How to Become a Court Reporter in Texas

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

Their responsibility is to transcribe every spoken word during legal proceedings, making them an integral part of the justice system.

Individuals interested in becoming a court reporter in Texas must obtain a license, and here, I will outline the necessary steps for licensure, so please continue reading.

Complete Your Education as a Court Reporter in Texas

To become a licensed court reporter, you must first complete a comprehensive training program.

It’s important to note that the program you choose must be approved by the Texas Board of Court Reporting.

To enroll in such a program, you should meet the following requirements:

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

These training programs typically cover various areas of court reporting, including:

• CART/Captioning
• Judicial Reporting
• Scoping/Proofreading
• Professional Transcription
• Office Assistant
• Court and Realtime Reporting

Prospective students must ensure that the curriculum of their chosen program is approved by the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE).

The curriculum should include subjects like:

• Applied Writing I
• Medical Terminology
• Legal Terminology
• Civil and Criminal Law Terminology
• Realtime Reporting I
• Realtime Reporting II

These programs are usually available at the postsecondary level, offering certificates, diplomas, as well as associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

Here are some schools in Texas that you can consider for your court-reporting education.

Arlington Career Institute

This institution offers 2 programs for those wanting to become stenographers.

These are: 

• Court Reporting Voice Writing Program
• Court Reporting Steno Machine Program

The first one is offered online and can be completed in 15 weeks.

The second one has a duration of 36 months and is also available online only.

Some students might need more time to complete their studies, and this means continuing to pay the tuition.

Become Licensed as a Court Reporter in Texas

After completing your court reporting education, the next step is to pass an exam to earn your license.

You have 18 months from the completion of your training to do so.

During this period, you can obtain a temporary license.

Please note that the temporary license cannot be renewed.

To earn your license in Texas, you can pursue one of the following nationally recognized certifications:

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

These two certifications are recognized nationwide.

However, to obtain your actual license in Texas, you’ll also need to pass a skills exam.

You can choose to take the skills exam from one of these organizations:

NCRA
NVRA
ACRA (Association of Court Reporters and Captioners)

The process involves:

• The required fees typically include a license fee and an application fee (in Texas, it’s $200 for the license and $50 for the application).
• Providing proof of graduation from an approved training program.
• Filling out the application form.

The ACRA test is similar to both the NCRA and NVRA exams.

The NCRA skills test can be taken online, while the other two exams must be in-person.

If you aspire to become a registered professional reporter, you will need to pay the following fees:

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

The fee for the NVRA exam is $125.

If you aim to become a certified verbatim reporter, you can pay a transfer fee of just $50 if you are already a registered professional reporter.

For the Certified Court Reporter (CCR) skills exam, the cost is $75.

This 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 have 75 minutes to transcribe their notes, and the minimum passing score in Texas is 95%.

There is also a knowledge written exam for the registered professional reporter, consisting of 120 questions that cover technology, professional practices, ethics, and reporting practices.

The minimum passing score is 70, and the fees for this exam are as follows:

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

The NVRA exam costs $125.

Court Reporter License Renewal in Texas

The renewal deadline is typically set for September 30th each year.

As expected, there is a renewal fee associated with the process, as follows:

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

The continuing education hours must be completed through organizations like NCRA, NVRA, and ACRA.

Court Reporter Salary in Texas

In the state of Texas, the median annual salary for a court reporter is $60,770.

For a more detailed breakdown of salaries in different cities across Texas, refer to the table below.

Regional Salary in Texas

Court Reporter by State