CRC Practice Test

The Certified Realtime Captioner credential from the National Court Reporters Association is for current or aspiring stenographic captioners. This page gives you free practice sets by topic, a map of the official content areas, worked questions with explanations, a study plan and answers to common questions about the Skills Test and the Written Knowledge Test.

CRC Exam at a Glance

What the CRC is and how it works

According to National Court Reporters Association, “1. CRC Online Skills Test Literary matter at 180 wpm”^[1]

The CRC is an NCRA certification for stenographic captioners. Candidates must be current or aspiring stenographic captioners, and NCRA membership is not required to test. You earn the credential by passing the Skills Test and the Written Knowledge Test, each taken separately.

The Skills Test is delivered online only, through Realtime Coach with ProctorU/Record+. It uses literary matter dictated at 180 wpm, lasts 5 minutes, and allows no editing. Official results are emailed in 10–15 business days. You may register for a single attempt in each open registration window and test the following month, or use a dual back-to-back registration. A single test costs $225 for members, $193 for students and $253 for non-members.

The Written Knowledge Test is delivered by Pearson VUE, through OnVUE online proctoring or at a Pearson test center. It has 50 multiple-choice questions, and you need 70% or higher. You see a preliminary pass or fail at the test, and official scores arrive 2–4 weeks after the window closes. Fees are $220 for members, $181 for students and $253 for non-members.

A passed component stays valid for 3 years toward the CRC. Renewal requires NCRA membership and 3.0 CEUs every 3 years. Windows and fees are set by NCRA and can change, so confirm them on the official NCRA pages before you register.

CRC content outline and where to practise each area

The content areas below are copied from the official CRC content outline published by National Court Reporters Association, with the share of the exam each area carries. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.

Worked examples: how to reason through CRC questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Under the ADA, who generally has the authority to determine which auxiliary aid or service will be provided to a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual?

1. The consumer always chooses the specific aid
2. The covered entity, in consultation with the consumer
3. The state government mandates the aid type
4. The healthcare provider decides independently

Answer: B. The covered entity, in consultation with the consumer

Explanation:

The correct answer is that the covered entity decides, in consultation with the consumer. The entity carries the responsibility for providing effective communication, so it makes the final call, but it must give primary consideration to the preference the person with a disability expresses.

The consumer always choosing is wrong because a preference is weighed heavily, not treated as binding. A state government mandating the aid type is wrong because the decision is made case by case, not fixed by a state list. The healthcare provider deciding independently is wrong because the decision is meant to involve the person who will use the aid.

Rule to remember: the entity decides, but only after asking and seriously weighing what the person requests.

Example 2

Question: How does ongoing professional development support legal research & case analysis in Certified Realtime Captioner?

1. It keeps professionals informed of evolving standards and best practices
2. It is irrelevant to compliance outcomes
3. It only benefits entry-level professionals
4. It replaces the need for formal compliance audits

Answer: A. It keeps professionals informed of evolving standards and best practices

Explanation:

The correct answer is that ongoing professional development keeps professionals informed of evolving standards and best practices. Rules, technology and expectations change, and regular learning is how a practitioner keeps up.

Calling it irrelevant to compliance outcomes is wrong because staying current is one of the main ways compliance is maintained. Saying it only benefits entry-level professionals is wrong because experienced practitioners face the same changes and need to keep up as well. Saying it replaces formal compliance audits is wrong because learning and auditing do different jobs: one builds knowledge, the other checks that practice matches the requirements.

Rule to remember: continuing education supports good practice at every career stage, and it never substitutes for formal checks.

Example 3

Question: How should unexpected results during courtroom procedures & protocols be handled in Certified Realtime Captioner?

1. Document the findings, analyze potential causes, and consult protocols
2. Ignore results that do not match expectations
3. Repeat the procedure until desired results are achieved
4. Attribute unexpected results to equipment error automatically

Answer: A. Document the findings, analyze potential causes, and consult protocols

Explanation:

The correct answer is to document the findings, analyze potential causes and consult protocols. An unexpected result is information, and the sound response is a recorded, traceable investigation that follows the procedures already in place.

Ignoring results that do not match expectations is wrong because it hides a possible problem. Repeating the procedure until the desired result appears is wrong because it picks the outcome you want instead of finding out what happened, and it makes the record unreliable. Blaming equipment error automatically is wrong because it assumes a cause without evidence and stops the real investigation.

Rule to remember: record what happened, look for the cause, and follow the established protocol rather than shaping the result.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official material. Read the NCRA CRC page and the Written Knowledge Test information so you know the five content areas, the format and the current windows. Then use the map above to match each content area to a practice set.

Take one practice set cold, without notes, and read every explanation, including the ones for questions you got right. Write down the rule behind each miss in a short list, grouped by content area. The areas that carry the most weight, the CART and Broadcast captioning environments, deserve the most repeat sets, but do not skip the smaller ones.

Keep your writing practice separate from question practice. The Skills Test rewards clean realtime writing at speed with no editing, so schedule timed dictation on your own software and review your untranslates and conflicts afterwards. Update your dictionary from what you find.

Close to test day, mix questions from different sets so you are not relying on topic cues. Re-read your list of rules instead of starting new material. Check your registration window, your equipment and your proctoring setup well before the day. Our questions are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions, so treat them as practice for the ideas, not a preview of the test.

Sources & last verified

1. National Court Reporters Association — number of questions, time limit, passing score, renewal (official source). “1. CRC Online Skills Test Literary matter at 180 wpm” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
2. National Court Reporters Association — exam fee, retake policy, testing window, registration opens (official source). “Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC) Member $225 $338 Student $193 $290 Non-Member $253 $380” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
3. National Court Reporters Association — exam fee, registration opens, testing window, score release (official source). “CRC $181 $220 $253” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
4. National Court Reporters Association — validity (official source). “Once a candidate has successfully completed a Written Knowledge Test or Skills Test with a passing score, they have three years from the date of…” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
5. pearsonvue.com — delivery (official source). “NCRA has selected Pearson to administer their RPR, RDR, CRC and CLVS written knowledge examinations.” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
6. National Court Reporters Association — score release (official source). “Official results will be emailed within ten to fifteen business days of completion of your test.” Verified Oct 22, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.