Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development Syllabus

Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development in Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Speedbuilding Methodology

   4 topics

   • Incremental speed targets and plateaus
   • Practice dictation techniques
     • Push (above-target) dictation
     • Endurance/sustained writing
     • Accuracy-at-comfort drills
   • Drop, drag, and stacking error patterns
   • Self-evaluation and tracking accuracy percentages
2. 2

   The Three RPR Skills Legs

   4 topics

   • Literary dictation at 180 wpm
     • Single-voice continuous prose
     • Vocabulary and named-entity handling
   • Jury Charge at 200 wpm
     • Judge's instructions register
     • Legal boilerplate language
   • Testimony / Q&A at 225 wpm
     • Two-voice colloquy with Q and A designations
     • Rapid speaker changes
   • 95% accuracy standard and error counting
     • Scoping required vs total error allowance
     • Grading window and timed transcription
3. 3

   Realtime Writing and Translation

   4 topics

   • Conflict-free writing for clean realtime translate
   • Dictionary entry and maintenance for realtime
   • Untranslate rate reduction strategies
   • Fingerspelling and define-on-the-fly techniques
4. 4

   Difficult Dictation and Recovery

   4 topics

   • Crosstalk and overlapping speakers
   • Fast, mumbled, or accented speech
   • Read-back and recovery without losing the record
   • Technical and medical/scientific terminology

Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development flashcards for Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)

22 of 50 cards from the Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three official NCRA RPR skills (Realtime/Q&A-style) speed standards in words per minute?

   Literary at 180 wpm, Jury Charge at 200 wpm, and Testimony/Q&A at 225 wpm.

2. What minimum transcription accuracy must be achieved to pass each RPR skills test leg?

   95% accuracy on each of the three legs (Literary 180, Jury Charge 200, Testimony 225).

3. On the RPR skills exam, how long is each dictated take and how much time is given to transcribe?

   Each take (leg) is 5 minutes of dictation, transcribed within a set time limit afterward.

4. At 95% accuracy, what is the maximum number of errors allowed on a 5-minute, 225 wpm Testimony take?

   225 wpm x 5 min = 1,125 words; 5% of 1,125 = about 56 errors allowed.

5. At 95% accuracy, what is the maximum number of errors allowed on a 5-minute, 180 wpm Literary take?

   180 wpm x 5 min = 900 words; 5% of 900 = 45 errors allowed.

6. At 95% accuracy, what is the maximum number of errors allowed on a 5-minute, 200 wpm Jury Charge take?

   200 wpm x 5 min = 1,000 words; 5% of 1,000 = 50 errors allowed.

7. What is the general formula for computing accuracy percentage on a steno take?

   Accuracy % = ((total words - errors) / total words) x 100.

8. What is a speed 'plateau' in steno skill development?

   A stage where speed stops improving despite continued practice, as the brain consolidates and automates writing before the next gain.

9. What is the recommended way to set incremental speed targets when training?

   Push practice material above your goal speed (e.g., 10-20 wpm faster) so the target speed feels comfortable, then drop back to test pace.

10. What is a common technique for breaking through a speed plateau?

    Alternate fast 'push' takes above goal speed with slower 'control/accuracy' takes, plus drilling problem briefs and short-form outlines.

11. In steno error patterns, what is a 'drop'?

    An omitted stroke or word the reporter fails to write entirely, leaving a gap in the record.

12. In steno error patterns, what is a 'drag'?

    Lagging behind the speaker so far that strokes blur together or context is lost, often causing dropped or mistranslated outlines.

13. In steno error patterns, what is 'stacking'?

    Writing two strokes so close together that they merge into a single steno outline, producing a mistranslate.

14. What practice habit best prevents stacking errors?

    Developing clean stroke separation and timing/rhythm so each outline registers distinctly, often by slowing slightly to regain control.

15. What is the main cause of 'dragging' behind a speaker, and how is it corrected?

    Hesitating on briefs or unfamiliar words; corrected by writing immediately (even phonetically), trusting briefs, and not pausing to think.

16. What is 'practice dictation' and why is it central to speed building?

    Pre-recorded or live material read at controlled wpm rates so a reporter can drill writing at progressively higher speeds under test-like conditions.

17. Why should practice dictation vary in subject matter and speaker style?

    To build vocabulary breadth and adaptability so the reporter can handle any topic, accent, or pace on the real test or job.

18. What does 'self-evaluation' of a take involve?

    Transcribing the take, comparing it to the original text, counting each error, and computing the accuracy percentage to identify weak areas.

19. When counting errors for accuracy, how are added (extra) words typically scored?

    Each added/inserted word counts as one error, just like omitted or mistranslated words.

20. In NCRA error counting, how is a misspelled or mistranslated word scored?

    As one error per affected word; punctuation and certain formatting issues may also count per the grading rules.

21. Why should a reporter track accuracy percentages over time?

    To objectively measure progress, spot recurring error types, and know which speed/material to focus practice on next.

22. What is 'conflict-free writing' in realtime stenography?

    A writing theory/dictionary in which each steno outline maps to only one English translation, eliminating ambiguous homophone conflicts.

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