How to Become a Court Reporter in Vermont

A court reporter, also referred to as a court stenographer, real-time writer, or certified shorthand reporter (CSR), is responsible for transcribing every spoken word during legal proceedings, such as trials.

This role plays a crucial part in the justice system.

If you’re considering a career as a court reporter in Vermont, you’ll need to follow a specific path to obtain your license.

Let’s explore the steps required!

Complete Your Court Reporting Education in Vermont

To begin your journey toward becoming a licensed court reporter, you must first complete a court reporting training program.

Ensure that the program you choose is approved by the Vermont Board of Court Reporting.

To be eligible for enrollment, you should meet the following criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Hold a high school diploma or GED.

These training programs typically offer courses in various areas of court reporting, including:

• CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and Captioning
• Judicial Reporting
• Scoping and Proofreading
• Professional Transcription
• Office Assistant
• Court and Realtime Reporting

Make sure that the curriculum you select is approved by CASE (Council on Approved Student Education).

Course subjects may include:

• Applied Writing I
• Medical Terminology
• Legal Terminology
• Civil and Criminal Law Terminology
• Realtime Reporting I
• Realtime Reporting II

These programs are usually offered at the postsecondary, non-degree level, but you can also find certificate, diploma, associate’s, and bachelor’s degree programs.

Educational Institutions in Vermont

Several schools in Vermont offer court reporting programs.

For instance:

Vermont State University

It offers courses in court reporting, closed captioning, and CART.

These courses can be taken online at your own pace.

There are no specific prerequisites for enrollment.

The goal of this program is to help you achieve a typing speed of up to 225 words per minute.

The program costs $6,104 if you don’t need a steno machine, or $7,899 if you do.

Additionally, students will have access to the CAT (Computer-Aided Transcription) program while enrolled.

Green Mountain College

The school offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in Court Reporting Technology for those aspiring to become court reporters.

Enrollment typically takes place during the fall semester.

Graduation requirements include scoring at least a “C” in all Court Reporting courses and any other courses required by the NCRA’s Council.

You must also achieve at least 96% accuracy in four 5-minute tests, including 225 words per minute testimony (two-voice), 200 words per minute jury charge, and 180 words per minute literary.

Additionally, a mandatory internship of 50 hours is required, with 40 hours dedicated to writing.

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Obtain Licensure as a Court Reporter in Vermont

Once you’ve completed your education, you must pass an exam to obtain your court reporter license in Vermont.

You have 18 months to do so after completing your training, and during this time, you can acquire a temporary license, although this option cannot be renewed.

You can earn one of the following nationally recognized certifications:

• NCRA’s Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification
• NVRA’s (National Verbatim Reporters Association) Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR)

To obtain the actual license in Vermont, you must also pass a skills exam, which can be administered by either NCRA, NVRA, or ACRA.

The requirements for this include:

• Paying the appropriate fees, which include $200 for the license and $50 for the application.
• Providing proof of graduation from the training program.
• Completing the application form.

The ACRA test is similar to both the NCRA and NVRA exams.

The NCRA skills test can be taken online, while the other two exams are taken in person.

For those seeking the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification, a knowledge written exam is also required.

This exam includes 120 questions covering technology, professional practices, ethics, and reporting practices.

The minimum passing score is 70, and the fees are as follows:

• $220 if you’re not a member of the organization
• $195 if you are a member
• $160 if you’re a student member

The NVRA exam costs $125, and the Certified Court Reporter (CCR) skills exam costs $75.

The CCR skills exam consists of three separate sections, each lasting 5 minutes, where you must meet specific word count requirements:

• Literary at 180 words per minute
• Jury charge at 200 words per minute
• Testimony/Q&A at 225 words per minute

Candidates have 75 minutes to transcribe their notes, and the minimum passing score in Vermont is 95%.

Renew Your Court Reporter License in Vermont

To ensure your certification remains valid with the National Court Reporters Association, it’s crucial to stay current with your continuing education obligations.

This association mandates an average of 1 Continuing Education (CE) credit per year, or 3 credits every 3 years.

Similarly, for those certified by the National Verbatim Reporters Association, maintaining your certification hinges on fulfilling their CE credit requirement.

This means getting 30 hours of extra education every 3 years.

Court Reporter Salary in Vermont

If you’re curious about the potential earnings in this profession, in Vermont, the median salary for a court reporter is approximately $59,534 per year.

The following table displays the cities in Vermont with the highest median salaries for court reporters.

Average Annual Salary by State

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alabama, where the average salary is $0

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Court Reporter by State