There’s more to it than that.

There are imperial examinations with a new paint job, but those are more for getting into universities, government positions, and public companies.

Party membership is more community involvement, which varies based on where you are. If you’re urban, it means having a couple of people in the party recommend you, then doing stuff like participating in ecological monitoring, being class representative (which is way more intense and basically an unpaid tutor role), etc.