RPR Skills Test Required Information Packet
Contents
1. REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL REPORTER SETTING THE STANDARD FOR CAPTURING THE RECORD RPR Skills Test Required Information Packet Rules and Regulations What is an Error Cancelation Policy Cancelation Form RULES AND REGULATIONS RPR AND RMR SKILLS TESTS The RPR and RMR Skills Tests are the exclusive property of the National Court Reporters Association Copyright law protects the Skills Tests No part of these tests may be copied or reproduced in part or whole by any means whatsoever including memorization unless previously authorized by NCRA The theft or attempted theft of a Skills Test is punishable as a crime Candidates are prohibited from using electronic devices of any kind once they have signed in at the test site with the exception of your writer and computer Electronic devices include but are not limited to audio sync digital recorders and any other audio recording and or screen capture tools Chief Examiners have the right to inspect a candidate s equipment including computer settings and desktop recycle bin before and after the test By registering for the test you have acknowledged that you understand and agree to abide by these procedures Failure to follow these or any NCRA procedures may result in your automatic failure and being barred from taking NCRA administered tests for a minimum of three 3 testing cycles or permanently depending on the nature of the violation NCRA members may also be suspended or2. expelled from the association GENERAL INFORMATION FOR SKILLS TEST CANDIDATES e You must bring a photo I D with you to gain entrance to the exam Candidates not arriving with identification will be denied entrance to the exam e Arrive at the reporting time specified on your Exam Site Information Page Candidates who arrive late will be denied entrance to the exam e Cell phones pagers and other electronic devices must be turned off not just muted and stored until after you leave the testing site e If your steno machine has a test mode the test mode must be used If you do not know if test mode is available on your steno machine please contact the manufacturer or your user manual e If your machine has an SD card please be sure it is blank The Chief Examiner may require you to format the SD card if you are unable to delete the specified test files Do not send your SD card to NCRA e Ifyou have a mechanical problem during the exam please remain calm and sit quietly Do not do anything that may distract the other candidates If the mechanical problem does not prevent you from writing please continue to write the exam You will be instructed how to proceed after the audio portion of the exam has finished playing e Candidates are prohibited from viewing or handling another candidate s test material Failure to adhere to this rule will result in automatic failure and may result in a limitation of the candidate s further participati
3. eir own transcripts without assistance including saving and or printing Candidates must perform their own translating and editing functions Each test leg needs to be written as a separate file What is an Error A Grading Guidelines for the RPR and RMR Skills Test NCR Revised January 2005 style changed August 2007 The RPR skills tests consists of five minutes of professionally recorded audio dictation material at 180 wpm literary RMR 200 wpm 200 jury charge RMR 240 wpm and 225 testimony RMR 260 wpm Passing for all RPR and RMR skills tests is 95 Allowable number of errors RPR RMR Literary 45 50 Jury Charge 50 60 Testimony 57 65 The RPR and RMR Skills Test is developed based on the rules of punctuation set forth in The Gregg Reference Manual and Merriam Webster s Dictionary e Automatic Fails o Handwritten transcripts o Use of all capitals or all lowercase O Single spaced transcripts e The following list of errors will be used as a guideline for correcting tests In all cases of dispute the grader guided by all the principles set forth herein will render the final decision subject to appeal to the Chair of the Council of the Academy of Professional Reporters Please see the bottom of the page for an explanation of errors ERROR GUIDELINES 1 a Each wrong word D I didn t see the car until we hit T I didn t notice any vehicle until we hit NOTE Each wrong and or
4. ge is final only upon my receipt of a new NCRA Skills Exam Confirmation Change Site from __________ Change Site to To view the entire exam cancellation and site change policy please visit the Required Information for Candidates page http ncra org testing If you are requesting a cancellation and refund after the cancellation deadline due to an injury major illness family emergency or other extenuating circumstance please submit back up documentation with this form Examples of adequate back up documentation include but are not limited to doctors notes obituaries and church bulletins Please note that processing fees will still be applied Failure to submit your request with back up documentation will result in the return of your request without consideration National Court Reporters Association 8224 Old Courthouse Road Vienna Virginia 22182 3808 Phone 800 272 6272 Fax 703 556 6291 Email testing ncra org
