The State Administration of Civil Service issued a letter on Oct 14 as a reminder for all candidates of the national civil servant recruitment exam to avoid dishonest behavior and waste of resources during the test.

The letter said those candidates with bad records would not be allowed to retake the exam for five years.

Bad records include cheating in the written exam, failure to attend an interview exam, hiding or cheating involving personal information, and failing to report for work after being recruited.

A civil service administration employee was quoted by the Beijing Morning Post as saying that candidates had been told to avoid taking training courses ahead of the exam.

This was because the exam focuses on candidates' "basic capacities and qualities which can only be accumulated through long-term study and work experience. Such training would not reflect students' real situation."