The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of scholar-bureaucrats irrespective of their family pedigree. Neighboring Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam and Korea also implemented similar systems to draw in their top national talent.

Established in AD 605 during the Sui Dynasty, the imperial examinations developed and matured during the Tang Dynasty, continuing until their 1905 abolition under the Qing Dynasty, a history (with brief interruptions, e.g. at the beginning of the Yuan dynasty) of 1,300 years. The modern examination system for selecting civil service staff also indirectly evolved from the imperial one.