Skip to Main Content

Home Explore Careers

Court Reporters

Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements

Certification or Licensing

The National Court Reporters Association offers several certification credentials for its members. To receive the registered professional reporter certification, you must pass a written knowledge test and an online skills test. The NRCA says that 81 percent of certificants say that their RPR designation is "valuable to them as individual reporters," and 94 percent say RPR certification is "an important part of the court reporting profession." The registered merit reporter certification means you have passed an exam with speeds up to 260 words per minute. The registered diplomate reporter certification is obtained by passing a multiple-choice written knowledge test that focuses on the following areas: technology; industry practices; business practices; and the NCRA, professionalism, and ethics. This certification shows that the court reporter has gained valuable professional knowledge and experience through years of reporting. The certified real-time reporter certification is given to reporters who have obtained the specialized skill of converting the spoken word into written word within seconds. Several other specialized certifications are available, including the certified reporting instructor, certified realtime captioner, and certified legal video specialist designations.

The American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers offers the following voluntary certifications: certified electronic court reporter and certified electronic transcriber. The National Verbatim Reporters Association offers a variety of voluntary certifications such as certified verbatim reporter, real-time verbatim reporter, registered broadcast captioner, and registered CART provider. The U.S. Court Reporters Association offers the federal certified real-time reporter credential. Contact these organizations for information on requirements for each certification.

Some states require reporters to be notary publics or to be certified through a state certification exam. Many states grant licenses in either shorthand reporting or court reporting, although not all of these states require a license to work as a court reporter. Licenses are granted after the court reporter passes state examinations and fulfills any prerequisites (usually an approved shorthand reporting program).

Related Professions
Featured Companies