3 Facts About Certified NCRA Court Reporters

Court reporting agencies have grown and evolved over the years. Today, court reporting is one of the most valuable and important careers when you consider the prevalence of legal issues and lawsuits. However, becoming a court report takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but the career is absolutely worth it for the right individuals.

One of the industry’s largest and widely recognized associations for becoming a certified court report is the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). NCRA court reporters must meet certain criteria and pass specific exams in order to become certified. For example, the minimum speed needed for NCRA court reporters is 225 words per minute. Overall, the NCRA represents over 20,000 court reporters in the U.S. alone.

Here are a couple interesting facts and information about NCRA court reporters.

1. 1. History and Basics: The NCRA has certified court reporters since 1937, making it one of the longest standing nationally recognized certification standards. In fact, 22 states now use or accept the NCRA’s Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) testing in lieu of their state licensing exams. In order to join the ranks of NCRA court reporters, one must simply find a testing center near you, register for an exam, and put in the hard work/studying needed to pass.

1. 1. Levels and Tiers: Today, there are actually multiple levels, or tiers of NCRA court reporters. In addition to the standard RPR’s, there are also Registered Merit Reporters (RMR), and Registered Diplomate Reporters (RDR). Becoming a merit reporter essentially recognizes you as being one of the nation’s top NCRA court reporters and opens the door to new, more lucrative positions and jobs. There are currently over 3,000 RMRs.Once you reach RMR status you can then be considered to become a RDR. Registered Diplomate Reporters are the highest level of NCRA court reporting tiers and signifies you as elite in your profession and among your peers. Currently, there are only about 350 of these level court reports in the country.

1. Benefits of NCRA Certification: In addition to offering a reliable, professional, and rewarding career, becoming certified by the NCRA will help you consistently build on your skills going forward, open new doors and opportunities, and easily “prove” your worth to prospective employers.

It’s been estimated that employment in court reporting will grow by 10% from 2012 to 2022. If you’ve been considering a career in NCRA court reporting, it’s time to take the next step and get signed up today so your career can start flourishing tomorrow.