It is worth noting that the Provincial Examination was not something any scholar could take just by wishing it.
First, one had to hold the title of a Scholar.
Furthermore, because there were many students and limited space in the examination halls, a screening process was necessary before the Provincial Examination to prevent candidates from making a fruitless journey.
The county and prefectural schools would hold an examination, and the results were divided into three grades. Only students who placed in the first and second grades, or in the top few of the third grade, were qualified to participate in the Provincial Examination. This was known as the qualifying selection.
Those who placed in the third grade and those who did not participate in the initial examination could take a single makeup test one month before the Provincial Examination. Those who passed were permitted to take the exam, a process known as the supplementary selection.
