NY Court Reporter study guide
NY Court Reporter · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The New York State Court Reporter Examination is a civil service selection process for people seeking to work as official or freelance court reporters in New York's courts. It is aimed at candidates who already have working shorthand or voice-writing skill and can produce a verbatim record at speed, then turn that record into a clean, accurate transcript. The NY Court Reporter study guide has 8 sections and about 2,458 words.
01Machine Shorthand and Dictation Speed Accuracy
This domain tests whether you can capture continuous spoken proceedings on a stenotype at test speed and still produce notes that translate cleanly. Speed alone is not the score; it is speed combined with a low rate of untranslates and dropped words.
345 words, about 2 min02Transcription and Proofreading Accuracy
This domain covers turning shorthand notes into a certified, readable transcript: page and line format, accurate speaker designations, proper question-and-answer structure, and parentheticals for events that are not spoken. Number every line and page, and keep speaker designations consistent (THE COURT:, MR.
310 words, about 2 min03English Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
This domain tests control of standard written English as applied to transcript-style prose: agreement, pronoun case, restrictive and nonrestrictive elements, and the punctuation conventions that carry meaning in a legal record. Subject-verb agreement: ignore intervening phrases.
316 words, about 2 min04Legal and Court Terminology
This domain tests recognition, spelling, and correct usage of procedural and Latin terms you will hear in New York practice. You are not practicing law; you are writing the terms correctly and in context.
317 words, about 2 min05Court Procedures and Judicial System Knowledge
This domain tests the structure of New York’s courts and the sequence of a case, so that captions, headers, and colloquy make sense when you transcribe them. Court of Appeals: the state’s highest court.
296 words, about 1 min06Reading Comprehension and Written Communication
This domain tests whether you can read testimony, a rule, or a letter and extract the point quickly, then write it back clearly. Reporters summarize for their own files and correspond with attorneys and courts without distorting meaning.
287 words, about 1 min07Office Practices and Recordkeeping
This domain covers the administrative side of reporting: exhibit control, file naming, retention of transcripts, and the chain of custody that makes a record trustworthy. Log each exhibit when marked: number or letter, description, sponsoring party, and date.
292 words, about 1 min08Ethics, Confidentiality, and Professional Conduct
This domain tests the reporter’s role as a neutral officer of the court: impartiality, accuracy, confidentiality, and resistance to pressure from parties who want the record shaped. Transcribe verbatim; do not edit grammar, tone, or hesitations to make a party look better.
295 words, about 1 min