- RPR is issued by NCRA and requires passing the Written Knowledge Test plus three stenographic skills legs.
- The WKT has 120 questions (100 scored, 20 pretest) in 110 minutes, needing a scaled score of at least 70.
- Technology and Innovation is the largest WKT domain at 43% of the exam.
- Each passing component stays valid for three years while you finish the remaining legs.
What RPR Actually Stands For
RPR stands for Registered Professional Reporter, a certification administered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). It's the credential most stenographic court reporters treat as their baseline professional benchmark - the certification that tells employers, agencies, and courts that a reporter has demonstrated both the technical knowledge and the stenographic speed to work in high-stakes legal and legislative settings.
Because the acronym "RPR" gets reused by other industries for completely unrelated purposes, it's worth being precise here: this article, and everything on this site, is about the court reporting certification issued by NCRA. If you've landed here after seeing conflicting information elsewhere, that's the mix-up to watch for. For a deeper dive into the terminology itself, see our companion pieces on RPR Meaning and What Does RPR Stand For?
The Four Components of Full Certification
Earning RPR means passing all of the following, in any order you choose:
- Written Knowledge Test (WKT): A closed-book, multiple-choice exam covering the technology, practices, and professional standards a working reporter needs to know.
- Literary skills test: Five minutes of dictation at 180 words per minute, transcribed at 95% accuracy or better.
- Jury Charge skills test: Five minutes at 200 words per minute, same 95% accuracy threshold.
- Testimony/Q&A skills test: Five minutes at 225 words per minute, the fastest and typically most demanding of the three legs.
Each skills test gives candidates three minutes to upload notes and 75 minutes for transcript editing and submission. You don't have to pass everything at once - a passing score on any single component remains valid for three years, giving you room to schedule the rest around your work and study bandwidth. This site's primary focus is the WKT, since it's the component most candidates tackle first and the one built entirely around content you can study and drill. For the full eligibility picture, including who is allowed to register, check our RPR Requirements guide.
Key Takeaway
Treat the WKT and the skills legs as separate projects with separate timelines. Passing the written test doesn't shorten the speed requirements on Literary, Jury Charge, or Testimony - and vice versa.
Inside the Written Knowledge Test
The WKT is a 120-question multiple-choice exam: 100 questions are scored, and 20 are unscored pretest items mixed in without being identified, so every question deserves your full attention. You have 110 minutes to finish. Passing requires a scaled score of at least 70 - not a raw percentage of 70%, which is a distinction that trips up a lot of first-time candidates who assume they need 70 out of 100 correct answers.
The test is closed book. No notes, no reference books, no physical writing tools are allowed in the room. You can sit it at a Pearson VUE testing center or take it remotely through OnVUE, which requires a system check beforehand, a private testing space, continuous webcam visibility, and no breaks during the session. If you're weighing which delivery method fits your schedule, our RPR Exam Dates article breaks down registration windows in more detail.
The Three WKT Domains
NCRA's job analysis breaks the WKT content into three domains, and they are not weighted evenly. Knowing the split changes how you should allocate study hours.
Domain 1: Technology and Innovation (43%)
This is the largest domain by a wide margin, covering nearly half the scored questions. It includes CAT (computer-aided transcription) technology, realtime troubleshooting scenarios, Windows fundamentals, networking basics, storage, and information security concepts.
- Understand how realtime feeds connect writer, CAT software, and viewing devices
- Know common troubleshooting steps when a realtime connection drops
- Be comfortable with basic network, storage, and cybersecurity terminology as it applies to reporting equipment
Domain 2: Industry Practices (34%)
This domain covers the day-to-day operational knowledge reporters rely on - procedural conventions, transcript production standards, and the practical mechanics of the job across depositions, hearings, and courtrooms.
- Study transcript formatting and certification conventions
- Review standard procedures for depositions, exhibits, and the record
- Know terminology reporters encounter across different legal proceeding types
Domain 3: NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics (23%)
The smallest domain but still nearly a quarter of the exam. It covers NCRA's organizational structure, the professional code of conduct, and ethical scenarios reporters face on the job.
- Know NCRA's role, certifications, and membership structure
- Study the professional and ethical guidelines governing reporter conduct
- Practice applying ethics principles to realistic scenario-style questions
For a question-by-question breakdown of what each domain tends to emphasize, see our full RPR Exam Domains Guide. And if you're trying to gauge overall difficulty before you commit to a study schedule, How Hard Is the RPR Exam? walks through what makes each domain and skills leg challenging.
