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

The CRE and BLNST in Hong Kong NEW!

The application period for the coming CRE and BLNST scheduled to be held in Hong Kong on 8 and 15 October 2022 was closed at 5:00 p.m. on 18 August 2022 (Hong Kong time).

Candidates of the examination in Hong Kong will be arranged to sit the examination on one of the above examination dates (i.e. 8 or 15 October 2022) mainly according to their choice of examination papers.  An e-mail was sent to candidates notifying them of the relevant examination details.  If candidates have not received the e-mail by 30 September 2022, 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 view of the latest epidemic situation of COVID-19, the Civil Service Bureau will adjust the arrangements for the examination if the situation warrants and announce them on this webpage.

Important notice: 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 (degree/professional grades)) and the result.  Please also refer to the details under "What is BLNST" and "BLNST and Civil Service Recruitment" below.

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 and National Security Law Test in October 2022" and "Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law and National Security Law Test in October 2022 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 the examination in Hong Kong for more details.

The CRE and BLNST outside Hong Kong NEW! 

For the convenience of those studying or residing outside Hong Kong, the CRE and BLNST is also tentatively scheduled to be held on 10 December 2022 in seven other cities, namely Beijing, London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.  The application period is from 24 September to 7 October 2022.  Applicants may choose to take any of the CRE papers and / or the BLNST paper in this examination.
 
[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.
 
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 requirement arising from the COVID-19 imposed by the local government of the cities concerned.]
 

Who may apply

Applicants for the coming CRE and BLNST should be –
 
(a) holders of degree (not including Associate Degree); or
(b) university students who will have attained a degree in the 2022-23 academic year; or
(c) holders of a qualification meeting the entry requirement on professional qualifications for civil service degree or professional posts.
 

Persons who are arranged to sit the examination in Hong Kong in October 2022 are NOT allowed to apply for sitting the examination again outside Hong Kong.

How to apply

Applicants should read the "Notes for Applicants" and "Frequently Asked Questions" for the examination outside Hong Kong carefully before making an application. Applications for the CRE and BLNST to be held outside Hong Kong must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. on 7 October 2022 (Hong Kong time) through ONE of the means below –

(I) Applying on-line

(a) Before proceeding to make an on-line application, applicants should ensure that their web browsers support Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol and a printer is ready for printing out a copy of their submitted form for record.

(b) Late applications will NOT be accepted. Applicants are therefore strongly advised to submit their applications early in order to avoid the last-minute rush of applications which may overload the on-line application system and thereby render applicants unable to complete their on-line applications on time.

(c) On receipt of an on-line application, a confirmation e-mail with a serial number will be sent to the applicant's e-mail address immediately. If applicants do not receive the confirmation e-mail after submitting an application, they should contact the CSEU by phone at (852) 2537 6429 or by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk immediately [not later than 5:00 p.m. on 7 October 2022 (Hong Kong time)]. Applicants are required to keep the serial number until the examination is over.

Applicants may click here if they are ready to make an on-line application.

(II) Sending in application form (CSB 31 (8/2022))

(a) Applicants may click here to download the application form, which can also be obtained from any Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department or any Job Centres of the Labour Department. Completed application forms should be submitted by post to the CSEU at Room 718, 7/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong (date of postmark on or before 7 October 2022). To avoid unsuccessful delivery of mail items, please ensure that the address on the envelope is clear and correct, and sufficient postage has been paid. Mail items bearing insufficient postage will not be delivered to the CSEU and will be returned to the sender or disposed of by the Hongkong Post, where appropriate. An applicant will bear any consequences arising from not paying sufficient postage.

(b) An acknowledgement with a serial number will be posted to the applicant's correspondence address. If applicants do not receive the acknowledgement, they should contact the CSEU by phone or by e-mail. Applicants are required to keep the serial number until the examination is over.

Each applicant should submit only ONE application through ONE of the means above. Applications with incomplete or unclear information, late applications, duplicate applications, or applications submitted by fax or e-mail will NOT be processed.

An e-mail will be sent to candidates notifying them of the relevant examination details. If candidates do not receive the e-mail by late November 2022, they should immediately contact the CSEU by phone or by e-mail.

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 BLNST 

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. The pass result of the BLNST is acceptable for the purpose of applying for all civil service jobs. Candidates who possess a pass result in BLNST 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 prevailing assessment of BL knowledge in civil service recruitment, please click here. 

 

Examination Format and Sample Questions

 

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 718, 7/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.