5. ligence Agency 3 Errors T If you read the note you will see he lied 1 Error D I have worked for the FBI for three years 8 Each obvious question mark omitted from an T Ihave worked for the C A for three years 3 Errors interrogative sentence or added to a noninterrogative sentence 15 Each compound word written as two words and vice versa D Q What is your name D The high school dropout rate has increased the last T Q What is your name 1 Error two years T The high school drop out rate has increased the last 9 Each contraction transcribed as two words and vice two years 1 Error versa D I don t know T Ido not know 1 Error 10 Each omission of Q and A D A Do you mean now These Will Not Be Counted As Errors Q Yes T A D TATEA WA Misplaced commas except listed in Error No 7 __ Yes 1 Error Sate A Optional capitalization of certain words e g President D A Do you mean now State e Q Yes X ing out of errors if done by typewriter No pen or A That is right pencil T A Do you mean now In dates ordinal numbers for cardinal numbers and vice That is right 3 Errors versa either May 1 or May 1 May 22 or May 22 Spelling names that sound alike D Harley Schmidt T Hardey Schmitt Punctuation which was part of a drop Missing hyphens Placing The Court at the beginning of the Jury Charge exam Dictated words or ph
6. on in NCRA tests e Candidates are responsible for providing all necessary equipment including a computer steno machines printers software computers security keys data storage devices blank 3 5 double sided high density formatted diskette compact disk or flash drive USB drive and labels cables extension cords minimum 16 foot recommended adapters and surge protector power strips e Ifyou are submitting a data storage device with your test make sure it is saved as a readable file ASCII pdf Word plain text file Do NOT save it in your CAT software format e Use of the candidate s own equipment is strictly at the candidate s own risk Use of any on site equipment if available RPR and RMR only is also at the candidate s own risk RULES AND REGULATIONS RPR AND RMR SKILLS TESTS Candidates should not expect or receive instruction on how to operate their own or any on site equipment RPR and RMR only This includes how to save and or print your notes and transcript Do not include the one minute practice test in your final saved printed transcript The site the Chief Examiner and NCRA assume no responsibility should any equipment not perform properly or be dropped stolen knocked off a desk etc RPR AND RMR CANDIDATES A m Skills candidates may use a printed Merriam Webster s Dictionary or electronic dictionary spell check installed on their computer RPR and RMR candidates may pass each leg
7. one at a time to earn credit for that leg RPR and RMR candidates are allowed 1 1 4 hours 75 minutes per leg for transcription Candidates who do not transcribe must sign the Affidavit of Non Transcription Please do not sign the Affidavit of Non Transcription if you have already passed a leg s Skills candidates are permitted to use CAT Refer to your Exam Site Information Page for site specific equipment requirements Realtime translation is allowed in the dictation room The screen must be situated in such a manner so that the display will not be visible to other candidates No audio assist of any kind is permitted during test dictation or during transcription All candidates must follow the rules and regulations on equipment as outlined below All candidates are required to place the following items in their Skills Test envelope and hand them in to the Chief Examiner Do NOT seal the envelope e Writer Disk or writer cassette labeled with 10 digit exam ID if test files cannot be deleted and or if CAT was used e Final transcript with 10 digit exam ID on top of each page if test is being administered by CD ePaper notes labeled with 10 digit exam ID notes may be compared with final transcript e Candidates using paperless writers must be prepared to print their notes All candidates who used a CAT system with a memory must delete all forms of the test before leaving the transcription room All transcripts are graded according
8. placed word 2 Wrong word 5 Transposed word 3 Hyphen 6 Missing wrong punctuation 7 Missing word 10 Capitalization 13 Contraction 8 Misspelling 11 Untranslate 14 Typographical error 9 Added word 12 Style What is an Error A Grading Guidelines for the RPR and RMR Skills Test NCRA Revised January 2005 style changed August 2007 Guardians of the Record 7 Each omitted period or comma that is required by the 11 Each incorrect number or money figure represented by rules of punctuation a word D I couldn t I was asleep D May one nineteen fifty one T Icouldn t I was asleep 1 Error T May 1 1871577 3 Errors rather than 1 T May 2 187157 4 Errors D It results from a misinterpretation of several cases which Brown cites In D One hundred forty three dollars sixty cents Grant v United the point was made T _ 143 60 omitted sign 1 Error T 1427 40 2 Errors T It results from a misinterpretation of T 143 06 1 Error several cases which Brown cites in Grant v United The point was made 1 Error 12 Each omitted capital letter clearly needed T cleveland Ohio 1 Error D September 20 1993 will be the first day of classes 13 Corrections made with pen or pencil T September 20_ 1993 will be the first day of classes 1 Error 14 Words used in place of an acronym and vice versa D CIA D If you read the note you will see he lied T Central Intel
9. rases not in the dictionary NOTE One error for the omitted Q One error for the omitted Yes one error for the omitted A To assist with grading the errors listed in this document have been coded as follows 13 Contraction 14 Typographical error 7 Missing word 8 Misspelling 9 Added word 10 Capitalization 11 Untranslate 12 Style 1 Extra missing space 2 Wrong word 3 Hyphen 4 Replaced word 5 Transposed word 6 Missing wrong punctuation CRA SETTING THE STANDARD FOR CAPTURING THE RECORD A SKILLS TEST CANCELATION POLICY SKILLS EXAM CANCELLATION AND SITE CHANGE POLICY e Candidates must submit a completed Exam Cancellation and Site Change form to NCRA prior to the cancellation deadline Cancellation deadlines are listed on the Exam Cancellation and Site Change form e Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via U S mail or fax or emailed to testing ncrahq org The Exam Cancellation and Site Change form is available at www ncra org testing e The balance of the registration fee will be refunded less a 35 non refundable processing fee If a skills test cancellation request is submitted to NCRA after the cancellation deadline the candidate must be able to provide back up documentation of the extenuating circumstance which prevented the candidate from taking their exam Examples of adequate back up documentation include but are not limited to o Doctors notes o Obituarie
