They reformed the civil service system in 1853. I'm not sure it was something that the EIC came up with on its own, rather it was the British government/parliam

They reformed the civil service system in 1853. I'm not sure it was something that the EIC came up with on its own, rather it was the British government/parliament, possibly trying to fix the arbitrariness/mismanagement/inefficiency that was so rampant in the EIC. There might be some Chinese influence coming through the Jesuits as early as the 1600s. However the early European "exams" in the 1700s seem to have been very different e.g. basically you'd join the navy, or the civil service (in Prussia) in an entry level position, learn on the job for a few years and then take some semi-formal oral exam before by a panel of senior officials. So probably much closer to the guild style system than actual standardized exams which didn't really came until the 1800s. And of course you are already hade to come from a fairly affluent/well-connected background just to get in.