1.3 Sittings, Applications, Exam-Day Rules, and Pacing
Key Takeaways
In 2026 the CSB held CRE sittings in Hong Kong on 6 June and 3 October and scheduled a 5 December sitting in Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.
CRE applications are made only through the CSB online system; applications by post, fax or email are rejected, and the choice of papers cannot be changed after the deadline.
Calculators and rulers may be used only in the Aptitude Test, and the calculator must be cordless, silent and without printing, graphic or word display, or dictionary functions.
Answers must be marked in HB pencil on the computer-read answer sheet; marking two or more answers to one question scores no mark for that question.
The Use of Chinese paper allows 60 seconds per question, Use of English 67.5 seconds and the Aptitude Test about 77 seconds, so each paper needs a different pacing plan.
1.3 Sittings, Applications, Exam-Day Rules, and Pacing
Quick Answer: The CSB announces each CRE sitting separately on its CRE webpage. In 2026 there were Hong Kong sittings on 6 June and 3 October, plus a 5 December sitting in seven cities outside Hong Kong. You apply online only. On the day you need your identity document and your own stationery. Calculators and rulers are allowed only in the Aptitude Test. Mark every answer in HB pencil on the answer sheet.
The 2026 sitting calendar
The CSB does not fix a permanent timetable; it announces each round with its own application window. The 2026 rounds show the usual pattern:
| Sitting | Application window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong, 6 June 2026 | 28 March to 10 April 2026 | Announced on 27 March 2026 |
| Hong Kong, 3 October 2026 | 25 July to 7 August 2026 | Results issued by 30 October 2026 |
| Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney, 5 December 2026 (tentative) | Closed 2 October 2026, 11:59 p.m. Hong Kong time | Examination details emailed before 23 November 2026 |
Two further arrangements matter:
- Sitting in Hong Kong and overseas in the same year is allowed. Applicants could apply for both the October sitting in Hong Kong and the December sitting outside Hong Kong. Anyone who obtains the highest result in a paper in October (Level 2 or Pass) is not arranged to take that paper again in December.
- Joint recruitment applicants without CRE results for the AO, EOII, AIO(G), ATOII, MSOII and TOII posts are arranged to take the relevant CRE papers on the JRE day or another date in December. The AO recruitment FAQ describes this as a special CRE in Hong Kong in December.
Because dates change every year, always check the CSB CRE webpage before planning revision.
How to apply
- Apply through the online application system on the CSB CRE webpage before the deadline. Applications in person or by post, fax or email are not accepted.
- Submit only one application per round; duplicates are not processed.
- A confirmation email with a serial number arrives immediately. Keep the serial number until the examination is over.
- Choose your papers carefully: any change to the choice of papers is not allowed after the deadline.
- There is no application fee for the CRE or the BLNST.
The CSB's performance pledge is to email examination details 12 calendar days before a paper-based examination. For the October 2026 sitting, candidates who had not received the email by 21 September 2026 were told to contact the CSEU immediately. The notification email states your paper(s), venue, arrival time and seat number. You are allowed into only the papers you are invited to take.
Exam-day rules from the CSB guidance notes
The guidance notes for the October 2026 sitting set out these rules:
- Identity document: bring your HKID card, or your passport if you reported a passport number in the application. A British National (Overseas) passport cannot be used as proof of identity in Hong Kong.
- Stationery: bring HB pencils, erasers, rulers and calculators. No stationery is provided at the centre.
- Calculators and rulers: permitted only in the Aptitude Test. The calculator must be cordless and silent, and must have no printing, graphic or word-display, or dictionary functions.
- Seat number: bring it. Time lost because you did not bring it is not compensated.
- Watches: bring a normal watch that shows only the time and/or date, because not every centre has a clock. Smart watches are prohibited, and you may not use your mobile phone for any purpose, including timekeeping.
- Electronic devices: phones, smart watches, smart glasses and other electronic devices must be switched off (including alarms) and placed under your chair. Phones must be visible to invigilators.
- During the paper: you may not leave until the paper ends. Toilet visits are escorted and the time is not added back.
