NCRA's Court Reporter Certification History

With the skills portion of NCRAs certification test date fast approaching, we did a little research into the history of the National Court Reporter Association’s certifications.

Certificate of Proficiency or CP

Was first introduced in 1937 and had no Written Knowledge Test portion. This test was replaced by the Registered Professional Reporter or RPR exam, which includes a three-part skills test in addition to a Written Knowledge Test.

 

Certificate of Merit or CM

First introduced in 1949.  Unlike the CP, court reporters could pass the different legs of the exam all at once or in sections.

 

Certified Legal Video Specialist or CLVS

This certification program for court reporters and non-reporters was first introduced in 1984.  Those with a CLVS designation are qualified to conduct and control the process of providing videotape services for the legal community.

 

Registered Diplomate Reporter or RDR

First introduced in 1994.  This is a broad-based, all inclusive Written Knowledge Test.  The RDR represents the highest level of certification a court reporter can achieve.

 

Certified Realtime Reporter or CRR

This realtime proficiency exam was first introduced in 1996.  It seems like yesterday.  Dictated at varying speeds during a five-minute dictation.

 

Certified Broadcast Captioner and Certified CART Provider

These are written broad-based knowledge tests first introduced in 2003.  Court reporters must pass each test with 96% accuracy.

 

Come November 5, All Good Reporters will be thinking of all those sitting for their exams and wish them all the best.

 

 

For a more in-depth explanation of NCRA’s certification program, please click on this link:  http://ncraonline.org/certification/Certification/

We encourage all professional court reporters to work toward and successfully complete each level of NCRAs court reporter certifications.  There’s growing demand for your specialized skills both in and out of the legal profession.  With each passing level, you’ll confidently expand your services and increase your income streams.