The skills required to be a court reporter are numerous. You have to be able to write accurately at high rates of speed. You need specialized knowledge in many areas, such as legal procedures, grammar, punctuation, technology and professional practices.
The National Court Reporters Association offers many certifications at different skill and experience levels in the court reporting industry. These certifications are designed to present high standards by which court reporters practice their profession. These standards allow for more uniform practices by court reporters all over the country. The standards are high and many reporters have attained several of these certifications.
If you are not familiar with the various types of certifications NCRA offers, here is a listing with NCRA’s descriptions of what is required to receive the certificate.
RPR (Registered Professional Reporter)
The RPR is a prerequisite for the RMR and CRR. It is divided into two portions: written knowledge test (WKT) and skills knowledge test (SKT). The WKT is a 115 multiple-choice test measuring your knowledge in technology, reporting and professional practices. You must pass with a scaled grade of 70 or higher. The SKT consists of 180 words per minute literary, a 200 words per minute jury charge, and 225 words per minute Q&A. You must pass with a 95% accuracy.
RMR (Registered Merit Reporter)
To qualify, you need to be RPR certified and an NCRA member. The SKT is 200 words per minute literary, 240 words per minute jury charge, 260 words per minute Q&A. Passing grade is 95% accuracy.
RDR (Registered Reporter)
You must be an RMR and hold a continuous NCRA membership status. The exam is a 115 multiple-choice test on technology, reporting and professional practices. To pass, you must attain a scaled score of 70 or higher.
CRR (Certified Realtime Reporter)
To qualify, you must be an NCRA member and an RPR. The SKT is a 200 words per minute two-voice Q&A. You must achieve 96% accuracy.
CBC (Certified Broadcast Captioner)
You must be an NCRA member. The exam is divided into two parts: written and skills. The WKT is a 100 multiple-choice test that measures your knowledge on writing realtime, language skills, realtime writing, and research. You must pass with a scaled score of 70 or higher. The SKT is a five-minute, 180 words per minute literary test. You must pass with 96% accuracy.
CCP (Certified CART Provider)
You must be an NCRA member. There are two portions of the exam: written and skills. The WKT is a 100-question, multiple-choice test on your knowledge on writing realtime, research, language skills, and Communication Access Realtime Translation. The SKT is a five-minute, 180 words per minute literary test. You must pass with a 96% accuracy rating.
CVLS (Certified Video Legal Specialist)
This certification qualifies you as a legal videographer. First, you must attend a two-day seminar called, “Video in the Legal Environment”. Second, you must pass a 100-item multiple-choice test (passing score only stays on your record for three years). Third, you must pass a hands-on production examination. This is where you are graded on your video abilities in mock depositions. Again, your passing score only stays on your record for three years.
CRI (Certified Reporting Instructor)
This professionally certifies and qualifies court reporting teachers. You must either be an educator, administrator or reporter. You must also be an NCRA member beforehand. To become certified, you must attend a 13-hour NCRA Council on Approved Student Education Sponsored Orientation Session for CRI. This certification is valid for three years upon completion of seminar.
MCRI (Master Certified Reporting Instructor)
This is the highest merit for a reporting instructor. It is divided into four parts:
Part 1: You must have a Bachelor’s degree, be CRI certified, currently teach in a court reporting program, have five years teaching experience in a court reporting program, provide evidence of professional and community involvement, and write an essay on your philosophy of education.
Part 2: You must compile a portfolio within one year of admission. Your portfolio will provide evidence of your professional development in the last five years. It will include evidence of superior teaching, court reporting knowledge, teaching pedagogy, and professional community service.
Part 3: You must complete at least 70% of the RPR and MCRI written tests.
Part 4: You must maintain your certification by submitting your curriculum vitae by June 1st of the year the MCRI is going to expire.
CPE (Certified Program Evaluator)
This certifies the individual in evaluating and certifying undergraduate court reporting programs. You must take two e-seminars (“Interpersonal skills” and “Introduction to the CPE certification”).
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in “The Transition from Court Reporting Student to Working Court Reporter”.
It has been said that it is easier to know how to do the right thing if you have a code of ethics to follow. In court reporting, there is a code of ethics for court reporters but not necessarily a written code for court reporting firm owners. Owners of court reporting firms have an entirely different set of ethical situations that are likely to arise. We’ve thought of nine ethical codes that could be applied by court reporting firm owners.
When I tell someone I’m a court reporter, often I’m asked, “What is that?” It’s difficult to explain what I do in a short sentence. To help describe what I do, I often hold my hands in front of me, as though on a keyboard, and say, “You know, the person with the little machine who sits in front of the judge in court.” And the person I am speaking to often says, “Oh, yes”. But there’s much more I’d like to tell them about what a court reporter does. So if you have ever wondered what a court reporter does, here is my answer.