唐代吏部宏詞科考詩、賦和議論等"三篇",與進士科試詩、賦、策論的內容和評判標準十分相似,以致此科及第者幾乎均為進士科出身。宏詞科考官主要由吏部官員主導,皇帝臨時選任尚書省其他五部侍郎、郎中、員外郎與吏部侍郎等同考,考官多為進士及第者。唐代宏詞科設置之初是吏部為了解決"格限未至"的才能之士遷轉問題,后來變為及第進士賴以解決釋褐問題的最重要科目。唐后期宏詞科考試為"士林華選",從及第進士中"優中選優",釋褐校書正字、畿望縣尉、兩府參軍等基層官中的清要官職,或入幕使府,重點培養,"以備將相之任"。其中釋褐校書郎者最多,入幕使府者其次,釋褐畿縣尉最為清顯;而釋褐人數最少的兩府參軍者入相率卻最高,釋褐畿縣尉者次之。唐后期及第進士再登宏詞科者,其釋褐官的品秩高低和職望清濁,往往決定其能否入仕清望官,與其問鼎相位的幾率成正比。

In the Tang dynasty,the Board of Personnel(Li Bu)held the boxue hongci("breadth in learning and vastness in letters")examination,comprising the three subjects of shi(poetry),fu(rhapsody),and yilun(argumentation).The content and criteria of this examination were so similar to those of the jinshi examination,which comprised shi,fu and celun(political discourse),that almost all of those who passed the boxue hongci were already jinshi(presented scholars).The examiners for the boxue hongci were mainly officials with the Board of Personnel,but the emperor also temporarily appointed vice-ministers(shilang),directors(langzhong)and vice-directors(yuanwailang)from the other five boards of the Department of State Affairs to assist with the examination,as well as vice-ministers with the Board of Personnel.Most of these also held the jinshi degree.The boxue hongci examination had been established in the early Tang to solve the problem of the selection or transfer of candidates with"unfulfilled qualifications";later,it became the main gateway to officialdom for jinshi who ranked high in the palace examination.By the late Tang dynasty,it was a way to select "the cream of the literati."This"selection of the best of the best"identified graduates for the more important of the base-level positions of compilers(jiaoshu),proofreaders(zhengzi),heads of security department of the counties in the vicinity of capital cities(jiwangxianwei),and advisers to the prime minister or to the supervision minister,or entered the secretariat of officials.Their training focused on preparing them for"becoming generals and ministers."The majority took positions as compilers,with those entering secretariats coming next.The most distinguished post was that of jiwangxianwei.Those who became advisers of the prime minister or the supervision minister were the fewest,but they were the most likely to become ministers,followed by those who had taken the position of jiwangxianwei.In the late Tang dynasty,whether a jinshi who had ranked high in the palace examination and passed the boxue hongci could ascend to high office,and whether he could make minister,were largely decided by the level and status of his initial destination after passing the boxue hongci.