What It Takes To Be A Certified Court Reporter
What It Takes To Be A Certified Court Reporter
In the year 1935, the first 27 court reporters to be officially certified by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) earned their certificated of Proficiency by transcribing 5-minute dictations of literary material at 160 words per minute.
The NCRA has come a long way since then. Headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the organization has built themselves as a valuable resource for professionals pursuing a career in court reporting. Today, the NCRA has set much higher standards for certified reporters to earn their title. In 1935 these 27 Court Reporters Became “Certified Professionals” (CP). A CP is the modern day equivalent to a Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), the first of 3 certification levels. The second being a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), followed by a Registered Dipomate Reporter (RDR).
Each of these levels has their own standards for achievement. Stenographers are able to become an RPR by scoring at least 70% on the RPR exam. This exam focuses on three areas: Technology, Reporting Practices, and Professional Practices. Additionally a court reporters transcription skill’s in literary, jury charge, and testimony settings have to exceed a minimum of 180, 200, and 225 words per minute, respectively, with a 95% accuracy rating on the final transcription, a far cry from the testing standards in 1935.
To progress to an RMR, a court reporter must pass these areas of evaluation at 200, 240, and 260 words per minute. An RDR, however, must pass a written exam to test one’s knowledge and experience. This is the highest level of achievement for a court reporter and allows veteran court reporters to distinguish themselves as excellent professionals in the industry.
Court reporters are able to extend their skill sets to other certifications as well. A Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), for example, must prove during testing that they can set up and operate realtime equipment, write at a consistent 96% accuracy level at 200 words per minute, and convert their file into a final text file format. Other certification programs include a Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC), a Certified CART provider (CCP), a Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS), a Certified Reporting Instructor (CRI), a Master Certified Reporting Instructor (MCRI), and a Certified Program Evaluator (CPE).
Certification test centers exist all over the country, including many here, in the Washington, D.C area. They provide the opportunity for aspiring reporters to build valuable knowledge and practice to pursue successful careers in the court reporting industry.
