The medical examination you take after passing a civil service exam is not a test that "looks for illness." The Ministry of Personnel Management manual describes it as a check on whether a condition seriously interferes with performing the job, not on whether you have one. That is why the first result can only be one of two outcomes: pass or deferred judgment. This article follows the Public Official Recruitment Medical Examination Regulation and the ministry's manual to walk through the paperwork and the deferred-judgment process.

You take the exam after the final pass and before appointment

The rule is that you take it after passing the final stage of an open or career-competitive recruitment exam and before being appointed. The regulation applies directly to general service officials, prosecutors, foreign service officials, and special-service and fixed-term officials among national public officials. It applies by reference to education officials, military civilian employees, and local government general, special-service and fixed-term officials. Police and fire officials have their own rules, so ask the hiring agency's personnel office separately. Disqualifying grounds such as a criminal record are a separate matter, covered in our article on the disqualification grounds in Article 33 of the National Public Officials Act.

One form, Appendix Form No. 1, plus photo ID and a photo

At the examination facility you receive the "Medical Examination Certificate for Recruitment" (Appendix Form No. 1) and fill in the exam administering agency, position applied for, examinee number, name and resident registration number, then attach a photo (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm). You submit it together with photo ID: a resident registration card (including the mobile version), a driver's license or a passport. Clinics designated as general health screening institutions under the Framework Act on Health Examinations can also carry out the exam.

The test items are already fixed on the form

The examination section covers height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, corrected vision, color vision and corrected hearing, plus tumor, ENT, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive (including liver), kidney and urinary, endocrine, blood, neurological, skin, musculoskeletal, eye and mental conditions, and a chest X-ray. If you have a disease, the disease name must be written down whether the result is pass or fail; if there is nothing wrong, "normal" or "no abnormality" is entered. If you cannot have an X-ray, for example because you are pregnant, the reason is recorded and the X-ray is waived.

Blood pressure, vision and hearing no longer have fixed numbers

The revision that took effect on December 24, 2019 cut the disqualification criteria from 53 items in 14 systems to 22 items in 13 systems (announced in the government's policy briefing on December 17, 2019). Earlier rules cut off at numbers such as a diastolic pressure of 115 mmHg or more, or corrected hearing of 40 dB or more in both ears. They now use wording that looks at individual work capacity, such as "hypertensive emergency" and "hearing impairment that seriously interferes with work." The dental criteria and the syphilis test are gone as well. Hepatitis B carriers also cannot be failed for carrying the virus or for being contagious; the test is whether liver function allows normal duties.

The first exam gives only a pass or a deferral

Under the old system a single exam produced pass, fail or deferral. Now the initial exam decides only pass or deferred judgment. A deferral is not a failure. It is issued when further testing is needed, when judgment must wait for a period of treatment, or when a specialist's opinion is essential. The facility writes the disease name and the reason for re-examination in the deferral column in terms you can understand. If you pass, you submit the certificate to the hiring agency. A certificate with any blank test item is sent back for completion, so check that nothing is missing.

If you get a deferral, a specialist re-examines you

You take a re-examination from a specialist in the deferred field, and that facility records pass, fail or deferral on the re-examination form (Appendix Form No. 3). It does not have to be the facility that did the first exam, as long as a specialist for that condition can see you. If you pass, you give the hiring agency both the original certificate that states the deferral reason and the re-examination certificate, one copy of each. A specialist's opinion letter is a reference for the initial exam, before a deferral is issued, so if you have a condition it is better to bring it to the first exam. Appendix Form No. 2 or the hospital's own format are both accepted.

If you fail or need treatment first

If you still meet a disqualification criterion at re-examination, you cannot be appointed in principle (Article 5 of the regulation). However, wounded veterans and police, persons injured in the public interest, and persons with disabilities can be appointed if the appointing authority judges that the duties are not affected. If a medical opinion says treatment can improve the condition, the deadline for submitting the certificate can be extended, or you can submit it after treatment, by agreement with the medical institution and the examinee. Open-competition passers can apply for a deferral of appointment within the two-year validity of the candidate roster. Career-competitive passers have no separate deferral rule, so the deadline is adjusted with the hiring agency within the validity of the pass. The reasons for deferral are covered in our article on appointment deferral. For how police and fire exams differ, see our comparison of the fire and police fitness tests.

Valid for one year from the judgment date: the steps in order

The certificate is valid for one year from the date of judgment. If you reuse it within that time, for example for another exam in the same job series, enter that in box 7 of the form, and if you ask for a reissue the facility must issue it again without a new exam. The order is: confirm your final pass, fill in Appendix Form No. 1 at a general screening institution, bring photo ID and a photo, bring a specialist's opinion if you have a condition, submit if you pass, and if deferred, get a specialist re-examination and submit both documents. Fees and turnaround vary by facility, so ask when you book. This article explains the system and is not a medical diagnosis or legal advice; whether a particular condition affects your duties is decided by your examining physician and the facility. Check the National Law Information Center and the hiring agency's notice for the current regulation and forms.