Surviving Court Reporting School

According to a 2006 National Court Reporters Association report, on average, just 5 to 10 percent of students who enroll in court reporting schools graduate. While court reporting programs across the country are working to improve that statistic, Planet Depos wishes to share the following tips for aspiring court reporters:

1) The average amount of time it takes to complete a certified realtime reporting program is 33 months, so plan accordingly.

2) Use memory games to build your memory and improve your brief retrieval capability.

3) Keep up with the local, national and international news.

4) Build your English vocabulary by becoming an avid reader and looking up words you do not know.

5) Learn medical prefixes and suffixes, as well as legal terminology.

6) Network with other court reporting students.

7) Allot at least two hours, six days a week, to practice.

8) Customize a speedbuilding regimen that starts with a warm-up and a cool-down that works for you, e.g.:

a) Read and stroke briefs.
b) Drill briefs using audiotapes.
c) Begin practicing below target speed.
d) Build speed incrementally with short takes.
e) Master brief takes, then work on longer takes at speed.
f) Practice doing ten-minute takes at speed to increase stamina.
g) Read back every second or third take.
h) Cool down with briefs and drills.
i) Read back your best and worst takes, figure out what went wrong, and apply that insight the next time you write.

9) Practice writing dictation that includes engineering, medical, and patent terminology, as well as proper names.

10) If you can’t remember a brief, write it out.

11) Every 20 minutes, take your hands off the steno machine and get a drink of water, stretch, or go to the bathroom, and come back refreshed every 20 minutes.

12) If you are beginning to write sloppily, lower the speed of your drills and build from there.

13) Never repeat something mentally before stroking it.

14) Never watch your hands. Focus on a spot in the room, and concentrate on the sounds as if it was music flowing through you.

15) Beat tension with hand, wrist, arm, neck and shoulder exercises, as well as breathing exercises.

16) Create realistic goals.

Court reporting is just like a foreign language. To become proficient, it takes immersion. If you immerse yourself several hours a day with a practice regimen that works for you, you will progress. If you are not progressing, review your routine and tweek your practice regimen accordingly.