Study guide
1.1 RPR Credential Overview, WKT Format & Scoring
NCRA RPR Registered Professional Reporter Exam
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1 Chapter 1: Introduction & Exam Structure
1.1 RPR Credential Overview, WKT Format & Scoring 1.2 The Three Skills Legs & Comprehensive Study Strategy
2 Chapter 2: Hardware, Systems & Peripherals
2.1 Computer Architecture, Operating Systems & Peripherals 2.2 Power Management & Device Manager Diagnostics 2.3 Audio Hardware & Recording Systems
3 Chapter 3: Writer Connectivity & Telecommunications
3.1 Wired Writer Connectivity 3.2 Wireless & Bluetooth Connectivity 3.3 Networking Fundamentals for Remote Reporting
4 Chapter 4: CAT Software Architecture & File Management
4.1 CAT Software Architecture & Translation Engines 4.2 File Structures, Conversion & Export Formats 4.3 Transcript File Management & Directory Organization
5 Chapter 5: Dictionary Maintenance & Conflict Resolution
5.1 Dictionary Hierarchy & Architecture 5.2 Globaling Strategies & Managing Untranslates 5.3 Steno Conflicts & Realtime Optimization
6 Chapter 6: Realtime Setup, Streaming & Troubleshooting
6.1 Realtime Cabling, Output Protocols & Viewer Software 6.2 Remote & Hybrid Realtime Streaming 6.3 Realtime Troubleshooting & Emergency Contingencies
7 Chapter 7: Data Storage, Backups & Disaster Recovery
7.1 Storage Media & Hardware Reliability 7.2 The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy & Automated Backups 7.3 Disaster Recovery, Archiving & Long-Term Storage
8 Chapter 8: Information Security, Privacy & Research
8.1 Cybersecurity, Encryption & Access Control 8.2 Protecting Confidential Information & PII 8.3 Online Research & Fact Verification 8.4 Emerging Technologies & AI/ASR Policies
9 Chapter 9: English Grammar, Usage & Spelling
9.1 Sentence Structure, Clauses & Syntactic Clarity 9.2 Subject-Verb Agreement & Pronoun Usage 9.3 Confusing Words, Homophones & Easily Confused Legal Terms 9.4 Spelling Rules, Word Relationships, Acronyms & Idioms
10 Chapter 10: Legal Punctuation & Verbatim Spoken English
10.1 Commas, Semicolons & Colons in Transcripts 10.2 Dashes, Hyphens & Parentheticals 10.3 Verbatim Rules, Colloquy, False Starts & Interruptions
11 Chapter 11: Legal Systems, Concepts & Terminology
11.1 Court Hierarchies, Jurisdiction & Venue 11.2 Civil Procedure Fundamentals 11.3 Legal Latin & Common Maxims 11.4 Legal Citations, Foreign Phrases & Reference Resources
12 Chapter 12: Criminal Law, Evidence & Medical Terminology
12.1 Criminal Law & Procedure 12.2 Rules of Evidence & Objections 12.3 Medical Terminology & Anatomy for Reporters
13 Chapter 13: Courtroom Duties & Trial Procedures
13.1 Pre-Trial Setup & Court Reporter Responsibilities 13.2 Administering Oaths & Witness Administration 13.3 Trial Proceedings, Jury Charge & Verdict
14 Chapter 14: Deposition Procedures & Special Proceedings
14.1 Deposition Workflow & Protocols 14.2 Readback Standards & Techniques 14.3 Complex, Multi-Party & Remote Proceedings
15 Chapter 15: Transcript Production, Formatting & Delivery
15.1 NCRA Transcript Format Guidelines 15.2 Exhibits, Master Indexing & Certification Pages 15.3 Transcript Delivery, Rough Drafts & Expedited Handling
16 Chapter 16: NCRA Code of Professional Ethics (COPE)
16.1 COPE Mandatory Principles: Neutrality & Impartiality 16.2 Equal Services, Financial Incentives & Contracting 16.3 Confidentiality, Integrity & Public Communication
17 Chapter 17: COPE Advisory Opinions & Complaint Procedures
17.1 Essential COPE Advisory Opinions 17.2 COPE Complaints, Decisions & Appeals 17.3 Guidelines for Professional Practice
18 Chapter 18: Professional Credentialing, Maintenance & Leadership
18.1 NCRA Certification Pathway & Exam Policies 18.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) & Credential Maintenance 18.3 NCRF, Mentorship, Volunteerism & Profession Advancement
1.1 RPR Credential Overview, WKT Format & Scoring
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
The RPR Written Knowledge Test (WKT) has 120 multiple-choice questions and a 110-minute time limit, taken at a Pearson VUE test center or online through OnVUE.
Only 100 WKT items are scored; the other 20 are unscored pretest items, and candidates cannot tell which items are pretest items.
Passing the WKT requires a scaled score of 70 or better, and NCRA uses scaled scoring so difficulty stays consistent across administrations; 70 is not a raw percentage.
