Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) (CRE and BLT)
The CRE and BLT in Hong Kong 
This round of CRE and BLT was held on 16 October 2021. Examination results will be issued to candidates by post by 16 November 2021.
The CRE and BLT outside Hong Kong
For the convenience of those studying or residing outside Hong Kong, this round of CRE and BLT is also tentatively scheduled to be held on 4 December 2021 in seven other cities, namely Beijing, London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney. The application period was closed at 5:00 p.m. on 8 October 2021 (Hong Kong time). An e-mail will be sent to candidates notifying them of the relevant examination details. Candidates who do not receive the e-mail by 22 November 2021 should immediately contact the Civil Service Examinations Unit by phone at (852) 2537 6429 or by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk.
Candidates are advised to refer to the "Notes for Applicants" and "Frequently Asked Questions" for the examination outside Hong Kong.
[Note : For the examination outside Hong Kong, it may only be held subject to the regulations and prevailing measures in that particular city in the light of the development of the COVID-19. If the situation warrants, the examination may be deferred or cancelled. Updates on the examination arrangements will be announced on this webpage.
Moreover, candidates are advised to observe requirements specified by the city for taking the examination, such as requirements on COVID-19 vaccination or testing and attending large scale events. Candidates may be required to demonstrate their health status on vaccination or testing as a condition of entry to the examination centres located at selected premises. Candidates are reminded to keep abreast of the latest updates on the requirements arising from the COVID-19 imposed by the local government of the cities concerned.]
The schedule of next round of CRE and BLT is under review. Updated information pertaining to the CRE and BLT will be announced on this webpage from time to time. Pleaes visit this webpage regularly for the latest updates.
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.
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 BLT
The BLT is a 20-minute bilingual paper comprising 15 multiple-choice questions. The paper assesses candidates' knowledge of the Basic Law (BL). Attaining a score at or above 53 out of the full mark of 100 (i.e. getting at least 8 out of 15 questions correct) will be deemed to have a pass result in the BLT.
BLT and Civil Service Recruitment
All applicants for civil service jobs will be assessed on their BL knowledge. For all civil service recruitment exercises advertised on or after 6 August 2021, a pass result in the BLT is an entry requirement for civil service jobs requiring degree / professional qualifications. Only those candidates who have passed the BLT will be considered for appointment. The BLT result will also constitute an appropriate weighting in a candidate’s overall assessment.
A pass result of the BLT is of permanent validity. Candidates may, if they wish to, take the BLT again when applications for the next round of BLT conducted by the Civil Service Bureau are called.
Candidates who have sat for a BLT before (either a BLT centrally administered by the Civil Service Bureau or a BLT arranged by individual bureaux / departments in their past civil service recruitment exercise (degree/ professional grades)) will be deemed to have a pass result in BLT if they attained a score at or above 53 out of the full mark of 100 (i.e. getting at least 8 out of 15 questions correct).
For candidates who have not taken the BLT or have not attained a pass result in the BLT at the time of application, they may apply for the job and arrangements will be made for them to take the BLT during the recruitment process. Prospective candidates for civil service posts of degree / professional grades are also reminded to check the announcement by the Civil Service Bureau of the dates of upcoming BLTs should they plan to take the BLT. The acquisition of a BLT pass result does not imply that a candidate has fully met the entry requirements of any civil service post at degree or professional level.
For more details about assessment of BL knowledge in civil service recruitment, please click here.
Eligibility
Applicants for the coming CRE and BLT should be –
(a) holders of degree (not including Associate Degree); or
(b) final 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
Performance Pledges
| Service |
Target |
| Notify candidates for CRE and BLT of examination details |
12 calendar days before the examinations |
| Issue results of CRE and BLT |
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 718, 7/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.
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