NVRA Realtime Verbatim Reporter case studies
NVRA Realtime Verbatim Reporter · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Realtime Verbatim Reporter (RVR) is a National Verbatim Reporters Association certification for working reporters who capture the spoken word in realtime and deliver an unedited verbatim record. NVRA lists it alongside the stenotype variant, RVR-S. It is an advanced credential: candidates must already hold a valid CVR/CVR-S or CVR-M and be a General, Military, or Honorary NVRA member in good standing before they may test. The exam is a Dictation Skills Test with no written knowledge component. Topics on this exam: Literary dictation at 180 wpm (realtime, no editing), Jury charge dictation at 180 wpm (realtime, no editing), and Two-voice question-and-answer dictation at 180 wpm (realtime, no editing). The NVRA Realtime Verbatim Reporter case studies are 5 cases and about 3,457 words.
1Live Author Reading: The Marchesa and the Self-Correction
You are the realtime verbatim reporter at a 7:30 p.m. literary reading in a 220-seat auditorium.
691 words, about 3 min2Literary Dictation: Dialect and the Semicolon List
You are taking a 180 wpm literary dictation exercise for certification. The recorded voice reads a passage from a modern novel set in the Mississippi Delta.
755 words, about 4 min3Civil Jury Charge: The Plaintiff/Defendant Self-Correction
You are the realtime verbatim reporter for a civil jury trial. At 10:12 a.m., the judge begins reading the jury charge at 180 wpm from a 14-page printed charge.
707 words, about 4 min4Criminal Jury Charge: Off-the-Record Interruption
You are reporting a criminal jury charge at 180 wpm. At 11:03 a.m., while reading a reasonable-doubt instruction, the judge says, “Let’s go off the record for a moment.” A 90-second discussion follows about a juror’s commute and a proposed 15-minute recess.
638 words, about 3 min5Two-Voice Q&A: Overlap, Spelling, and the Record Statement
You are the realtime verbatim reporter for a two-voice question-and-answer deposition at 180 wpm. The examining attorney asks short questions; the witness answers in long, run-on sentences and occasionally overlaps.
666 words, about 3 min