How to Become a Court Reporter in South Dakota

A court reporter is also known as a court stenographer, a real-time writer, or a certified shorthand reporter (CSR).

Their role involves transcribing every spoken word during a trial or other legal proceedings.

This crucial function makes a court reporter an indispensable part of the justice system.

Individuals interested in pursuing a career as a court reporter in South Dakota must obtain a license.

In this article, I will outline the necessary steps to achieve licensure, so please continue reading!

Complete Your Education as a Court Reporter in South Dakota

Becoming a licensed court reporter in South Dakota necessitates the completion of an approved training program.

It’s essential to choose a program that has received accreditation from the South Dakota Board of Court Reporting.

To enroll in an approved program, you must meet specific criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Hold a high school diploma or GED.

These training programs typically cover various areas, including:

• CART/Captioning
• Judicial Reporting
• Scoping/Proofreading
• Professional Transcription
• Office Assistance
• Court and Real-time Reporting

Prospective students should verify that their chosen program’s curriculum has received CASE (Council on Approved Student Education) approval.

The coursework often includes subjects like:

• Applied Writing I
• Medical Terminology
• Legal Terminology
• Civil and Criminal Law Terminology
• Real-time Reporting I
• Real-time Reporting II

Training programs in South Dakota are generally offered at the postsecondary but non-degree level.

However, a variety of educational options are available, including certificate and diploma programs, as well as associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

Here are some schools in South Dakota that you can consider for your court reporter training.

South Dakota State University

This university offers a comprehensive program covering court reporting, closed captioning, and CART services.

The program is available online, allowing you to study at your own pace.

There are no specific prerequisites for enrollment.

The primary objective of this program is to help you achieve a writing speed of up to 225 words per minute.

The program costs $6,104, and for students requiring a steno machine, the fee is $7,899.

Enrolled students will have access to the CAT program, although they will need to purchase it for their professional careers.

Dakota State University

Dakota State University provides a Bachelor of Science in Court Reporting and Captioning.

This program prepares individuals for various roles, including court reporters, captioners, and communication access real-time translation (CART) providers.

To be admitted, you must meet the university’s general requirements for undergraduate admission.

The program offers a comprehensive curriculum covering the core aspects of court reporting and real-time captioning.

Obtaining a Court Reporter License in South Dakota

Once you have completed your education, the next step toward becoming a licensed court reporter in South Dakota is to pass a certification examination.

You have 18 months from the completion of your training to achieve this milestone.

During this period, you have the option to obtain a temporary license, although it cannot be renewed.

You can earn one of the following nationally recognized certifications:

• NCRA’s Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification
• NVRA’s (National Verbatim Reporters Association) Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR)

To obtain the official court reporter license in South Dakota, you must also pass a skills examination.

This examination can be administered by one of these organizations:

• NCRA
• NVRA
• ACRA

This process involves:

• Paying the required fees, which include a $200 license fee and a $50 application fee.
• Providing proof of graduation from an approved training program.
• Completing the application form.

The ACRA test closely mirrors the NCRA and NVRA exams.

While the NCRA skills test can be taken online, the other two exams are only available in-person.

If you aspire to become a registered professional reporter, the fees are as follows:

• $120 if you’re not a member
• $95 if you are a member
• $77 if you’re a student member

The fee for the NVRA exam is $125.

If you are already a registered professional reporter and wish to become a certified verbatim reporter, you can transfer for a fee of just $50.

The Certified Court Reporter (CCR) skills exam costs $75.

The CCR skills test consists of three separate sections, each lasting 5 minutes.

To pass, you must meet the word count requirements in these three areas:

• Literary at 180 words per minute
• Jury charge at 200 words per minute
• Testimony/Q&A at 225 words per minute

Candidates are provided with 75 minutes to transcribe their notes, and the minimum passing score in South Dakota is 95% accuracy.

Additionally, there is a knowledge written exam for the registered professional reporter certification, consisting of 120 questions covering technology, professional practices, ethics, and reporting practices.

The minimum passing score for this exam is 70.

The fees for the knowledge written exam are as follows:

• $220 if you’re not a member
• $195 if you are a member
• $160 if you’re a student member

The NVRA exam costs $125.

Renewal of Court Reporter License in South Dakota

Most licenses, including court reporter licenses, require periodic renewal.

In South Dakota, the Board mandates annual license renewal by September 30th.

A reminder email is typically sent around August 1st.

A grace period is available until the end of November 30th, after which unrenewed licenses will expire.

As part of the renewal process, there is a fee involved:

• $200 for renewals completed on time
• $240 for renewals submitted until September 31st
• $280 for renewals filed by November 30th

To complete the license renewal procedure, individuals must undertake 5 hours of continuing education every year.

Any extra hours completed can be carried over to the next year.

These hours must be obtained through NCRA, NVRA, and ACRA, as personal development classes are typically not accepted.

Court Reporter Salary in South Dakota

If you’ve read this far, it’s likely that you’re interested in the court reporter profession and what you can expect to earn in South Dakota.

In the state of South Dakota, court reporters can anticipate a median salary of approximately $54,477 per year.

Below, you can find a table listing the cities in South Dakota with the highest median salaries for individuals in this occupation.

Court Reporter by State