Introduction
The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) is a certification that enables court reporters to showcase their expertise and professionalism. To obtain this certification, one must pass the RPR test, which evaluates a court reporter’s skills in accurately capturing and transcribing legal proceedings. In this article, we will discuss what prospective candidates must know about the RPR test.
What is the RPR Test?
The RPR test is an exam designed to certify that a court reporter possesses the necessary skills and knowledge required to meet the demands of the profession. This test evaluates a court reporter’s ability to capture, transcribe, and edit text accurately at speeds of at least 225 words per minute. It also tests the candidate’s ability to produce quality transcripts efficiently and within deadlines.
Content of the RPR Test
The RPR test consists of three parts: a skills test, a written knowledge test, and a continuing education requirement.
Skills Test: The skills test is a speed test aimed at evaluating a candidate’s speed and accuracy in capturing and transcribing legal proceedings. The skills test consists of three parts; literary, jury charge, and two-voice testimony.
Literary Test: This test evaluates the candidate’s ability to capture and transcribe literary content accurately at speeds of 180 words per minute.
Jury Charge: The jury charge section tests the candidate’s skills in capturing and transcribing the Judge’s legal instructions accurately at a speed of 200 words per minute.
Two-Voice Testimony: The two-voice testimony portion tests the candidate’s ability to capture and transcribe conversations between two individuals at speeds of 225 words per minute.
Written Knowledge Test: The written knowledge test aims to evaluate the candidate’s knowledge of court reporting procedures, legal terminology, English grammar, and punctuation. The written test consists of 115 multiple-choice questions to be completed within two hours.
Continuing Education Requirement: After obtaining RPR certification, candidates must complete a certain number of continuing education credits to maintain their credentials. These credits help ensure that RPR-certified court reporters remain updated with changes in court reporting procedures, legal terminology, and other technological advancements.
How to Prepare for the RPR Test
Preparing for the RPR test requires dedication, hard work, and a lot of practice. Prospective candidates can use various resources, including study guides, textbooks, online classes, and boot camps. It is also advantageous to practice transcribing legal proceedings regularly to improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
Conclusion
The RPR test is a rigorous assessment of a court reporter’s skills, knowledge, and professionalism. It is crucial to familiarize oneself with the requirements of the test and prepare adequately to succeed. With the right resources, dedication, and commitment, passing the RPR test is achievable and opens up numerous opportunities in the court reporting profession.
What is the RPR Test?
A Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) is a certification granted to individuals interested in becoming Court Reporters. In order to advance through the field of Court Reporting, the candidate will be required to rec
What is the RPR Test?
A Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) is a certification granted to individuals interested in becoming Court Reporters. In order to advance through the field of Court Reporting, the candidate will be required to receive certification from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA).
The NCRA is the institution responsible for both the oversight and regulation of the protocol of accreditation with regard to certifications awarded to Registered Court Reporters.
A Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) is the most common type of legal transcription certification which, akin to the bulk of degrees awarded by court reporting schools, requires the accurate and expedited transcription of speech through the mastery of shorthand, stenography, and typing skills.
The RPR Test and RPR Certification
The satisfaction of the following requirements is necessary in order to receive certification as a Registered Professional Reporter:
RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge
The RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge is an examination used to gauge the skill of an individual stenographer student evaluating knowledge possessed with regard to the issues, operations, processes, procedures, and ideology within the legal or medical field. The individual candidate will be subject to the evaluation of background knowledge and professional acumen.
The RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge ranges from 100 to 110 questions, which the candidate will be required to complete within 90 minutes. A score of 70% or higher is necessary in order to receive a passing grade on the RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge.
RPR Test for the Performance in Typing
The ability to produce an expressed amount of words within a finite period of time is required. The classification of which is also known as ‘words per minute’, or ‘wpm’. These requirements vary with regard to the nature of the testimony.
The RPR Test for the Performance in Typing will require the individual to complete 3 sections. The prospective Registered Professional Reporter is given 5 minutes to complete each of the requirements of the following 3 sections:
1) Literary Legal Transcription (180 wpm)
2) Jury Transcription (200 wpm)
3) Examination-based Testimony (225 wpm).
RPR Test for Stenography
A Stenotype is the primary piece of equipment utilized within legal transcription and court reporting. Although the Stenotype resembles a typewriter transcription, unlike a traditional typewriter, a stenograph machine contains only 25 keys and does not operate on a traditional keyboard format such as ‘QWERTY’. The ‘QWERTY’ system allots an individual key that corresponds with an individual letter.
Unlike traditional keyboards, located in conjunction with computers and typewriters, stenotypes allow a court reporter to transcribe common phrases and articles rather than individual letters and characters.
Typical legal transcription can involve events that range from 100 to 300 words recited per minute. Court reporting schools ensure that individuals certified retain the ability to accurately transcribe the speech of an event as the speech is expressed.
The NCRA is the institution responsible for both the oversight and regulation of the protocol of accreditation with regard to certifications awarded to Registered Court Reporters.
A Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) is the most common type of legal transcription certification which, akin to the bulk of degrees awarded by court reporting schools, requires the accurate and expedited transcription of speech through the mastery of shorthand, stenography, and typing skills.
The RPR Test and RPR Certification
The satisfaction of the following requirements is necessary in order to receive certification as a Registered Professional Reporter:
RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge
The RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge is an examination used to gauge the skill of an individual stenographer student evaluating knowledge possessed with regard to the issues, operations, processes, procedures, and ideology within the legal or medical field. The individual candidate will be subject to the evaluation of background knowledge and professional acumen.
The RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge ranges from 100 to 110 questions, which the candidate will be required to complete within 90 minutes. A score of 70% or higher is necessary in order to receive a passing grade on the RPR Test for the Performance in Written Knowledge.
RPR Test for the Performance in Typing
The ability to produce an expressed amount of words within a finite period of time is required. The classification of which is also known as ‘words per minute’, or ‘wpm’. These requirements vary with regard to the nature of the testimony.
The RPR Test for the Performance in Typing will require the individual to complete 3 sections. The prospective Registered Professional Reporter is given 5 minutes to complete each of the requirements of the following 3 sections:
1) Literary Legal Transcription (180 wpm)
2) Jury Transcription (200 wpm)
3) Examination-based Testimony (225 wpm).
RPR Test for Stenography
A Stenotype is the primary piece of equipment utilized within legal transcription and court reporting. Although the Stenotype resembles a typewriter transcription, unlike a traditional typewriter, a stenograph machine contains only 25 keys and does not operate on a traditional keyboard format such as ‘QWERTY’. The ‘QWERTY’ system allots an individual key that corresponds with an individual letter.
Unlike traditional keyboards, located in conjunction with computers and typewriters, stenotypes allow a court reporter to transcribe common phrases and articles rather than individual letters and characters.
Typical legal transcription can involve events that range from 100 to 300 words recited per minute. Court reporting schools ensure that individuals certified retain the ability to accurately transcribe the speech of an event as the speech is expressed.
