Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) (CRE and BLT)  

The CRE and BLT in Hong Kong 

The application period for the coming CRE and BLT scheduled to be held in Hong Kong on 10 and 17 October 2020 was closed at 5:00 p.m. on 20 August 2020 (Hong Kong time).

Candidates of the examination in Hong Kong will be arranged to sit the examination on one of the above dates (i.e. 10 or 17 October 2020) mainly according to their choice of examination papers.  An e-mail will be sent to candidates between 24 and 29 September 2020 notifying them of the relevant examination details. If any candidates do not receive the e-mail by 30 September 2020, they should immediately contact the Civil Service Examinations Unit by phone at (852) 2537 6429 or by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk.  Any requests for change of examination date / venue will NOT be considered.

In the light of the evolving situation regarding the COVID-19, the Civil Service Bureau will adjust the arrangements on the examination if the situation warrants and announce them on this webpage.

Please visit this webpage regularly for the latest information.

Candidates are required to read thoroughly the "Guidance Notes for Candidates of Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test in October 2020" and "Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test in October 2020 Contingency and Precautionary Measures at Examination Centres – Guidelines for Candidates" before coming to the examination.

Candidates are also advised to refer to the "Frequently Asked Questions" for more details.

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 5 December 2020 in seven other cities, namely Beijing, London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.  Applications for taking the examination outside Hong Kong will be called from 26 September to 9 October 2020.  The application details and an on-line application system will be available on this webpage between 26 September and 9 October 2020.

[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.  Any updates of the examination arrangements will be announced on this webpage.]

Persons who wish to apply for the CRE and BLT tentatively scheduled for December 2020 outside Hong Kong should visit this webpage regularly for the latest information and also read the "Frequently Asked Questions" for more information.

Who may apply

Applicants for the coming CRE and BLT should be – 

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 BLT

The BLT is a 20-minute bilingual paper comprising 15 multiple-choice questions.  The paper assesses candidates' knowledge of the Basic Law (BL).  There is no passing mark set for the BLT and the full mark of the paper is 100.

BLT and Civil Service Recruitment

For the purpose of heightening public awareness of the BL and promoting a culture of learning the BL in the community,  applicants for civil service posts will be assessed on their BL knowledge.  The result of the BLT will be one of the considerations to assess the suitability of a candidate.  The 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 test are called.

The BLT is held independently of the recruitment process for any civil service posts.  Prospective candidates for civil service posts of degree / professional grades are reminded to check the announcement by the Civil Service Bureau of the dates of upcoming BLTs should they plan to take the test.  The acquisition of the BLT 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. 

Examination Format and Sample Questions

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

Performance Pledges

Enquiries

Enquiries may be directed to the CSEU 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.