How To Become A Court Reporter - Discover A Rewarding Career

[shertevs007]

bottom line...pass the state/national licensing test...getting it is a PRIORITY. Then you have to find a job..The training you get in school is NOTHING compared to when you work in the real world. Make sure you have some sort of recorder as a back up just in case...you will be in trouble if somebody talks at 300 wpm (when they get into a heated argument) which is common in court.

[arenaskiez]

A court reporting degree/certificate is not the main priority. It's all about getting state/national license.

I'm currently at 200 wpm and doing my internship hours in the courts. Believe it or not, in the real world, 200 wpm isn't enough. Attorneys, witnesses, etc speak well over 200 wpm. There are a few attorneys that I was warned of that talk as fast as 350 wpm.

[shertevs007]

what court reporting school are you attending? and do you have any tips for us. How many years before you reached 200 wpm? if you don't mind my asking. or if not...just maybe you have some helpful tips for some of us in the lower speeds....

[arenaskiez]

@shertevs007 I'm attending a private school here in CA. I started school in April of 2010. I got to 200 wpm in June 2011. That's naturally faster than most people, but it really depends on the person at the speed they go. My tip is stay consistent with practicing on your machine. You don't have to over brief every word or phrase, I sure don't, but try to practice at least once a day for five times a week. And if your state requires academic testing, make sure you study those too.

[arenaskiez]

@shertevs007 If you have any more questions, message me.

[CassieLovee11]

haha 80 is NOTHING for a coourt reporter try at 200 WPM now thats tough

[TheDeanna912]

Dropout rate high. 15 in my class. I was the only graduate. Nothing easy in life. 80 words a minute for a court reporter? People test you. speak much faster to watch you sweat and then ask you to read back. You can't say: Let me play my digital back. Blood, sweat and tears in school. You could be a scopist, but not a reporter. Go ahead and sign up for your state certification test. Give it a go at 80 words a minute. Then come back on here and tell us you could be court reporter.

[middleroader12]

Buyer beware! A lot of states have certification requirements that are in the 180-225 words per minute range. 80 WPM isn't even fast enough for you to take the exam, let alone get a job! Don't be duped!

[london21002100]

Thank you!

[laceekey]

Martha, I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. Where the hell do you think you can get a job at 80 WPM?! I've worked with reporters who can barely write 140 and have to use 2 audio backups JUST to make sure they have it for when they scope because they suck at their job!!!!!

ahhhh....PLEASE never encourage anyone to drop out at 80 WPM and go "find a job" being a court reporter.

[london21002100]

@Marthasowa, if you think keyboarding at 80 wpm is going to get it in the realtime reporting world, you are sadly mistaken, my friend! If you stroked SHORTHAND at 80 wpm, you'd get BLOWN AWAY in any legal proceeding. You need a shorthand skill of 180-225 wpm to get the record. Period.

[sueryun]

is it true the drop out rate is 90%?

[tharpjeffery]

Good job to get an inside view of how law and the courts work.

[marthasowa]

It would be interesting listening to all the cases before the court.

[marthasowa]

My typing speed is about 80 wpm, which I think is fast enough for a court reporter position :)

[TheMuffinBurgler]

@marthasowa Hardly. You BEGIN at 80, you stop when you're past 200.