Admitted to exclusive club? Sorted! (2,5,2,5)

I believe the answer is:

in order of merit

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'sorted' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'admitted to exclusive club?' is the wordplay.
'admitted' becomes 'in' (eg someone might be admitted into a group).
'to exclusive club?' becomes 'orderofmerit' (I've seen this before).
'in'+'orderofmerit'='IN ORDER OF MERIT'

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.