How long did it take people to prepare for imperial examinations in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty?

Question

Imperial exams were taken

Answer 1

it took one year

Answer 2

Years and years and years of study and tutoring. The imperial examination system was a series of exams starting at the local levels with the topmost candidates becoming eligible for exams at the next higher level, say provincial exams, and so on and so forth.

The exam in Beijing was the last and greatest obstacle; earning the right to take it was a single honor. And at all levels of the exams, most candidates had to take repeated tests before passing.

There is a memorial in Beijing that lists the names of those who had passed the final imperial exam. That was a very rare achievement.