To earn the NCRA RPR, you must pass three timed stenographic skills tests and a Written Knowledge Test. Use the official Job Analysis to plan your written-test review, and practise dictation and transcription for each skills-test leg. The two components have separate registration arrangements.
What the RPR credential is
The Registered Professional Reporter is NCRA's foundational certification for stenographic reporters. Current or aspiring reporters can take the exam without first joining NCRA.
It is worth stating plainly: NCRA certification is voluntary. The RPR is not a state license and does not by itself authorize you to report in any jurisdiction. Some states have their own certification or licensing requirements, and some use the RPR to satisfy part of a state requirement. Check your state's rules through the NCRA State Certification Requirements page or your state's court reporter board.
Official sources: Registered Professional Reporter | NCRA — Certification page, retrieved September 2026; RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019
How the exam is structured
The skills component assesses dictation and transcription; the written test assesses professional knowledge. You do not have to pass all components at once.
The Online Skills Tests (SKT) are three five-minute dictation legs: Literary at 180 words per minute, Jury Charge at 200 wpm, and Testimony/Q&A at 225 wpm. After each dictation you get three minutes to attach your steno notes and 75 minutes to transcribe and submit your final transcript. Each leg requires 95 percent accuracy, and NCRA states you do not have to pass all the components at one time, so a single weak leg can be retaken on its own.
The Written Knowledge Test (WKT) is a 120-question multiple-choice exam. Twenty items are unscored pretest questions, so your result is based on 100 scored items, and you have 110 minutes to complete the test. You pass with a scaled score of 70 or better.
The WKT content comes from NCRA's RPR Job Analysis, which is the official blueprint. It splits across three areas:
| Written Knowledge Test area | Share of the test |
|---|---|
| Technology and Innovation | 43% |
| Industry Practices | 34% |
| NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics | 23% |
Official sources: Registered Professional Reporter | NCRA — Certification page, retrieved September 2026; RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019; Written Knowledge Test Information | NCRA — NCRA certification test center, retrieved September 2026
The Job Analysis is your study blueprint
Use the task list in the RPR Job Analysis as your coverage checklist. The version currently linked by NCRA is dated February 2019; use NCRA's current testing pages for logistics.
Because questions on the WKT are directly tied to the Job Analysis, one way to organize your preparation is to read the document itself and use its task list as your checklist. NCRA requires all candidates to review the appropriate Job Analysis before registering for the test.
The Job Analysis also lists reference materials — dictionaries, software manuals, and legal references — that the test draws from. You do not need to buy every title, but the list tells you which publishers and subject areas the questions come from.
Official sources: RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019; Written Knowledge Test Information | NCRA — NCRA certification test center, retrieved September 2026
Technology and Innovation: the largest domain
If your materials focus on terminology and ethics, compare them with the Technology and Innovation task list. It identifies the computer, software, file-management, research, and security topics to review.
If your training materials focused on vocabulary, punctuation, and ethics, you may need to build technology knowledge from a different source. The Job Analysis task list is the place to start: it names the specific systems, software functions, and research skills the test covers.
Read the domain carefully and mark the tasks you have never done. Then find one resource per gap. For example, if you have never generated a realtime file, find your CAT software manual and read that chapter. If you have never trouble-shot a connection, look up the Job Analysis reference list for a hardware or networking resource.
Practice exercise
Which of the following tasks belongs to the Technology and Innovation domain of the RPR Job Analysis? A. Determining fees independently B. Troubleshooting a WiFi connection before a realtime session C. Maintaining confidentiality of information entrusted by parties D. Understanding the role of scopists and proofreaders
Show answer
B. Troubleshooting a WiFi connection before a realtime session
The Job Analysis lists troubleshooting issues related to generating a realtime file — including WiFi, LANs, and WANs — under Technology and Innovation. Option A belongs to professional ethics, Option C belongs to the Code of Professional Ethics obligations, and Option D appears under Industry Practices. The distractors are realistic because all four describe genuine reporter responsibilities, but only B is a technology task.
- Computer hardware and peripherals; operations; Windows operating systems
- CAT software: punctuation, spelling, grammar rules, dictionary usage
- Realtime file generation using current technology
- Troubleshooting: cabling, connections, COM ports, drivers, WiFi/LANs/WANs, Device Manager, power management
- Electronic file management: storage, retrieval, transfer, backup, cloud, file formats, conversion
- Online research: search engines, credible resources, search strategies, citations
- Security: firewalls, anti-virus, PII/SPI, secure file transfer, HIPAA compliance
Official sources: RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019
Industry Practices and Ethics: the other two domains
Industry Practices covers transcript production, legal process, and related professional roles. NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics covers the association, professional obligations, and continuing education.
