The imperial examination in Song Dynasty basically followed the Tang system, and the imperial examination inscribed classics, ink ideas and poems. Scholars take phonology as their service, ignorant in ancient and modern times; Ming Jing only memorizes and recites widely, but its meaning is useless learning. After Wang Anshi took part in politics, he began to reform the contents of the imperial examination, abolish poetry and fu, attach classics and ink meaning, and pay attention to selecting scholars through righteousness, reason and strategy. The so-called Confucian classics, similar to theory, is a short essay, which is limited to using the sentences in Confucian classics as the topic and using the meaning in Confucian classics to play. Wang Anshi's reform of examination content lies in the application of Confucian classics. In the eighth year of Xining, Zongshen ordered the abolition of poetry and fu, the pasting of classics, and the selection of scholars by ink, and awarded Wang Anshi's "Three Classics and New Meanings" to discuss the selection of scholars. The Book of Changes, The Book of Songs, The Book of Songs, The Rites of Zhou and The Book of Rites are called "The Great Classics", while The Analects of Confucius and Mencius are called "Concurrent Classics" and are designated as required reading books for candidates. It is stipulated that there are four examinations for Jinshi: one is the Great Classics, the other is the Two Classics, the third is the Theory, and the last is the Strategy. The palace exam is limited to 1000 words or more. Wang Anshi's political reform was opposed by Su Shi and others. Later, with the change of political struggle, the new meanings of the Three Classics were cancelled, and sometimes poetry and prose were tested, sometimes classics were tested, and sometimes both were changed.

Dai students are divided into three categories: upper shed, wind shed and outer shed. Under certain years and conditions, students living outside the house can be promoted to the inner room, and students living inside the house can be promoted to the upper room; Those with excellent test scores are directly awarded official positions, those with medium test scores directly take the test, and those with inferior test scores directly take the provincial test. Later, it was stipulated that Wang Anshi's Annotated Three Classics and New Meanings was a compulsory reading. In the second year of Yuanfeng (AD 1079), the Miyake Law 140 was enacted and a series of examination methods were promulgated. The Third Academy was selected in parallel with the Imperial Examination. After Fu Yuan's second year (A.D. 1099), Sanshe method was gradually popularized in various schools. In the third year of Huizong Chongning (A.D. 1 104), the county and provincial examinations stopped, and the scholar's three-shed method could not be employed. In the third year of Xuanhe (AD 1 12 1), the "three ways" of state and county schools were abolished, and only imperial academy remained unchanged. In the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination was completely replaced by the Sanshe method for 20 years. In the Southern Song Dynasty, imperial academy continued to implement the "Three Shes" law, and it was constantly improved, which was as famous as martial arts, religion, arithmetic, calligraphy, painting and medicine. See History of Song Dynasty, Election Records and Xu Shu 'an, Overview of Ancient Election and Imperial Examination System.