AAERT CET Certified Electronic Transcriber common mistakes
AAERT CET Certified Electronic Transcriber · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Transcribing colloquy verbatim in the speaker-identification column instead of using the required Q/A or speaker-label format, so questions and answers run together in one block.
Candidates practice on continuous audio and default to paragraph-style prose rather than applying the exam's designated colloquy layout with speaker designations.
What to do instead
Before transcribing, set up a template with the required speaker labels or Q./A. designations and a hanging-indent colloquy block; after each speaker change, verify a new designation line begins the block.
Omitting or misplacing the required header elements (case caption, proceeding type, date, location, page numbering) on each page.
Attention is consumed by the audio content, and candidates treat headers as boilerplate to be added later, then run out of time.
What to do instead
Build a reusable header/footer template with automatic page numbering and populate caption fields before starting audio; do a page-by-page header check as a distinct proofreading pass.
Failing to flag inaudible or unintelligible passages with the prescribed notation and instead guessing at words or silently dropping them.
Candidates fear leaving gaps and believe a plausible guess is better than a marker, not realizing the exam scores correct use of indistinct/inaudible notation.
What to do instead
Adopt a rule: if a passage cannot be verified after two replays, insert the required indistinct notation with a timestamp; never substitute an invented word.
Proofreading only by re-reading the transcript against memory of the audio rather than re-listening to the audio while reading the text.
Re-reading feels faster and catches typos, but it cannot catch dropped words, wrong homophones, or misattributed speakers that only audio comparison reveals.
What to do instead
Perform a synchronized audio-to-text verification pass at reduced playback speed, plus a separate text-only pass for spelling, punctuation, and formatting.
Losing audio or producing corrupted recordings because the candidate did not verify input levels, backup recording, or file save settings before the session.
Candidates focus on typing speed and assume default software settings are adequate, skipping pre-session equipment checks under time pressure.
What to do instead
Use a pre-session checklist: confirm microphone input level and channel, start a redundant backup recording, verify save location and auto-save interval, and test playback before the proceeding begins.
Relying on foot pedal and hotkey shortcuts without confirming they are mapped correctly in the specific software, causing lost time mid-transcription.
Candidates memorize shortcuts from one program and assume identical behavior in the exam environment or another version.
What to do instead
Before the exam, map and test every transport control (play, rewind, pause, backstep) and confirm the software's shortcut list matches muscle memory; practice on the actual or equivalent software version.
Confusing the roles and sequence of parties in a proceeding (e.g., mixing up plaintiff/defendant, direct vs. cross-examination, or who is speaking during voir dire).
Candidates learn vocabulary in isolation without mapping terms to the procedural sequence in which they occur.
What to do instead
Study the typical order of a civil and criminal proceeding as a flow (opening, direct, cross, redirect, closing) and label each speaker's role in the transcript as the proceeding progresses.
Misusing legal terminology in the transcript, such as 'your honor' capitalization, 'counsel' vs. 'council', or 'sustained' vs. 'overruled' in context.
Homophones and near-synonyms are common in legal speech, and candidates rely on spell-check, which does not flag correctly spelled wrong words.
What to do instead
Maintain a personal list of legal homophones and usage rules and apply a targeted find-and-check pass for each during proofreading rather than trusting spell-check.
Editing or 'cleaning up' the record, such as correcting a speaker's grammar, removing false starts, or paraphrasing testimony.
Candidates conflate transcription with editing and believe readability improves the product, not recognizing that the transcript must reflect the record as spoken.
What to do instead
Apply the rule that only non-substantive verbal tics per the governing style guide may be omitted; retain false starts, repetitions, and grammar as spoken, and flag any uncertain cleanup decision for review.
Discussing proceeding content, sharing files, or posting about the assignment outside authorized channels, or accepting work beyond one's competence without disclosure.
Candidates underestimate confidentiality obligations and assume casual conversation or cloud sharing is harmless.
What to do instead
Treat all proceeding content as confidential by default: use only approved storage and transmission, never discuss content off the record, and disclose limitations to the supervising party before accepting an assignment.