Who Earns RPR and Why It Matters
RPR is aimed at current and aspiring stenographic reporters - court reporters, freelance deposition reporters, and those working toward realtime or official court positions. Notably, nonmembers are allowed to test for RPR just like NCRA members. The catch is that once you've completed all four components, a nonmember has 30 days to join NCRA as a Registered member in order to actually use the RPR designation professionally.
For working reporters, the credential functions as a recognized marker of competency across both the technical and procedural sides of the job - which is why it shows up frequently in job postings and staffing agency requirements. If you're evaluating whether the investment of time and money makes sense for your career stage, our Is the RPR Certification Worth It? analysis and RPR Salary Guide go into that in more depth. You can also browse what employers are actually asking for in our RPR Jobs overview.
Registration, Fees, and Testing Windows
RPR testing runs on a fixed quarterly schedule: windows open in January, April, July, and October, with registration generally available on days 1 through 20 of the preceding month. Preliminary WKT results typically follow shortly after your test date, with official results confirmed two to four weeks after the window closes. Skills test results generally arrive within 10 to 15 business days.
| Component | Member Fee | Student Member Fee | Nonmember Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Knowledge Test | $220 | $181 | $253 |
| Single skills-leg registration | $110 | $90 | $144 |
| Dual skills registration (two back-to-back attempts) | $165 | $135 | $216 |
Dual registration lets you attempt the same skills test type twice in immediate succession - useful if you want a built-in retry without waiting for the next quarterly window. NCRA membership itself is a separate, additional cost on top of these testing fees. For the complete cost picture, including what ongoing membership and continuing education add up to over time, read our RPR Certification Cost breakdown.
Building an RPR-Specific Study Plan
Because Technology and Innovation carries 43% of the WKT's weight, it deserves the largest share of your study time - not an equal three-way split across domains. A practical way to sequence prep is to front-load the heaviest domain first, since mastering CAT software concepts, realtime troubleshooting, and networking terminology takes longer to internalize than procedural or ethics content.
Technology and Innovation
- Drill CAT technology and realtime troubleshooting scenarios
- Review networking, storage, and information security basics
- Take timed practice sets to build familiarity with the multiple-choice format
Industry Practices
- Study transcript production and certification standards
- Review deposition, hearing, and courtroom procedural conventions
NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics
- Review NCRA's structure and the professional code of conduct
- Practice scenario-based ethics questions
- Take a full-length timed practice exam under 110-minute conditions
Spacing your review sessions and returning to missed questions a few days later - rather than cramming one domain and moving on permanently - helps concepts stick, especially for the technology domain's more technical vocabulary. For a complete week-by-week framework, see our RPR Study Guide 2026. You can also run full-length timed drills on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the 110-minute pace before test day, and keep a condensed reference nearby using our RPR Cheat Sheet for last-minute review.
Keeping the Credential Active
Once you've earned RPR, maintaining it requires continuous NCRA membership plus 3.0 continuing-education credits per three-year cycle. At least 2.0 of those must be CEUs, with up to 1.0 allowed as PDCs (one CEU equals 10 contact hours). Your first cycle ends on the first September 30 that falls at least three years after you're awarded the credential, so the exact deadline depends on when you finish certification.
This renewal requirement is a detail candidates often overlook while they're focused on passing the WKT and skills tests - but it's worth planning for early, since letting continuing education lapse can put the credential itself at risk.
Key Takeaway
RPR isn't a one-time achievement - it's an ongoing professional standard that requires active NCRA membership and periodic continuing education to keep using the designation.
If you're still mapping out the full journey from eligibility to exam day, our RPR Certification overview and What Is RPR Certification? guide both cover the process end to end, and RPR Training outlines preparation resources beyond self-study. You can also start practicing WKT-style questions right now on RPR Exam Prep's practice platform to get a feel for the domain weighting described above.
Frequently Asked Questions
RPR stands for Registered Professional Reporter, a certification issued by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) for stenographic court reporters.
No. The WKT is one of four required components. Full certification also requires passing three skills legs: Literary (180 wpm), Jury Charge (200 wpm), and Testimony/Q&A (225 wpm), each at 95% accuracy.
Yes. Current and aspiring stenographic reporters, including nonmembers, may test. However, a nonmember who completes all four components must join NCRA as a Registered member within 30 days to use the RPR designation.
The WKT has 120 total questions - 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items - delivered in 110 minutes. Passing requires a scaled score of at least 70, not a raw percentage.
Each passing component - whether it's the WKT or one of the three skills legs - remains valid for three years while you work on completing the remaining parts of the certification.