Four regular officers and one auxiliary officer who have scored "Distinction" in the 2013 Promotion to Sergeant Qualifying Examination shared their experiences with OffBeat. They are Police Constable (PC) Cheng Chun-wah from Emergency Unit New Territories North, PC Law Yiu-tung from Happy Valley Division, PC Tai Ka-po from Shum Shui Po Division, PC Cheng Fung-ting from Marine West Division and PC (Auxiliary) Chu Wing-chi from Tsuen Wan Division.

 

 

While every worker yarns for promotion and pay rise, the officers have additional goals. PC (A) Chu hoped that through the qualifying exam he would get more familiar with Police General Orders, Force Procedures Manual and Police Manual. "To get my police job done, I have to boost my knowledge of police work and get well equipped," he said.

 

Both PC Cheng Chun-wah and PC Law pointed out that as society keeps changing and public expectations are rising, police have to handle every case in accordance with law and procedures. "If officers are not familiar with law and procedures, public confidence in the Force would be compromised," PC Cheng noted.

 

For PC Tai and PC Cheng Fung-ting, the qualifying exam not only allowed them to revise old and attain new knowledge, but also brought them improvement.

 

 

For the five officers, early preparation for the qualifying exam is essential. Asked how he practised time management for his regular and auxiliary police jobs, PC (A) Chu said he started preparing early. He added: "Regular job takes eight hours and rest takes another eight hours. With good time management for the rest, my social activities were not affected." While working in his division, he paid more attention to the cases he handled to see whether they were related to law and procedures. He also browsed past exam debriefing reports. The efforts paid off when he pulled off "Distinction" in his first attempt.

 

Also attaining outstanding result in his first attempt, PC law started preparation one year before the qualifying exam. He said: "I set aside time for revision everyday, paid more attention to briefings by senior officers, and tried to find out whether there were any cases related to law and procedures."

 

Required to work shifts in the Emergency Unit, PC Cheng Chun-wah made good use of lunchtime for revision. "Early preparation is very important. Everyday, I looked up the related legal procedures and observed how my colleagues handled different situations."

 

 

Besides early preparation, tackling exam papers at the exam venue is equally important. PC Cheng Fung-ting advised candidates to look at exam questions carefully. Being familiar with past exam debriefing reports, she lost no time in answering a similar question she came across in a report. "But after the exam, I found out that the question contained a different word but it was too late to make a correction." 

 

PC Tai advised exam candidates: "Do not waste time in the questions you are not sure about and leave them to the last moment. "

 

The five officers also advised candidates not to leave the exam venue early even if they have completed questions in good time. Instead they should go over the questions and answers again in order to avoid careless mistakes. PC Cheng Fung-ting advised the candidates attempting the qualifying exam for the first time to take part in the Mock Exam to get familiar with the exam formation.

 

 

For the five officers, help and encouragement by superiors and colleagues were the keys to their exam success, besides their own efforts and good time management. Said PC Cheng Chun-wah: "During the daily briefing, my superiors asked questions related to police law. After cases were completed, they discussed with us which cases were based on justifications for arresting suspects." He also teamed up with other exam candidates, with each looking after a subject, for discussing important points.

 

PC Cheng Fung-ting also formed a three-person study group. "Discussion stimulated our thinking and saved us a lot of time," she noted. 

 

PC Tai and her colleagues found out the questions that had never appeared in past exam papers and worked together to find out and discuss the answers to the questions.

 

The officers also thanked their families for understanding and support. Said PC (A) Chu: "I owe my satisfactory result to their support."

 

Lastly, the officers reminded candidates sitting for the qualifying exam to start preparation as early as possible and work hard. "Enjoy the process and revise old and attain new knowledge. The exam is no longer a stress but a motivation for striving for improvement," PC Cheng Fung-ting noted.