Court Reporting Certifications

Court Reporting Certifications By State

CVR/CVR-S, NVRA, and State Association Certifications

CVR/CVR-S:

Candidates must be high school graduates and provide documentary proof of high school graduation, GED, or passage of an independently administered test approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Documentation of a higher education degree is also acceptable. Candidates must be a General, Military, Student, or Honorary member of NVRA in good standing.

Candidates may attend an optional Test Readiness Session before testing. The fee for the session is $125.00. Should a candidate wish to attend additional sessions, the fees are as follows: second session $75.00; third and subsequent sessions $125.00.

Candidates must pass the Dictation Skills Test consisting of the dictation and transcription of three five-minute test segments with an accuracy of 95 percent. The segments are a 180-word-per-minute literary, a 200-word-per-minute jury charge, and a 225-word-per-minute two-voice question and answer.

Candidates must attain a score of 70 or greater on the Written Knowledge Test designed to test their knowledge of reporting the verbatim record, transcript production including vocabulary and punctuation, transcript distribution, professional responsibilities, and ethics. NOTE: A passing score on the Written Knowledge Test is valid for three years provided continuous NVRA membership is maintained. If you held a passing score on the Written Knowledge Test as of December 1, 2017, that score expires on November 30, 2020. After that date, you must retake the Written Knowledge Test to achieve your CVR/CVR-S.

Candidates must pass the Skills Test consisting of the dictation and transcription of three five-minute test segments with an accuracy of 95 percent on each. The segments are a 180-word-per-minute literary, a 200-word-per-minute jury charge, and a 225-word-per-minute two-voice question and answer.

NOTE: Members currently holding a Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) NCRA designation shall be granted a Certified Verbatim Reporter-Stenotype (CVR-S) certification without examination upon receipt of a $50.00 processing fee, documentation to verify NCRA certification, current NCRA membership, and membership with NVRA.

NVRA offers the following national certifications:

Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR)
Certified Verbatim Reporter – Stenotype (CVR-S)
Certificate of Merit (CM)
Certificate of Merit – Stenotype (CM-S)
Realtime Verbatim Reporter (RVR)
Realtime Verbatim Reporter – Stenotype (RVR-S)
Realtime Verbatim Reporter – Master (RVR-M)
Realtime Verbatim Reporter – Master – Stenotype (RVR-M-S)
Registered Broadcast Captioner – Master (RBC-M)
Registered CART Provider – Master (RCP-M)
Certified Legal Transcriptionist (CLT)
Certified Legal Scopist (CLS)

The NVRA certification testing program is available to all members. Tests are held at regular intervals throughout the year in various locations across the country. Click here to view the testing schedule.

Voice writers work as CART providers and Captioners nationwide. Voice writing court reporters are able to practice in state court systems in the following states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC. In addition, voice-writing court reporters work in the Federal Judicial System nationwide, the Military Court System internationally, and the U.S. Congress.

In order to retain these certifications, continuous membership in NVRA must be maintained. If membership is not maintained, the certification is revoked. Retesting would be required in order to regain certification.

In addition, 20 continuing education credits during each two-year cycle must be obtained. Requirements for CE credits are defined in NVRA’s CE Handbook.

For more information, contact: membership@nvra.org

NVRA certifies voice writers and steno writers as court reporters, real-time reporters, CART providers, and broadcast captioners, as well as other related professionals. Beyond any licensing considerations, NVRA certification demonstrates that the voice writer, steno writer, or other related professional has attained a level of professionalism and skill well above that of others in the field.

In most states having certification or licensing requirements, NVRA’s certifications are accepted in lieu of state testing. National certification through NVRA has great value because our certifications are honored in so many states. As a result, the voice writer, steno writer, or other related professional can move or work from state to state without the need to retest. Most people also find NVRA testing beneficial due to the “Readiness Workshop” and the total immersion of the test weekend experience.

Some states do not accept national certifications but require a passing grade on their own certification exams. Those states include Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas.

States that do not have any court reporter certification requirements, or where certification is voluntary, are:

States that do not have any court reporter certification requirements, or where certification is voluntary, are Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.