Reciprocity with NCRA certification holders:

1.       Holders of the RPR or any NYS or equal CSR may pay $50 to be granted the ACR. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential. Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain the NYACR credential.  The NYACR is recognized by the New York State Office of Court Administration. 

2.      Holders of the CRR may pay $50 to be granted the RCR. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential. Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain the RCR credential.  The RCR is recognized by the New York State Office of Court Administration and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. 

3.      Holders of the CRI may pay $50 to be granted the NYACT. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential.  Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain NYSCRA credential.

             
                  Click here for form to apply for reciprocity

Other Exam Information

“JUDICIAL” EMPLOYMENT AND EXAMINATIONS

Employment in the NYS Court System
The New York State Unified Court System hires permanent court reporters based on statewide testing.  (Part-time, even per-diem, hires sometimes occur.)  Successful candidates, ranked by grade, are eligible for appointment to courts throughout the state.  There are separate examinations for the lower and higher courts. 

Examinations, when conducted, fill vacancies in the courts throughout the State of New York.  Promotional hires usually are made to the NYS Supreme and County Court before canvassing from the open-competitive list. 

Employment in Freelance
When seeking employment with a freelance agency, serious reporters arm themselves with objective proof of performance skills and knowledge.  Their attire and demeanor are also commensurate with working in the conservative arena of law and courts. 

Realtime reporting has become an integral tool of the successful freelance reporter.  Thus, achieving realtime certification, using up-to-date technology, and staying current about related technology are vital reporting tools. 

NYSCRA and NCRA offer training seminars, certifications, and other assistive tools.

“NONJUDICIAL” REPORTING AND EXAMINATIONS
Closed Captioning (Subtitling)
Text displayed on a television or large screen is high-tech court reporting technology at work.  During live broadcasts, reporters produce that text – using speech-to-text technology similar to realtime text produced for lawyers during court.  Certification is an extremely important prerequisite for employment in this arena. 

NCRA’s Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC) examination offers objective performance certification for captioners.
Click here for NCRA testing information

CART Reporting
CART providers usually provide communication access to the deaf, but also can display text to viewers onsite (often on oversized monitors), and stream text to the internet.  The function they perform is similar to captioning; that is, they instantly turn speech to text for immediate review.  Certification in this arena is also extremely important for employment.

NCRA’s Certified CART Provider (CCP) examination offers objective performance certification for CART providers.
Click here for NCRA testing information

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
One aim of a professional association is to provide court and related reporters the opportunity to objectively demonstrate their abilities – to prospective employers, for self-improvement, and to prepare for other tests.  To private-sectors employers, certification provides objective evidence of the reporter’s skill level, therefore supports employability.  NYSCRA, NCRA, and USCRA offer certification examinations.  

The Role of NYSCRA
NYSCRA alerts its members to upcoming employment and professional examinations.  It also posts known prep sessions and other known assists. 

When NYSCRA representatives negotiate for pro-reporter legislation, their bargaining position is strengthened when they can show a strong constituency who also objectively demonstrate fine performance skills. 

Another important reason why this association conducts examinations is an understanding that reporters cannot always travel to distant locations where other groups conduct similar exams, and so it brings these tests to the doorstep of our members several times annually.

Demonstrating the high-tech nature of the contemporary court reporting profession, and following the lead of NCRA, NYSCRA is currently in the process of converting to online testing.  Watch for confirmation.  Such will alleviate traveling to test locations and will better accommodate the candidate’s schedule, allowing flexible test scheduling and greater frequency.  

NCRA Certification Exams
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)
Registered Merit Reporter (RMR)
Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR)
Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC)
Certified CART Provider (CCP)
Click here for NCRA testing information 

USCRA Certification Exams
Federal Realtime Reporter (FCRR)
[Click here for link to USCRA details and schedule]

SCHEDULE of CERTIFICATION/EMPLOYMENT EXAMS
Certification Examinations
NCRA EXAM SCHEDULES
USCRA EXAM SCHEDULE

1.       Holders of the RPR or any NYS or equal CSR may pay $50 to be granted the ACR. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential. Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain the NYACR credential.  The NYACR is recognized by the New York State Office of Court Administration. 

2.      Holders of the CRR may pay $50 to be granted the RCR. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential. Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain the RCR credential.  The RCR is recognized by the New York State Office of Court Administration and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. 

3.      Holders of the CRI may pay $50 to be granted the NYACT. Submit your NCRA transcript with $50 to be granted this credential.  Your NYSCRA membership must be active when application is made and remain in good standing to retain NYSCRA credential.