- Answers: answers must be marked on the multiple-choice answer sheet in HB pencil. Answers written in the question book are not marked.
- "Time is up. Pencils down": after this announcement you may not write or erase anything on the answer sheet.
Breaking the rules can lead to a written warning, a mark penalty, result downgrading, disqualification or voiding of results. For bad weather, the general rule is that the examination goes ahead under Tropical Cyclone Signal No. 3 or below and Amber or Red Rainstorm Warnings. It may be postponed under a Pre-No. 8 Special Announcement, Signal No. 8 or above, a Black Rainstorm Warning or an "extreme conditions" announcement.
How the answer sheet is marked
The answer sheets are processed by computer. Two rules follow from the guidance notes:
- Marking two or more answers to one question scores no mark for that question.
- Faint marks, incomplete erasures or folded sheets can cause the computer to reject the sheet.
The CSB's guidance notes and FAQ do not mention any deduction for wrong answers. A blank scores nothing, so most candidates fill in every answer, using elimination to improve the odds. A pure guess has a 1-in-4 chance on four-option items (UC, Comprehension, Paragraph Improvement) and a 1-in-5 chance on five-option items (Error Identification, Sentence Completion and most AT parts). A True/False/Can't tell item has a 1-in-3 chance.
Pacing each paper
Each paper lasts 45 minutes, but the time per question differs:
| Paper | Questions | Average time per question | A workable plan (adjust to your strengths) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of Chinese | 45 | 60 seconds | 字詞辨識 and 句子辨析 first (16 items, about 12 min); 詞句運用 (15 items, about 15 min); reading (14 items, about 15 min); 3 min check |
| Use of English | 40 | 67.5 seconds | Error Identification and Sentence Completion (20 items, about 16 min); Paragraph Improvement (about 12 min); Comprehension (about 14 min); 3 min check |
| Aptitude Test | 35 | About 77 seconds | Numerical Reasoning (5 items, about 5 min); Verbal Reasoning (6 items, about 6 min); Deductive Reasoning (8 items, about 10 min); Tables and Graphs (8 items, about 12 min); Data Sufficiency (8 items, about 10 min); 2 min check |
The order in the plan is a suggestion, not the order of the paper. Two habits protect your marks whatever order you use:
- Set a ceiling per item. If an item has taken twice its average time, mark your best remaining option, note the question number and move on.
- Check numbering at fixed points. Skipping items invites misaligned answers, so check that question numbers match the answer sheet each time you finish a part.
Retaking papers
The CSB publishes no limit on the number of attempts. The AO recruitment FAQ confirms that failing the CRE does not bar you from taking it again. Because results are issued per paper and are combined across sittings, you only re-sit the papers in which you still need a result.
Which statement about calculators matches the CSB guidance notes for CRE candidates?
Calculators are banned in all three papers, so every Aptitude Test calculation must be done by hand in the question book
A permitted calculator may be used in the Aptitude Test only, and it must be cordless, silent and without printing, graphic or dictionary functions
A calculator app on a mobile phone may be used in the Aptitude Test as long as the phone is set to flight mode
Calculators are provided at the examination centre, so candidates may not bring their own calculator into any paper
A candidate applied for the October 2026 CRE in Hong Kong and also wants to sit the December 2026 sitting in London. What did the CSB's 2026 rules allow?
The candidate had to withdraw the Hong Kong application in writing before any application for the London sitting could be accepted
Overseas sittings were open only to people who lived outside Hong Kong and had never sat the CRE in Hong Kong
The candidate could apply for both, but would not be arranged to retake in December any paper in which the highest result was obtained in October
The candidate could apply for both and would sit every paper twice, with the better result counting
With 30 seconds left in the Aptitude Test, a candidate has two Data Sufficiency items unanswered, each with five pair options, and cannot eliminate any option. Based on the published marking rules, what is the best action?
Leave both blank, because the CSB deducts a quarter mark for each wrong answer
Mark two options for each item to double the chance of scoring
Write the working in the question book so it can be credited
Mark one option for each item, accepting a 1-in-5 chance on each
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.