Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) and Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) (Degree / Professional Grades) 

Year-end CRE 

Implementation of Electronic Result Certificate for CRE and BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades)

The CSB has launched the electronic result certificate for the CRE and BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades) in November 2024. For details of the implementation of electronic result certificate, please visit the website of Electronic Result Certificate for the Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades).

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.

• Grades offering different entry pay points according to academic qualifications ( PDF Format )

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 (Degree / Professional Grades)

The BLNST (for 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 (Degree/Professional Grades). A pass result in the BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades) has permanent validity and 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 CSB 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 CSB of the dates / schedule of upcoming BLNSTs should they plan to take the BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades). The acquisition of a pass result in BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades) does not imply that a candidate has fully met the entry requirements of any civil service jobs requiring degree or professional qualifications.

Unless otherwise specified, the result of the BLNST organised by the Independent Commission Against Corruption or other organisations not for civil service recruitment is not acceptable for applying for civil service posts.

For more details about the BLNST in civil service recruitment, please click here. 

Eligibility

Applicants for the CRE and BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades) should be –

(a)   holders of degree (not including Associate Degree); or
(b)   individuals who will have attained a degree (not including Associate Degree) in the current or next academic year; or
(c)   holders of a qualification meeting the entry requirement on professional qualifications for civil service degree or professional posts.

For eligibility applicable to individual examination, please refer to the “Notes for Applicant” for the relevant CRE and BLNST (Degree / Professional Grades) or the Digitalised BLNST.

Examination Format and Sample Questions

• Examination Format
• Sample Questions : 
  • Use of English
  • Use of Chinese
  • Aptitude Test
  • Basic Law and National Security Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) 

Reference videos (Chinese only)

Performance Pledges

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.