The RPR Job Analysis weights Technology and Innovation at 43%, Industry Practices at 34%, and NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics at 23%, and each percentage approximates the number of questions in that domain.
Each passed component stays valid for three years from its official pass date, and candidates must become Registered members of NCRA within 30 days of passing all requirements to use the RPR designation.
Last updated: September 2026
1.1 RPR Credential Overview, WKT Format & Scoring
The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) credential, established and administered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) , is NCRA's foundational certification for entry-level freelance and official stenographic reporters. Whether serving in official judicial courtrooms, covering civil freelance depositions, providing CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, or producing broadcast captions, the RPR designation signals to employers, judicial officers, and litigators that a reporter possesses the technical proficiency, professional ethics, and speed necessary to capture the spoken record with uncompromising precision.
While many states maintain their own Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) examinations, the NCRA RPR is nationally recognized across federal and state court jurisdictions. For many working reporters, the RPR is also the launching pad for advanced NCRA certifications: the Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) (skills legs up to 260 WPM) and the Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) (a realtime testimony leg at 200 WPM with 96 percent accuracy) both require NCRA membership and a current RPR, and the Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR) builds on the RMR.
How the WKT Is Delivered
The Written Knowledge Test (WKT) is delivered by Pearson VUE . NCRA's WKT information page gives candidates two options: test online from a location of their choosing through OnVUE online proctoring , or test at a Pearson VUE test center .
Delivery option What NCRA and Pearson VUE require Practical notes
OnVUE (online) A quiet, private location, an internet connection that meets OnVUE technical requirements, photo check-in, and a system test run in advance on the same computer and connection Pearson VUE advises against testing from an employer's location because corporate security software can interfere; close VPNs, virtual machines, and non-permitted applications
Pearson VUE test center Choose the test-center option when you schedule Most candidates can pick up the preliminary score report at the front desk
Registration and scheduling follow a fixed sequence:
Register with NCRA during an open registration period. NCRA publishes each registration period and its matching testing period on the WKT page.
Wait for NCRA's confirmation email , which NCRA says arrives within three business days, before you schedule.
Schedule with Pearson VUE for any day and time inside the testing period you registered for.
Match your ID exactly. The first and last name on your valid photo ID must match your NCRA record exactly (Pearson VUE does not check middle names), or you will not be permitted to test.
Every candidate also accepts NCRA's test policy: the WKT is confidential, protected by trade secret law, and may not be disclosed or reproduced in any form.
Examination Structure: The 120-Question Breakdown
The RPR WKT consists of 120 multiple-choice questions delivered over an appointment seat time with a strict 110-minute testing limit . Understanding the internal architecture of these 120 items is critical for strategic pacing and psychological composure:
Component Number of Items Scoring Status Candidate Identification Purpose
Scored Items 100 questions Evaluated toward final scaled score Indistinguishable from pretest items Measures mastery of official RPR blueprint domains
Pretest Items 20 questions Unscored (statistical calibration) Indistinguishable from scored items Validates psychometric reliability for future exam forms
Total Test Items 120 questions 100 scored / 20 unscored Seamlessly intermixed throughout exam Complete examination experience within 110 minutes
Important
Psychological Strategy for Pretest Items: The 20 pretest questions are distributed randomly throughout the 120 items without visual markers, special labels, or separate sections. Candidates cannot tell which questions count and which do not. A fatal error is trying to guess whether an unusually challenging or unfamiliar question is an unscored pretest item and dismissing it. Treat every single question as if it is scored.
With 120 questions to complete in 110 minutes, candidates have an average of 55 seconds per question . A disciplined three-pass strategy is strongly recommended:
First Pass (Minutes 1–60) : Move steadily through the entire exam, immediately answering clear-cut recall and factual questions. Flag any scenario question that requires deep reading or prolonged calculation.
Second Pass (Minutes 61–95) : Return to flagged scenario-based questions in Technology and Ethics. Carefully parse the facts, eliminate implausible choices, and commit to an answer.
Final Pass (Minutes 96–110) : Review the question summary so that no item is left blank (an unanswered question cannot earn credit), then revisit flagged items.
The RPR Job Analysis and Domain Weights
NCRA says WKT questions are tied directly to the RPR Job Analysis (last updated February 2019 and still the analysis linked from NCRA's WKT page). The percentage next to each domain equals the approximate number of questions on the test in that area, and NCRA notes that technology questions about computer knowledge are based on Windows operating systems .
