Are Court Reporters Certified?

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Capital Reporting Company is dedicated to providing you with highly qualified court reporters who can fulfill all of your deposition needs. In most professional fields, one means of determining qualification is through certification. Are court reporters certified? The short answer is yes. However, in the world of deposition services, there are many kinds and levels of certification, which we will explore in this post.

In 1937, the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) issued the first certificates to 27 court reporters as a means of denoting their excellence and reliability. These court reporters earned their certifications by transcribing five minutes of literary dictation at rates of 160 words per minute (wpm). The NCRA distinguished these court reporters as Certified Professionals (CP’s)– what would today be known as a Registered Professional Reporters. Since 1937, the standards for certification have greatly evolved alongside court reporting technology. As of now, there are three major levels and many different kinds of court reporting certification, all of which require specific demonstrated abilities. The three main tiers of certification are as follows:

  • Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)- This is the foundational level of certification and the present-day equivalent of a CP. To obtain RPR certification, a court reporter must transcribe 180 words per minute in literary settings, 200 words per minute in jury charge and 225 words per minute in testimony settings–all with a minimum accuracy rating of 95%. Currently, 22 states use the NCRA’s RPR exam as their standard of certification. However, many states have their own state licensure and certification requirements. A court reporter in Chicago may have to fulfill different requirements from one in Washington DC.

  • Registered Merit Reporter (RMR)- Once a court reporter is registered as an RPR and a member of the NCRA, he or she may take an exam and become a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR). To become an RMR, a court reporter must, again, demonstrate skill in literary, jury charge and testimony transcription, but this time at a rate of 200 wpm, 240 wpm and 260 wpm respectively. Again, a court reporter must be able to transcribe this dictation with a proven accuracy of 95% in each section.

  • Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR)- RDR certification is a means of distinguishing outstanding professionals in the field. An RDR must be able to transcribe in literary, jury charge and testimony at a respective 200, 240 and 260 wpm. However, an RDR must also sit for a written exam and demonstrate additional skills across technology, reporting practices and professional practices. To take the RDR exam, a court reporter must be an RMR with 5 continuous years of NCRA membership, beginning with Participating or Registered member status. RDR certification is a means of distinguishing outstanding professionals in the field of court reporting.

The NCRA currently estimates that there are 11,000 Registered Professional Reporters in the US, over 2100 Registered Merit Reporters and over 450 Registered Diplomate Reporters.

Beyond the three tiers of proficiency, court reporters may also qualify for additional certifications. For example, one can become a Certified Realtime Reporter by passing a test in which one successfully sets up and operates realtime court reporting equipment, writes a minimum 200 words per minute with 96% accuracy, and then converts the files into a final text format. Other related certifications that court reporters may obtain include:

  • Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC)

  • Certified CART Providers (CCP)

  • Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS)

A court reporter may also obtain instructor certification as a Certified Reporting Instructor, a Master Certified Reporting Instructor or a Certified Program Evaluator (CPE).

To learn more about our court reporting company and our professionals’ abilities, contact Capital Reporting Company today, and find a highly qualified court reporter near you.