NY Court Reporter cheat sheet

Certification benchmarks in New York: the CSR (Certified Shorthand Reporter) written knowledge test is passed separately from the skills test; skills are demonstrated at 180 wpm literary/jury charge, 200 wpm Q&A, and 225 wpm testimony depending on the credential sought - confirm current thresholds with the NYS Unified Court System before testing.

The standard stenotype keyboard has 22 keys: four initial consonants (STPH), four vowels (AOE U), and ten final keys (FRPBLGTSDZ), plus the asterisk for corrections.

Speed formula: words per minute = (total transcribed words ÷ minutes of dictation). Accuracy percentage = (correct words ÷ total words) × 100; the industry error tolerance is typically 95–98% depending on the test.

A misstroke is fixed by pressing the asterisk before the next stroke to delete the last stroke; the asterisk alone deletes the preceding stroke, and * after a stroke flags it for review.

Briefs and phrases (e.g., single-stroke combinations for common legal phrases) raise speed without raising keystrokes; they must be written consistently or transcription errors multiply.

Real-time writing requires a conflict-free dictionary: a stroke that maps to two different English outputs will produce an ambiguous translation, so dictionary maintenance is a speed-accuracy control.

Dictation practice should be timed in 1-, 2-, and 5-minute takes because endurance and error clustering differ across durations; test yourself at 10–20 wpm above the target so the target feels slow.

Stenotype output is a phonetic code, not English spelling: 'there/their/they're' may share a stroke, so homophone resolution is a transcription decision, not a writing decision.

Transcribe verbatim: reproduce false starts, repetitions, and grammatical errors as spoken; do not clean up a witness's grammar in a verbatim transcript.

Mark inaudible or unclear speech with a parenthetical such as (inaudible) or (phonetic); never guess at a word and present it as certain.

Proofread in passes: one pass for speaker attribution and Q/A format, one for names/numbers, one for punctuation, one for spelling and homophones.

Numbers, dates, times, and dollar amounts are the highest-risk error class - verify each against the record; '15' vs '50' and '1:15' vs '1:50' are classic transcription failures.

Use the read-back test: read the sentence aloud; if it does not parse, the punctuation or word choice is probably wrong.

Spell proper names consistently throughout; on first use, confirm spelling on the record or mark it for verification rather than inventing a spelling.

Search-and-replace is a proofing aid but a hazard if applied globally: 'Mr. Smith' replaced across a transcript can corrupt 'Ms. Smith' or 'Smythe'.

Page and line numbering must match the original; a reflowed page breaks the certified reference system used by appellate courts.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the subject, not with an intervening phrase - 'The list of witnesses was filed,' not 'were filed.'

Use the serial (Oxford) comma for clarity in lists of three or more; court style guides vary, so apply one convention consistently within a transcript.

Restrictive clauses take 'that' and no commas; nonrestrictive clauses take 'which' and commas - 'the exhibit that was marked' vs 'Exhibit 4, which was marked earlier.'

Quotation marks enclose the exact spoken words; punctuation that is part of the quotation goes inside the closing quote in American style.

Hyphenate compound modifiers before a noun ('court-appointed counsel') but not after ('counsel was court appointed').

Common legal homophones to check: 'principal/principle,' 'council/counsel,' 'statute/statue,' 'elicit/illicit,' 'waiver/waver,' 'assent/ascent.'

Spell out numbers one through nine and use numerals for 10 and above in general prose; legal citations and monetary amounts follow their own conventions.

Possessives of singular nouns ending in s take 's ('witness's testimony'); plural possessives take the apostrophe only ('witnesses' testimony').

Criminal standard of proof is 'beyond a reasonable doubt'; civil is 'preponderance of the evidence'; a middle civil standard in some proceedings is 'clear and convincing evidence.'

Voir dire = jury selection questioning; peremptory challenge = dismissal without stated cause (limited number); challenge for cause = dismissal for bias or disqualification (unlimited number).

