

Photo: Candidates review notes before taking the civil service exam in Taiyuan, capital of east China's Shanxi Province, Dec. 10, 2017. (Chinanews.com)

Photo: Candidates walk into Nanjing Forestry University to take the national civil service exam in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 10, 2017. (VCG)

Photo: Candidates prepare to take the civil service exam in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 10, 2017. (VCG)

Photo: Candidates cram before taking the civil service exam in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 10, 2017. (VCG)

Photo: A crowd lines up to take the civil service exam in Beijing, Dec. 10, 2017.(VCG)