CER Certified Electronic Reporter study guide
CER Certified Electronic Reporter · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Electronic Reporter (CER) designation is issued by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT), an association that, in its own words, "provides education and certification for professionals engaged in digital reporting, transcribing, and associated roles." AAERT describes its certifications as recognized by many courts and businesses throughout the United States, with growing uptake in Canada and internationally, and it frames certification as evidence of continued dedication to and knowledge of the digital court reporting and transcription field. The CER is aimed at professionals who capture the record electronically rather than by stenotype - digital reporters, electronic court reporters, and transcribers moving into reporting work - as well as candidates entering the field who want a credential rather than only on-the-job training. The CER Certified Electronic Reporter study guide has 4 sections and about 1,356 words.
01Digital Reporting Equipment, Software, and Recording Practice
A digital reporting rig is only as strong as its weakest link: microphone, gain stage, analog-to-digital converter, storage, backup. Boundary microphones suit a fixed courtroom; cardioid or shotgun microphones reach a soft-spoken witness; lavaliers help in depositions and multi-speaker settings.
339 words, about 2 min02Legal and Judicial Proceedings: Participants, Procedure, and Terminology
Questions test whether you can name and designate everyone in a proceeding: the court (judge or magistrate), clerk, bailiff, jury, parties (plaintiff or petitioner, defendant or respondent), counsel appearing "on behalf of," witnesses (lay versus expert), guardian ad litem, and sworn interpreters. Transcript designations follow a speaker's role: THE COURT, MR.
324 words, about 2 min03Professional Ethics, Confidentiality, and Best Practices
Impartiality, accuracy, and completeness define the role. The reporter produces the official record for all parties equally, never favoring the side that retained the reporter or the side that is friendlier in the hallway.
349 words, about 2 min04Transcription, Formatting, and Record Production
A certified transcript typically carries a title page, appearances, an index (witnesses, exhibits, proceedings), body pages with numbered lines (commonly 25 per page, but confirm your jurisdiction's rule), an exhibit index, a certification page, and, where required, an errata sheet. Colloquy between the court and counsel uses role designations (THE COURT:, MR.
344 words, about 2 min