- The WKT is 120 questions (100 scored, 20 pretest) in 110 minutes, passed at a scaled score of 70, not 70% raw.
- Technology and Innovation is worth 43% of the WKT - the single biggest domain by far.
- Full RPR certification also requires Literary (180 wpm), Jury Charge (200 wpm), and Testimony (225 wpm) skills legs at 95% accuracy.
- WKT windows run in January, April, July, and October, with registration typically open days 1-20 of the prior month.
What the RPR Exam Actually Tests
The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) credential, administered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), is not a single sit-down test. It's a four-part certification: one written exam and three stenographic skills legs. Most candidates researching "how to pass the RPR" are really asking about the Written Knowledge Test (WKT), since that's the component most people study for using traditional exam-prep methods - multiple choice, timed sections, scaled scoring. This guide focuses primarily on the WKT while giving you an accurate picture of the skills requirements you'll also need to clear for the full designation.
If you're still mapping out what the credential involves before you commit to a study plan, our RPR Requirements guide and the broader What Is RPR Certification? overview are good starting points. This article assumes you already know you're pursuing RPR and want a concrete plan to pass the WKT on your first attempt while understanding how it fits with the skills legs.
WKT Format, Timing, and Scoring
The WKT is delivered at Pearson VUE test centers or via OnVUE remote proctoring, so you choose between an in-person testing center or testing from home under webcam supervision. Either way, the test is closed book: no notes, no reference materials, no physical writing tools at your desk.
- 120 total questions - 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items you can't distinguish from the scored ones
- 110 minutes to complete the full test
- Passing score: a scaled score of at least 70 - this is not the same as answering 70% of questions correctly, so don't try to reverse-engineer your target from raw percentages
Because the pretest questions are unscored but invisible to you, treat every question with equal seriousness. Don't burn mental energy trying to guess which ones "don't count" - you can't tell, and the strategy backfires.
If you're testing via OnVUE, expect a system check before the exam starts, a requirement for a private, distraction-free test space, continuous webcam monitoring for the entire session, and no breaks once you begin. Candidates who test remotely regularly report that the environment setup causes more stress than the content itself - do a full dry run of your space and equipment days in advance, not the morning of.
Key Takeaway
Scaled scoring means the passing bar isn't a simple percentage. Focus your prep on mastering content across all three domains rather than trying to calculate exactly how many questions you can afford to miss.
The Three WKT Domains, Broken Down
The WKT draws its content from NCRA's job analysis, and the questions are organized into three weighted domains. Understanding the weighting is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide - it tells you exactly where your hours should go. For a deeper walkthrough of each domain with sample topic lists, see our full RPR Exam Domains guide.
Domain 1: Technology and Innovation (43%)
This is the largest domain by a wide margin, and it's often where candidates who "read but never coded" or who came up on older equipment lose points. Expect questions on CAT (computer-aided transcription) software concepts, realtime troubleshooting scenarios, and the underlying computing environment reporters work in daily.
- CAT software fundamentals and how realtime output is generated and edited
- Troubleshooting realtime connection or output problems during a proceeding
- Windows operating system basics relevant to reporting workflows
- Networks, data storage, backup practices, and information security concepts
Domain 2: Industry Practices (34%)
This domain covers the practical, day-to-day mechanics of court reporting work - the procedural and production knowledge that separates someone who can write steno from someone who can run a professional reporting practice.
- Transcript formatting, production standards, and certification of the record
- Deposition and courtroom procedure from the reporter's vantage point
- Working with exhibits, the record, and the various parties in a proceeding
Domain 3: NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics (23%)
The smallest domain by weight, but not one to skip - ethics questions are often scenario-based and test judgment, not just memorized rules.
- NCRA's Code of Professional Ethics and how it applies to real scenarios
- Professional conduct expectations around confidentiality and impartiality
- NCRA's role, structure, and the certification/CE system itself
Notice that Technology and Innovation alone accounts for nearly as much of the exam as the other two domains combined. If you only have time to deeply master one area, make it this one - but don't neglect Industry Practices, since it's still over a third of your score.
The Three Skills Legs You Can't Skip
Passing the WKT is necessary but not sufficient. Full RPR certification requires passing all three stenographic skills legs as well, each delivered as a five-minute dictation with a required accuracy threshold:
| Skills Leg | Dictation Speed | Required Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Literary | 180 wpm | 95% |
| Jury Charge | 200 wpm | 95% |
| Testimony/Q&A | 225 wpm | 95% |
After each dictation, candidates get three minutes to upload their notes and 75 minutes to edit and submit the transcript. Skills tests are delivered through Realtime Coach paired with ProctorU/Record+ and the Guardian Browser, so you'll need your own writer, your CAT software, a working webcam, and wired headphones - wireless headphones aren't part of the approved setup. During transcription you're allowed to use CAT spell check, a printed Merriam-Webster dictionary, and two scratch sheets (with a shredder for disposal afterward), but that's the extent of your permitted aids.
