Applications for Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test in Hong Kong open tomorrow
**********************************************************

     Prospective applicants for civil service posts at degree or professional level can apply from tomorrow (August 3) to sit the Common Recruitment Examination and Basic Law Test (CRE and BLT) to be held on October 6 and 13 in Hong Kong.

     A spokesman for the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) today (August 2) said that valid CRE results are required of applicants for civil service posts at degree or professional level.  Persons interested in applying for civil service posts at degree or professional level in the near future may wish to consider sitting the coming examination so as to be eligible to apply for these posts, which may come available before another CRE is held.

     In addition, for civil service posts requiring degree or professional qualifications, candidates will need to have taken a BLT.  The test result will constitute an appropriate weighting in a candidate's overall assessment for a post.

     Applicants for the coming CRE and BLT should be holders of a degree, or a qualification meeting the entry requirement on professional qualifications for civil service degree or professional posts, or university students who will have attained a degree in the 2012-13 academic year.  Applicants may choose to take any of the CRE papers and/or the BLT paper in the coming examination.

     Persons interested in taking the examination may apply from tomorrow through the on-line application system on the CSB webpage at www.csb.gov.hk/eng/cre.html, or by using the CRE and BLT application form (CSB31 (7/2012)), which can be downloaded from the CSB webpage or obtained from any Public Enquiry Service Centres of District Offices or Job Centres of the Labour Department.  Applications must be made before 5pm on August 16 (Hong Kong time).

     For the convenience of those studying or residing outside Hong Kong, the CRE and BLT will also be held on December 8, 2012, 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 open from September 20 to October 3, 2012.  Persons applying to sit the examination in Hong Kong will not be allowed to apply again for sitting the examination outside Hong Kong.

     More details about the coming CRE and BLT to be held in Hong Kong will be available on the CSB webpage from tomorrow.  General enquiries may be directed to the Civil Service Examinations Unit by phone at 2537 6429 or by e-mail to csbcseu@csb.gov.hk.

Ends/Thursday, August 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:01

NNNN