Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) (CRE and BLNST)
The CRE and BLNST held in October in Hong Kong NEW!
Examination results of CRE and BLNST held on 7 October 2023 were issued to candidates by post on 3 November 2023.
The CRE and BLNST outside Hong Kong 
For the convenience of those studying or residing outside Hong Kong, the CRE and BLNST is scheduled to be held on 2 December 2023 in eight cities outside Hong Kong, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney. The application period was closed at 5:00 p.m. on 6 October 2023 (Hong Kong time).
An e-mail was sent to candidates notifying them of the relevant examination details. To avoid missing any notification, candidates are responsible for ensuring that their e-mail accounts can receive e-mails from the Civil Service Examinations Unit (CSEU), and checking each incoming mailbox (including the folders for spam, bulk and junk mails) regularly. Candidates who have not received the e-mail by 20 November 2023 should immediately contact the CSEU by phone at (852) 2537 6429 or by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk.
Please visit this webpage regularly for the latest information.
Candidates are required to read thoroughly the "Guidance Notes for Candidates of Joint Recruitment Examination, Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) to be held outside Hong Kong in December 2023” before coming to the examination.
Candidates are also advised to refer to the "Frequently Asked Questions" for the examination outside Hong Kong for more details.
For persons who applied for sitting both the examinations in Hong Kong in October 2023 and outside Hong Kong in December 2023, if they have obtained the highest results of the CRE paper(s) in the examination in October 2023, they will not be arranged to take the same paper(s) again in the examination outside Hong Kong in December 2023. Similarly, for persons who have attained a pass result in BLNST in the examination in October 2023, they will not be arranged to take any BLNST again.
What is CRE
The CRE consists of three 45-minute papers, namely Use of English (UE), Use of Chinese (UC) and Aptitude Test (AT), in multiple-choice format. The UE and UC papers assess proficiency in English and Chinese languages respectively whereas the AT paper assesses reasoning abilities. Candidates' results in the UE and UC papers are classified as Level 2, Level 1 or Fail, with Level 2 being the highest. Results in the AT paper are classified as Pass or Fail. Level 2 and Level 1 results of the two language papers and Pass result of the AT paper are of permanent validity.
Level 5 or above in English Language of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) is accepted as equivalent to Level 2 in the UE paper of the CRE. Level 5 or above in Chinese Language of the HKDSEE is accepted as equivalent to Level 2 in the UC paper of the CRE. Applicants with the above result(s) will NOT be arranged to take the UE and / or UC paper(s).
Level 4 in English Language of the HKDSEE is accepted as equivalent to Level 1 in the UE paper of the CRE. Level 4 in Chinese Language of the HKDSEE is accepted as equivalent to Level 1 in the UC paper of the CRE. Applicants with the above result(s) may wish to take this into account in deciding whether they need to take the UE and / or UC paper(s) having regard to the requirements of the civil service post(s) in which they are interested.
Grade C or above in Use of English of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) or in English Language of the General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) (GCE A Level) is accepted as equivalent to Level 2 in the UE paper of the CRE. Grade C or above in Chinese Language and Culture or Chinese Language and Literature of the HKALE is accepted as equivalent to Level 2 in the UC paper of the CRE. Applicants with the above result(s) will NOT be arranged to take the UE and / or UC paper(s).
Grade D in Use of English of the HKALE or in English Language of the GCE A Level is accepted as equivalent to Level 1 in the UE paper of the CRE. Grade D in Chinese Language and Culture or Chinese Language and Literature of the HKALE is accepted as equivalent to Level 1 in the UC paper of the CRE. Applicants with the above result(s) may wish to take this into account in deciding whether they need to take the UE and / or UC paper(s) having regard to the requirements of the civil service post(s) in which they are interested.
An overall band of 6.5 or above with no subtest score below band 6 obtained in the same sitting in the Academic Module of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) within the 2-year validity period of the test is accepted as equivalent to Level 2 in the UE paper of the CRE. Applicants with the above results may wish to take this into account in deciding whether they need to take the UE paper.