One detail that matters for planning: components can be taken in any order, and each passing component remains valid for three years. That means you could pass the WKT this cycle and take your time building speed toward Testimony's 225 wpm requirement without losing your WKT pass. For an honest assessment of how the skills legs compare in difficulty to the written portion, our How Hard Is the RPR Exam? guide walks through what candidates typically find most challenging.
Registration Windows and Fees
WKT testing runs on a fixed quarterly schedule: January, April, July, and October, with registration generally open during days 1-20 of the preceding month. Preliminary results are available shortly after you test, and official results follow two to four weeks after the testing window closes. Skills test results typically arrive faster - generally within 10-15 business days. If you're mapping deadlines against a target certification date, our RPR Exam Dates guide lays out the full quarterly cycle.
Fees depend on your membership status and which component you're registering for:
| Component | Reporter Member | Student Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Knowledge Test | $220 | $181 | $253 |
| Single skills leg | $110 | $90 | $144 |
| Dual skills registration (two back-to-back attempts) | $165 | $135 | $216 |
NCRA membership itself is a separate, additional cost on top of these testing fees. If you want a complete picture of what certification runs from first registration through your CE cycle, check the RPR Certification Cost breakdown.
A Domain-Weighted Study Timeline
Generic study advice - spaced repetition, timed practice blocks, active recall - works fine for the WKT, but only if you allocate time in proportion to domain weight rather than splitting your hours evenly across all three. Here's a six-week structure built around that principle:
Technology and Innovation (43%)
- Work through CAT software concepts and realtime workflow end-to-end
- Drill realtime troubleshooting scenarios until the logic feels automatic
- Review networking, storage, backup, and information security basics
Industry Practices (34%)
- Study transcript production and formatting standards in detail
- Review deposition and courtroom procedure from the reporter's role
- Practice scenario questions involving exhibits and record certification
NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics (23%)
- Read through NCRA's Code of Professional Ethics closely
- Work ethics scenarios rather than memorizing rules in isolation
- Review NCRA's organizational role and certification maintenance rules
Full Review and Timed Practice
- Take full-length timed practice runs under 110-minute conditions
- Re-test weak domains identified from missed practice questions
- Confirm your OnVUE setup or test center logistics ahead of the window
Running full-length, timed practice sessions at rprstudy.com before your registration window closes is one of the most reliable ways to gauge whether your scaled score is trending toward passing, since raw percentages on scattered flashcards won't map cleanly onto the actual scoring model. For a compact reference you can review the night before test day, bookmark our RPR Cheat Sheet.
Who Actually Hires RPRs
RPR is a credential built specifically for stenographic court reporters, and it's recognized across the settings where reporters work: freelance deposition firms, official courtroom reporting positions, and captioning-adjacent roles that value the same skill set. Because certification requires demonstrated realtime writing ability alongside written knowledge, employers and agencies treat it as a meaningful signal that a candidate can handle both the technical and procedural demands of the job. If you're weighing whether the credential is worth pursuing given the time and testing fees involved, our Is the RPR Certification Worth It? analysis and RPR Salary Guide go into that decision in more depth. For a sense of the roles the credential typically opens up, see RPR Jobs.
Mistakes That Cost First-Attempt Candidates
- Under-preparing for Technology and Innovation. At 43% of the WKT, this domain alone can make or break a first attempt. Candidates who studied procedure and ethics heavily but skimmed CAT technology and networking concepts consistently leave points on the table.
- Confusing scaled score with percentage. A passing scaled score of 70 does not mean "get 70% right." Don't calibrate your practice targets against the wrong number.
- Treating the skills legs as an afterthought. Because the WKT can be studied like a traditional exam, some candidates focus all their energy there and delay skills practice - then discover Testimony's 225 wpm requirement takes far longer to build than expected.
- Skipping the OnVUE dry run. A failed system check or an interrupted webcam feed on test day can derail an otherwise well-prepared candidate. Test your setup well before your scheduled session.
- Registering too close to the window deadline. With registration generally limited to the first 1-20 days of the preceding month, missing that window pushes you a full quarter.
Key Takeaway
Because each passed component holds for three years, a smart first-attempt strategy is often to lock in the WKT early while continuing to build skills-leg speed and accuracy in parallel.
FAQ
No. Full RPR certification requires passing the WKT plus three stenographic skills legs - Literary, Jury Charge, and Testimony/Q&A - each at 95% accuracy at their respective dictation speeds.
A scaled score of at least 70. This is not the same as answering 70% of the 100 scored questions correctly, so don't calculate your study targets using raw percentages. See our RPR Passing Score guide for a full explanation.
120 total questions - 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items you can't identify - administered over 110 minutes at a Pearson VUE center or via OnVUE remote proctoring.
No. Current and aspiring stenographic reporters, including nonmembers, may test. However, once you complete all four components, you must join NCRA as a Registered member within 30 days to actually use the RPR designation.
Each passing component - the WKT or any individual skills leg - remains valid for three years, and you can complete components in any order during that time.
Passing the RPR on your first attempt comes down to respecting the domain weights, treating the skills legs as their own long-term project rather than an afterthought, and rehearsing under real timed conditions before your registration window closes. Start building that readiness now at rprstudy.com, and revisit our RPR Study Guide hub as your test date approaches.