The imperial examination system was born in the Sui Dynasty and completed in the Tang Dynasty. Later, it went through the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.

Even after the imperial examination was abolished, it still left many traces in China society. For example, the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China, which was founded by Sun Yat-sen, stipulated the separation of five powers, and the "examination institute" among them originated from the imperial examination tradition in China.

In addition, some habits of imperial examinations can still be seen in the college entrance examination in Chinese mainland. For example, admission by province, binding the test paper head with the identity information of candidates, preventing collusion between examiners and candidates, and calling the highest score in the college entrance examination the number one scholar, etc. , are the remnants of the imperial examination.