It appears that the superiority of a shosei's calligraphy would be judged based on its quality, that the curriculum was simpler than the system of Tang Dynasty China which demanded knowledge of disciplines such as "Shuowen Jiezi" and the formation of characters, and that students who passed examinations were placed in clerical government posts such as that of naiki (secretary of the Ministry of Central Affairs).
書生は書の良し悪しによって優越が判定され、『説文解字』の理解など字体などについての知識も求められた唐の制度よりも簡素化されており、試験に及第して内記などの書記的な官職に配されたようである。