10. s o Church bulletins If a candidate is able to provide sufficient documentation a refund of the registration fee less a 35 non refundable processing fee will be issued If a candidate is unable to document the extenuating circumstance no refund will be issued Note No show candidates will forfeit their entire registration fee unless able to provide adequate back up documentation of an extenuating circumstance within 30 days of the exam SKILLS TEST SITE CHANGE POLICY Important NCRA cannot guarantee a site change as the site requested may be full Site changes are final ONLY when candidate receives an updated exam confirmation from NCRA It is the responsibility of the candidate to verify his or her exam site prior to test day e Candidates must submit a completed Exam Cancellation and Site Change form prior to the site change deadline The site change deadline is listed on the Exam Cancellation and Site Change form e Site change requests must be submitted in writing via U S mail or fax or emailed to testing ncrahg org The Exam Cancellation and Site Change form is available at www ncra org testing If a site change request is submitted to NCRA after the deadline the candidate must be able to provide adequate documentation of the extenuating circumstance necessitating the change If the candidate is able to provide adequate documentation every effort will be made to accommodate the request If the candidate received their e
11. substituted word counts as only error not 2 b Each plural read as singular and vice versa D Let me check the dates T Let me check the date c Each present tense verb read as past tense and vice versa D In other words you acted as a clerk T In other words you act as a clerk 2 Each omitted word D I drove and he slept T Idrove He slept NOTE The essential error is the omission of the word and No error for the period no error for the capital H 3 Each added word D dictated T translated Transposition NOTE If one or more words are transposed from one part of the sentence to another each transposed word is an error D Then when he started T When he then started 1 Error D Before I went to Chicago I went home T P went home before I went to Chicago 3 Errors 5 Each misspelled word including typographical errors or strikeovers D hospital T hotpital 1 Error D That doctor is not my doctor T That docter is not my docter 2 Errors D It would come in time T It would come in time 1 Error D It would come in time T It would come eeme in time 0 Errors Each wrong name D Mr Smith followed me home T Mr Jones followed me home 1 Error To assist with grading the errors listed in this document have been coded as follows D Yes T Yes sir 1 Error 1 Extra missing space 4 Re
12. to the NCRA Grading Guidelines What Is An Error Headphones are prohibited while transcribing the test Use your NCRA ID number and the following abbreviations as the file names when making your new steno and test files L for Literary JC for Jury Charge and T for Testimony An example is 12345RPRLnotes and 12345RPRL You must write your NCRA ID at the beginning of your steno notes if you test is being administered by CD Use of all capitals or all lowercase will result in an automatic failure of the exam There will be no exceptions RULES AND REGULATIONS RPR AND RMR SKILLS TESTS RPR RMR EQUIPMENT 1 Additional transcription time will not be allowed for equipment failure accidental erasing of computer files or forgotten items e g cables power cords Double check to make sure you have saved your file s correctly if you are submitting a data storage device Candidates are required to delete their note memory file from their steno machine If your steno machine does not use a disk e g a RAM memory eliminate any jobs that may be in your steno machine s memory as you will be asked to reformat your steno machine s memory after the exam If you do not reformat your steno machine s memory your steno machine will be impounded by the Chief Examiner RPR RMR TRANSCRIPTS In every sense the Skills Test transcripts must be the work products of the individual candidate Candidates are responsible for producing th
13. xam confirmation after the deadline NCRA will change the candidate s site without penalty SITE CLOSINGS In the unlikely event a site must close due to elements beyond NCRA s control all candidates will receive a full refund of their registration fee including the processing fee Every attempt will be made to accommodate these candidates for future exams Questions Please contact the NCRA Member Services amp Information Center at 1 800 272 6272 or the Department of Certification and Testing at testing ncra org Mail or fax requests to NCRA 8224 Old Courthouse Road Vienna VA 22182 3808 Fax 703 556 6291 Attn Certification and Testing CRA SETTING THE STANDARD FOR CAPTURING THE RECORD SKILLS EXAM CANCELLATION AND SITE CHANGE REQUEST FORM SKILLS TEST CANCELLATION AND SITE CHANGE DEADLINE April 27 2013 Name NCRA ID Signature Address City State Province Zip Postal Code Phone Email Exam C Skills Test May 4 2013 O Ihereby request a CANCELLATION of my May 4 2013 skills test and a refund of my registration fee I have read and understand NCRA s exam cancellation policy I understand that NCRA will retain a 35 00 non refundable processing fee or O Thereby request a SITE CHANGE for my May 4 2013 skills test I have read and understand NCRA s site change policy I understand the site I am requesting may be full and my request for a site chan
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