The Industry Practices domain includes producing accurate transcripts, swearing in deponents and witnesses, marking and maintaining custody of exhibits, reading back testimony, off-the-record procedures, rough-draft guidelines, and understanding the legal process, court structure, and pleadings. It also covers the roles of scopists and proofreaders.
The NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics domain covers NCRA's mission and resources, NCRA certifications, membership requirements, continuing education requirements, position statements, the Code of Professional Ethics, COPE general guidelines and advisory opinions, and promoting the profession. It also includes business topics such as independent contractor versus employee status.
For ethics review, study NCRA's own Code of Professional Ethics rather than general legal ethics. The Code is a mandatory set of obligations for NCRA Members, covering impartiality, conflict of interest, confidentiality, truthful public statements, fee independence, gift limits, and professional integrity. The Guidelines for Professional Practice, by contrast, are goals Members should strive to attain, not mandates.
Official sources: RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019; NCRA Code of Professional Ethics | NCRA — NCRA profession page, retrieved September 2026
Preparing for the Skills Tests
Practise the complete sequence: dictation, attaching your steno notes, and timed transcription. Use errors in the finished transcript to choose your next drill.
The following is a suggested practice routine. Read the raw translation after a practice take and classify errors in a way that helps you choose the next drill, such as number errors or gaps in the record. Check whether the next attempt improves after you review those errors.
Use practice material that matches each leg's genre and stated speed, and compare the finished transcript with its answer text. Rotate among literary, jury-charge, and testimony practice rather than spending every session on your strongest leg.
Official sources: Registered Professional Reporter | NCRA — Certification page, retrieved September 2026
Registration, fees, and testing windows
Register for the WKT through NCRA, then follow the confirmation email to schedule with Pearson VUE. Skills Test registration and fees are separate.
The WKT offers Pearson VUE OnVUE online proctoring and Pearson VUE Test Center appointments. Read the requirements for your chosen delivery method before booking.
Fees for the RPR WKT are $181 for student members, $220 for Reporter members, and $253 for non-members. You must present a valid photo ID whose first and last name match your NCRA record exactly. Pearson VUE does not check middle names, so a mismatch — such as a maiden name on your ID but a married name in NCRA's records — will prevent you from testing.
Registration periods recur throughout the year. The listed periods for 2026 are September 1–20, October 1–18, and December 1–20. Registration ends at midnight Eastern Time on the last day of each window. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email within three business days; wait for that email before scheduling your test with Pearson VUE.
Cancellation carries fees: NCRA retains $35 for all cancellations, and if you do not contact NCRA by the last day of your testing period your fee is forfeited. You must also cancel any scheduled Pearson VUE appointment separately, or you will be assessed an additional $65 no-show fee.
The Skills Tests are also administered online through NCRA's Online Skills Test system. All candidates must read the Skills Test instructions and technical requirements before registering. Skills Test fees and registration are separate from the WKT, so check NCRA's Online Skills Test registration page for current details.
Official sources: Written Knowledge Test Information | NCRA — NCRA certification test center, retrieved September 2026
After you pass: membership and maintenance
To use the RPR credential you must become a Registered member of NCRA within 30 days of passing all requirements. You then renew by earning at least 3.0 CEUs over each three-year cycle while maintaining NCRA membership.
Passing the exam does not automatically grant you the credential. NCRA requires new RPRs to become a Registered member within 30 days of passing all RPR requirements. Once you are a member, you participate in NCRA's continuing education program and earn a minimum of 3.0 CEUs over a three-year period to renew.
Your certification is recognized in the Journal of Court Reporting and on NCRA's website, and NCRA membership includes a complimentary listing in NCRA PROLink. Since January 1, 2025, NCRA no longer mails physical certificates; you download and print your own certificate through the NCRA website.
Official sources: Registered Professional Reporter | NCRA — Certification page, retrieved September 2026; Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) | NCRA — NCRA certification page, retrieved September 2026
Your preparation checklist
Use this short checklist to turn the topic map into practice and complete the registration steps.
- Mark unfamiliar tasks in the RPR Job Analysis and choose relevant resources for them.
- Give the largest written-test domain appropriate attention while also reviewing your own weaker topics.
- Read NCRA's Code of Professional Ethics and distinguish its obligations from the Professional Practice Guidelines.
- Practise each complete Skills Test leg, including transcription, and record the errors to revisit.
- Check the instructions, identification, equipment, and deadlines for each test component before registering.
Official sources: Registered Professional Reporter | NCRA — Certification page, retrieved September 2026; RPR Job Analysis — NCRA Job Analysis document, last updated February 2019; Written Knowledge Test Information | NCRA — NCRA certification test center, retrieved September 2026; NCRA Code of Professional Ethics | NCRA — NCRA profession page, retrieved September 2026; COPE - Guidelines for Professional Practice | NCRA
Official sources
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