Sustained = the objection is upheld and the answer is excluded; overruled = the objection is denied and the answer stands.

Direct examination is conducted by the calling party; cross-examination by the opposing party; redirect and recross follow in that order.

A deposition is sworn out-of-court testimony recorded for discovery or impeachment; an affidavit is a written sworn statement; an interrogatory is a written question answered under oath in discovery.

Pro se = representing oneself; in forma pauperis = proceeding without prepayment of fees; sua sponte = on the court's own motion.

New York's intermediate appellate court is the Appellate Division (four departments); the Court of Appeals is the state's highest court - not to be confused with the 'appeals court' in other states.

Hearsay = an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted; it is generally inadmissible subject to recognized exceptions.

New York court structure: Justice Courts and lower courts, Supreme Court (general trial jurisdiction, despite the name), the Appellate Division (First through Fourth Departments), and the Court of Appeals as the court of last resort.

A court reporter's transcript is the official record of proceedings; if a proceeding is not recorded, an appeal may be hampered by a reconstructed or unavailable record.

The arraignment is the first appearance on a criminal charge: the charge is read, bail or release conditions may be set, and a plea may be entered.

A side-bar or bench conference must be placed on the record when requested; off-the-record discussions are excluded from the transcript unless the parties agree otherwise.

Exhibits are marked for identification, then offered, then received into evidence or rejected; the transcript must show each step.

Jury instructions (the charge) are given after closing arguments; the jury then deliberates and returns a verdict, which is polled on request.

Objections must be timely and stated on the record; a ruling on the record preserves the issue for appeal.

Transcripts are certified by the reporter; a certified transcript carries an officer's attestation that it is a true and accurate record.

Identify the main idea before details: in a passage, the thesis is usually stated in the first or last sentence of a paragraph, not in the middle.

Distinguish fact from inference - a statement the passage supports is an inference; a statement restated in the passage is a fact question.

Beware of absolute qualifiers in answer choices ('always,' 'never,' 'all') that the passage does not support.

For business writing, lead with the purpose, then the details, then the requested action; one idea per paragraph.

Active voice is preferred for clarity: 'The clerk filed the motion' over 'The motion was filed by the clerk.'

When summarizing testimony, attribute clearly - 'Witness stated that...' - and do not blend the reporter's inference into the record.

Read the question stem first in timed comprehension sections, then scan for the keyword; you save time by reading with a target.

Chain of custody for exhibits and recordings: log each transfer with date, time, from/to, and initials; an unbroken log is what makes the item admissible.

Retention: court records and transcripts follow statutory schedules; do not destroy a transcript or exhibit while an appeal period or litigation hold is open.

File naming convention should encode case number, date, and proceeding type so a transcript can be located without opening it.

Back up stenographic and audio files to at least two locations; a single local copy is not a backup.

Confidential files are stored under lock or access control, and access is logged; the log itself is a record.

Calendar deadlines with a tickler system and confirm the deadline against the rule, not against memory.

A transcript order log should track date requested, due date, delivery date, and page count, so billing and turnaround can be audited.

The reporter is a neutral officer of the court: no advice to parties, no advocacy, no ex parte coaching of a witness or attorney.

Confidentiality attaches to sealed proceedings, grand jury testimony, juvenile matters, and any material under a protective order; disclosure requires a court order or legal authority.

A reporter may not alter a certified transcript; corrections are made by errata or stipulation on the record, not by silent edit.

Conflicts of interest (financial interest in a case, family relationship to a party, prior employment with a firm in the matter) must be disclosed and may require recusal.

Accepting gifts or favors from a party or attorney in a pending matter creates an appearance of impropriety and should be declined.

Perjury is the witness's act, not the reporter's; the reporter's duty is to record accurately, not to flag suspected lies in the transcript.

Ex parte communication about a pending case with a judge or party is improper; all substantive communication goes on the record.

Testifying about a transcript you produced is permissible when subpoenaed; the reporter's notes and stenographic record may be discoverable.