CRE and Civil Service Recruitment
In general, applicants for civil service posts at degree or professional level are required to obtain either Level 2 or Level 1 in the UE and UC papers of the CRE for meeting the language proficiency requirements as stipulated by individual recruiting departments / grades in the relevant recruitment advertisements. Applicants with Level 2 in the UE and UC papers are considered as meeting the general language proficiency requirements of all degree or professional grades. Applicants for some of these posts are also required to obtain a Pass in the AT paper in addition to the requisite results in the UE and UC papers.
- List of grades and entry ranks requiring CRE results ( PDF Format )
Some civil service grades (e.g. disciplined services grades) offer different entry pay points to recruits according to their academic qualifications. Degree holders without the requisite CRE results may still apply for these posts but will not be eligible for the degree pay point.
Persons who wish to apply for civil service posts at degree or professional level should first obtain the requisite CRE results unless otherwise specified in the relevant recruitment advertisements. Applicants may choose to attempt all, any one, or any combination of the papers. Applicants are advised to ascertain the requirements of the civil service post(s) in which they are interested and other examination results accepted as equivalent to CRE results before deciding on which paper(s) they should attempt.
The CRE is held independently of the recruitment process for any civil service post. Persons who wish to apply for civil service posts should apply to the recruiting departments / grades direct. The acquisition of the requisite CRE results does not imply that a candidate has fully met the entry requirements of any civil service post at degree or professional level. Vetting of academic and / or professional qualifications will be carried out by the recruiting departments / grades which may also conduct separate examinations / interviews in addition to the CRE.
What is BLNST
The BLNST (Degree / Professional grades) is a 30-minute bilingual paper (in both English and Chinese) comprising 20 multiple-choice questions. Answering at least 10 out of 20 questions correct will be deemed to have a pass result in the BLNST. The pass result of the BLNST (Degree / Professional grades) is acceptable for the purpose of applying for all civil service jobs. Candidates who possess a pass result in BLNST (Degree / Professional grades) will not be arranged to take the BLNST again.
BLNST and Civil Service Recruitment
All applicants for civil service jobs will be assessed on their knowledge on the Basic Law and the National Security Law. For all civil service recruitment exercises advertised on or after 1 July 2022, attaining a pass result in the BLNST is an entry requirement for all civil service jobs. All candidates for civil service jobs must pass the BLNST in order to be considered for appointment, regardless of whether the candidates have previously taken the Basic Law Test (BLT) (either a BLT centrally conducted by the Civil Service Bureau or a BLT arranged by individual bureaux / departments in their past civil service recruitment exercises) and the result. Candidates who have taken any BLT in the past and wish to apply for any civil service job advertised on or after 1 July 2022 must take the BLNST and attain a pass result in order to be considered for appointment.
For candidates who have not taken the BLNST or have not attained a pass result in the BLNST at the time of application, they may still apply for the job and arrangements will be made for them to take the BLNST during the recruitment process. Prospective candidates for civil service jobs requiring degree or professional qualifications are also reminded to check the announcement by the Civil Service Bureau of the dates of upcoming BLNSTs should they plan to take the BLNST. The acquisition of a BLNST pass result does not imply that a candidate has fully met the entry requirements of any civil service jobs requiring degree or professional qualifications.
For more details about the BLNST in civil service recruitment, please click here.
Eligibility
Applicants for the CRE and BLNST should be –
(a) holders of degree (not including Associate Degree); or
(b) final year students or penultimate year students of undergraduate programmes; or
(c) holders of a qualification meeting the entry requirement on professional qualifications for civil service degree or professional posts.
Examination Format and Sample Questions
- Examination Format
- Sample Questions :
Reference videos (Chinese only)
| 考試模式 | 備戰攻略 | 考試攻略 | 考試後續 |
Performance Pledges
| Service | Target |
|---|---|
| Notify candidates for CRE and BLNST of examination details | 12 calendar days before the examinations |
| Issue results of CRE and BLNST | Within one month after the examinations |
Enquiries
Enquiries may be directed to the Civil Service Examinations Unit by phone at (852) 2537 6429, by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk, or by post to Room 2511, 25th Floor, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.