How you can be a court reporter?
Court reporters create transcripts of legal proceedings and other events where spoken words must be preserved. There are different types of court reporters. Stenographers key what was said into a stenotype machine, and voice writers speak into a mask containing a recorder and voice silencer. The training required to be a court reporter depends on the specialization.
You have to become a stenographer
In order to be certified as a stenographer, you will need to be able to type far more accurately and quickly than most people. Therefore, if you are considering stenography as a career path, it’s best to get an idea of your relative skill level. The National Court Reporters Association specifies that at a minimum, a court reporter should be able to type a Q&A session in real time at 225 words per minute in machine shorthand with 97% accuracy.
Machine shorthand is something you will learn in any educational program for court reporting, so if you don’t know what that is already, don’t worry. However, you should already know how to type non-shorthand at a fairly rapid pace — nothing less than 60 words per minute before applying.
The requirements for becoming a court reporter vary by state. Some states, for instance, only require certification from one of the court reporter’s associations, while some require both certification and completion of a vocational program at a technical school. Many states prohibit felons from becoming court reporters. When you will become a stenographer then it will become easier for you to become a Naples court reporter or reporter for any other city or state.
Since licensing requirements vary by state, the amount of accredited educational programs varies as well. Some states, like New York, which have relatively lax requirements, have many ways for students to pursue their education in court reporting, including online, at community and technical colleges, and at schools devoted exclusively to court reporting. Other states, like Fort Myers, have more strict requirements. The Fort Myers court reporters are the best in their work as they are qualified and capable on the post they are appointed.
Like many professions, court stenographers have their own tools of the trade. Unfortunately for aspiring court reporters, the cost of those tools is not insubstantial. Most programs will require you to have access to a manual steno type machine, which usually costs between $100-$250, and a professional computerized writer, which costs between $2,500 and $5000. Since the cost of the computerized writer is high, many schools allow students to rent one from the school. After familiarizing yourself with the requirements to become a court reporter in your state and the educational facilities available to you, pick a reputable program that suits your budget, schedule, and the regulatory requirements of your state.
Although some states allow the professional associations to test their own members, many states require aspiring court reporters to take a licensing test produced by the state. The fees vary, but expect to pay anywhere from $200-$600 total for the exam and licensing fees. Most tests consist of both a written portion and a skills portion. You must pass the written portion of the NCRA’s exam with a 70% or better. What constitutes passing differs by state, but typically, the skills portion is in line with the standards set forth by the National Court Reporters Association, which are:
Literary at 180 wpm
Jury Charge at 200 wpm
Testimony/Q&A at 225 wpm
Some states require you to join a professional like the NCRA in order to be fully licensed. If this is the case in your state, be prepared to pay fees ranging $65-$260.