Domain Weight Approximate scored items What the job analysis lists
Domain 1: Technology and Innovation 43% ~43 of 100 Computer hardware and peripherals, computer operations, and CAT software; CAT realtime features, wired and wireless connections, and clients' viewing platforms; troubleshooting (cabling, COM ports, driver installation, hot spots/Wi-Fi/LANs/WANs, Device Manager, power management); storage drive types, file transfer, cloud storage, archiving, file formats and conversion; online research; and computer and information security (vulnerabilities, firewalls and antivirus, PII/SPI, secure file transfer)
Domain 2: Industry Practices 34% ~34 of 100 Punctuation, spelling, and grammar; vocabulary (topic resources, homophones and related word types, medical, legal, foreign, and trade terms); duties such as working with scopists and proofreaders, swearing witnesses, handling exhibits, readback, off-the-record procedures, and rough drafts; the legal process (pleadings, court structure, citations); and applicable rules (ADA/equal access, when records become public, FOIA, HIPAA, independent contractor versus employee status)
Domain 3: NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics 23% ~23 of 100 NCRA and NCRF mission and resources (certifications, membership requirements, continuing education, position statements); the Code of Professional Ethics and its advisory opinions; and promoting the profession (mentorship, professional development, NCRF volunteerism)
Notice that Technology and Innovation is the largest domain at 43% . Candidates coming out of court reporting programs often assume the written exam is mainly grammar and vocabulary. A candidate who neglects computer operations, realtime connections, troubleshooting, and file security gives up the biggest single share of the test.
Understanding the Scaled Passing Score of 70
NCRA sets the WKT passing standard as a scaled score of 70 or better . NCRA explains that scaled scoring keeps difficulty fair and consistent from one administration to the next by applying two widely accepted standard-setting methods to each question, and that it works with Pearson VUE and its Test Advisory Committee to keep the program in line with testing-industry practice.
What that means for you:
70 is not "70 percent correct." The reported score is a scaled value, not a raw count out of 100.
Only the 100 scored items count. The 20 pretest items do not affect your score, but you cannot tell which items they are.
NCRA does not publish a raw-score cut. Do not rely on rumors about how many correct answers "equal" a 70. Correct answers on the 100 scored items --> standard setting and scaling --> scaled score (70 or better = pass)
Results timeline
After the test you receive a preliminary pass/fail result and a score report showing how you performed in each domain. NCRA emails official scores within 2 to 4 weeks after the testing window closes and states that it cannot expedite results. At a test center you may receive the score report at the front desk; OnVUE candidates receive an email link, and every candidate can view the report in their Pearson VUE account.
Registration Fees, Retest Policies & Administrative Rules
Candidates register for the WKT through NCRA's certification portal and schedule their testing appointment on Pearson VUE's platform. Registration fees follow a tiered schedule based on candidate membership status:
Candidate Category WKT Registration Fee Strategic Recommendation
NCRA Student Member $181 Verify active student status with NCRA prior to exam registration to secure the reduced rate.
NCRA reporter member $220 Confirm your membership is current before you register.
Nonmember $253 Compare member and nonmember prices across every test you still need; skills legs are also priced by membership status.
Testing Periods, Cancellations, and Retesting
NCRA does not offer the WKT on demand. It publishes registration periods and matching testing periods on the WKT information page; for example, the September 1–20, 2026 registration period feeds an October 1–18, 2026 testing period. Key rules from NCRA's current pages:
Register first, then schedule any day and time within the testing period you registered for. Registration ends at midnight Eastern Time.
Cancel in writing. Send NCRA's WKT cancellation form to testing@ncra.org by the last day of the testing period; NCRA keeps a $35 processing fee , and fees are forfeited after that deadline. Also cancel any Pearson VUE appointment, or Pearson VUE can charge an additional $65 no-show fee .
If you do not pass , register again for a later testing period and pay the fee again. NCRA's pages do not publish a lifetime limit on attempts, and dual (back-to-back) registration is offered only for skills tests, not for the WKT.
Post-Pass Requirements & the 3-Year Component Retention Clock
Achieving a passing score on the WKT is a monumental milestone, but candidates must actively manage two critical administrative requirements to secure and maintain their credential:
Warning
The 3-Year Exam Retention Rule: Under NCRA's Exam Retention Policy (in effect since October 1, 2018), each passed WKT or skills test stays valid for three years from the date of the official pass . You must finish the remaining requirements before a component's three years run out, or that component expires and must be retaken. If a candidate passes the WKT on June 1, 2026, but fails to pass the final remaining skills leg by June 1, 2029, the WKT pass officially expires, and the written exam must be taken and passed again.
Important
The 30-Day Membership Requirement: NCRA says current or aspiring stenographic reporters are eligible to test and do not need to be NCRA members to take the RPR exam. Candidates who wish to use the RPR credential must become a Registered member of NCRA within 30 days of passing all RPR requirements .
To renew the RPR, you maintain NCRA membership and earn continuing education credit in every three-year cycle. The RPR page summarizes this as a minimum of 3.0 CEUs over three years; NCRA's Continuing Education Program Rules spell it out as 3.0 total credits per cycle, at least 2.0 of which must be CEUs (one CEU equals 10 contact hours), with the balance allowed as Professional Development Credits (PDCs). Section 19.2 covers the rules in detail.