18.1 NCRA Certification Pathway & Exam Policies
Key Takeaways
- The RPR WKT has 120 multiple-choice items—100 scored and 20 pretest—110 minutes, a scaled passing score of 70, and official content weights of 43%, 34%, and 23%.
- The three five-minute skills legs are Literary at 180 WPM, Jury Charge at 200 WPM, and Testimony at 225 WPM, each at 95% accuracy.
- The current maximum RPR errors are 45 Literary, 50 Jury Charge, and 57 Testimony because NCRA applies its published error-count method.
- Each passed component has its own three-year retention period from the official pass date; candidates may test as often as offered but not twice on the same certification exam in one administration period.
- Membership is not required to sit for the RPR, but a successful candidate must become the appropriate NCRA member within 30 days and maintain membership and continuing education to use the designation.
18.1 NCRA Certification Pathway & Exam Policies
Quick Summary: The RPR combines one Written Knowledge Test with three online skills legs. Keep the two testing systems separate: Pearson VUE administers the WKT at test centers and through OnVUE during published windows; NCRA's online skills process administers Literary, Jury Charge, and Testimony legs. A candidate completes all four components while each individual pass remains valid.
Written Knowledge Test
The current RPR WKT uses:
- 120 multiple-choice questions: 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items;
- 110 minutes of testing time;
- a scaled score of 70 to pass; and
- three domains: Technology and Innovation 43%, Industry Practices 34%, and NCRA, Professionalism, and Ethics 23%.
Because the score is scaled and pretest items are not identified, do not compute a passing raw number from 120. Answer every question. Registration occurs for published testing windows, not continuously year-round. Current WKT pages identify Pearson VUE test centers and the OnVUE online option. Test-center candidates may receive a preliminary result at the site; online candidates access the score report electronically. NCRA states that official score results are generally sent two to four weeks after the window closes.
Skills Legs
Each RPR skills leg is a five-minute dictation:
| Leg | Speed | Total words | Required accuracy | Maximum errors under NCRA's current table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literary | 180 WPM | 900 | 95% | 45 |
| Jury Charge | 200 WPM | 1,000 | 95% | 50 |
| Testimony/Q&A | 225 WPM | 1,125 | 95% | 57 |
The Testimony allowance is 57, not 56. NCRA's published error document explains that the allowable number is based on the number of errors a candidate can make while still attaining the required percentage under its scoring approach.
For the online skills test, the candidate follows current NCRA registration and technical instructions, receives platform confirmation, completes the equipment and room checks, and uses an eligible writer and CAT workflow. After dictation, the candidate has three minutes to attach notes and 75 minutes to transcribe and submit. NCRA's current registration page lists single-leg and dual-leg options. Always confirm fees, dates, system requirements, and proctor instructions on the current page because these operational facts can change.
Component Retention
Every passed component has its own three-year period beginning on its official pass date. Passing one component does not restart the other clocks. Suppose Literary is passed April 15, 2024, Jury Charge October 20, 2024, and the WKT March 10, 2025. The Literary pass is the first one at risk on April 15, 2027. If it expires before the credential is completed, that component must be passed again while the other unexpired passes retain their own dates.
NCRA says candidates may test as often as the exams are offered, but a candidate may not take the same certification exam twice during the same administration period. A failed attempt does not cancel already passed components. Schedule backward from the earliest expiration date and leave room for another available administration.
Planning the Four Components
The WKT and skills legs may be completed in any workable sequence. Track the official pass date for each component, keep score notices, and place the earliest expiration on a calendar. A candidate balancing speedbuilding with written study should reserve enough testing windows for a retake before that date. Registration confirmation, preliminary feedback, and an official pass notice are different records; use the official pass date for retention planning.
Membership and Award of the RPR
Current or aspiring stenographic reporters may sit for the RPR; NCRA membership is not a prerequisite to test. After passing the WKT and all three skills legs, the candidate must become the appropriate NCRA member within 30 days to use the RPR designation. Maintaining the credential then requires continuous membership and the continuing-education cycle discussed in Section 18.2.
The designation is a current credential, not a lifetime statement that someone once passed an exam. Use RPR initials only while the credential is active and accurately represented.
Advancement
The RPR is NCRA's foundational stenographic credential. A current RPR can pursue credentials with distinct requirements rather than treating them as automatic upgrades:
- RMR: higher-speed five-minute skills legs at 200 WPM Literary, 240 WPM Jury Charge, and 260 WPM Testimony, each at 95% accuracy.
- CRR: a five-minute 200 WPM Testimony realtime examination at 96% accuracy, with no editing after dictation.
- RDR: NCRA's advanced written credential for experienced reporters meeting its eligibility rules; its WKT has its own content outline.
For any advanced path, check the current eligibility page before registering. RPR questions often test the difference among the speeds and the difference between a skills exam and a written exam.
Which line accurately states the RPR skills requirements?
Literary is the candidate's earliest passed RPR component. How does the retention policy operate?
Which pairing correctly identifies current delivery of the two RPR testing parts?