CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter exam-day guide
CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring the original ID (not a photocopy) and make sure the name matches your registration exactly, including middle name or maiden-name variations. Confirm the specific list of acceptable ID documents, and whether a second form is required, with the testing provider before exam day.
Admission or eligibility confirmation
Bring whatever notice confirms you are cleared to sit (email printout, admission letter, or portal confirmation). Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory or a digital copy on your phone is accepted; if the provider requires paper, print it several days ahead.
Your own stenotype machine, tripod, and cables
Test the full chain - writer to cable to computer or writer to memory - before the exam. Pack a spare cable and any proprietary connector, since a failed cable on exam day can end your sitting. Confirm with the provider whether personal writers are required or whether loaner equipment is available.
Consumables and small tools
Extra paper rolls or ribbon, fresh batteries or a charged power pack, key puller, tweezers, and a small screwdriver. Pack roughly double what a single session would need; equipment failures mid-dictation are not usually excused.
Laptop with your CAT software licensed and activated
Launch the software, open a dictionary, translate a short file, and save and reopen it to confirm output works offline. Confirm with the provider whether you may use your own computer for transcription or whether testing-center machines are provided, and whether software must be pre-registered or inspected.
Power strip, extension cord, and surge protector
Outlet access at testing sites is often limited or awkwardly placed. Bring a short extension cord so your setup does not depend on where the table is relative to the wall.
Confirmation of reporting time, address, and parking
Look up the exact building entrance, room number, and check-in time, and identify parking or transit options in advance. Reporting times are usually earlier than the start of testing; confirm the required arrival time with the provider.
Layers, water, and a snack
Test rooms are frequently cold or unevenly heated. Bring a removable layer and water. Confirm with the provider whether food and drink are allowed at the testing table or only during designated breaks.
Earplugs or other focus aids
Confirm in advance whether earplugs, headphones, or a silent analog watch are permitted; policies vary by site and some items must be inspected or approved at check-in.
Phone silenced and stored before entering
Turn the device fully off, not just to silent, and stow it out of reach per the proctor's instructions. An audible alert during a timed section can be treated as a testing irregularity.
A one-page logistics card
Write down reporting time, room, a contact number for the testing office, and your equipment checklist. Keep it in your bag, not on the testing table, and confirm whether any personal papers are allowed at your seat.
Plan the day
Confirm the reporting time, building entrance, room, and parking, and re-read the provider's candidate bulletin for equipment and ID rules. Run a full dress rehearsal: set up your writer and CAT software exactly as you will on exam day, write a five-minute take at your fastest speed, translate it, save it, and proofread the output. Replace any suspect cable, battery, or ribbon now, not later. Do one timed practice set at each dictation speed and stop studying new material - spend remaining time on logistics and sleep.
Pack your bag against the checklist and place it by the door. Lay out your ID and confirmation. Charge every device; put a spare charged battery in the bag. Set two alarms. Keep practice light - one short warm-up take is enough. Eat normally, limit caffeine after midday, and go to bed at your usual time rather than much earlier.
Eat a normal breakfast and hydrate modestly. Arrive at or before the confirmed reporting time; late arrival may bar entry, so confirm the cutoff with the provider. At your seat, plug in, power up, test-write a line to confirm strokes register, and check screen height and lighting. Turn your phone off and stow it. Use the restroom before the first timed section begins.
Follow the proctor's instructions exactly and ask clarifying questions before a section starts, not during it. On dictation, warm up on the first sentence, use only briefs you trust under pressure, and never stop to fix a misstroke - keep moving and let context carry you. Track your place if the audio or reader pauses; note any speed or equipment irregularity immediately and quietly to the proctor. During transcription, reserve the final minutes for proofreading and saving. On the written section, answer every question, mark uncertain items, and return to them only if time allows. Take breaks only when the proctor releases the room.
Note anything that went wrong (equipment failure, audio problem, room disruption) and ask the proctor how to document it before you leave the site. Confirm with the provider how and when results are released and what the procedure is for retaking any section you do not pass.
Rules to check
Bring and display the identification the provider requires. Your registration name must match your ID; confirm acceptable documents and the procedure for a name discrepancy with the provider before exam day.
Only approved equipment is permitted at your seat. Phones, smartwatches, and other personal electronics must be off and stored as directed; unauthorized devices can result in removal or a voided score. Confirm the exact permitted-items list with the provider.
No notes, study materials, cue cards, or reference sheets at the testing table unless the provider explicitly allows them for a specific section. Do not communicate with other candidates during timed sections.
Follow every proctor instruction, including seating assignments and screen or writer placement. If a proctor gives a direction that conflicts with what you expected, comply and raise the issue afterward rather than during a timed section.
Breaks are taken only when the proctor releases the room. You generally may not leave during a timed section; if you must, expect that the clock continues to run. Confirm the break schedule and any accommodation procedure with the provider.
Time limits are strict. When time is called, stop writing or typing immediately. Continuing past the call can invalidate that section.
Dictation is typically read once at the set speed with no replays or rewinds; confirm the audio and repetition policy, and the procedure for reporting an audible defect, with the provider.
Scoring: each dictation segment must meet the accuracy standard set by the licensing board, and all exam sections must be passed for certification. The exact accuracy threshold, how sections are weighted or reported, and whether failed sections can be retaken separately should be confirmed with the provider or the board - do not rely on secondhand numbers.