CRI Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CRI facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A court reporting instructor wants to use authentic assessment. Which example BEST reflects this approach? → Transcribing a live mock trial proceeding
2. Under professional standards, a court reporter who accepts a per-page fee arrangement where payment is contingent on a favorable verdict is committing: → A prohibited contingency fee arrangement
3. Which type of validity evidence confirms that a court reporting certification exam covers the full range of competencies required in the profession? → Content validity
4. How does technology aid modern reporting? → Enables realtime and editing
5. Which of the following is a best practice when creating new dictation passages for court reporting instruction? → Balance familiar and new vocabulary to challenge without overwhelming students
6. In the context of CRI ethics, 'professional competence' most directly requires a reporter-instructor to: → Maintain current skills and knowledge relevant to court reporting and instruction
7. An NCRA member is asked to provide a 'rough draft' transcript with a notation that it is unedited. Under NCRA ethics, this is: → Permissible as long as it is clearly labeled as a rough draft
8. What accuracy percentage is the standard threshold for a student to pass an NCRA skills speed test? → 95%
9. Which Bloom's Taxonomy level is demonstrated when a student can break down a steno brief into its phonetic components? → Analyze
10. How should a CRI instructor use error analysis after a failed speed take? → Identify patterns in missed strokes to target specific theory or vocabulary gaps
11. When a reporter is asked by one attorney to withhold a transcript from opposing counsel, the reporter must: → Provide transcripts to all entitled parties regardless of one attorney's request
12. A CRI instructor notices that students perform well on isolated drills but fail during practice testimony. This gap suggests a problem with: → Transfer of training
13. What role does audio quality play in steno speed accuracy training? → Poor audio can introduce artificial errors unrelated to student skill
14. A CRI candidate reviewing a syllabus sees the phrase 'Students will appreciate the importance of accuracy.' Why is this a poor learning objective? → It uses an unobservable, unmeasurable verb
15. What is the role of learning objectives? → To set clear goals
16. Which of the following best describes the concept of 'impartiality' as applied to court reporters? → Providing identical services to all parties without favoring any side
17. A CRI instructor is asked by a student to certify completion of a practicum the student did not actually finish. The instructor should: → Refuse and explain the certification must reflect actual completion
18. When developing a court reporting program curriculum, horizontal alignment refers to: → Consistency of content across courses at the same level
19. How does multimedia support learning? → It enhances understanding
20. What is validity in assessment? → Measuring intended skills accurately
21. When creating a syllabus for a court reporting course, what element is most important for managing student expectations? → Clear milestone speed benchmarks with specific dates and consequences for not meeting them
22. A CRI instructor wants to reduce cognitive overload for beginning steno students. Which instructional strategy BEST addresses this goal? → Chunking new information into small, manageable segments
23. How can rubrics support evaluation? → Provide clear assessment criteria
24. Which curriculum model emphasizes backward design, starting with desired results before planning instruction? → Understanding by Design (UbD)
25. Which scenario represents an improper ex parte communication by a court reporter? → Privately discussing deposition testimony highlights with only the retaining attorney
26. Why is honesty crucial in professional conduct? → To build trust
27. Why is reliability important in assessment? → Consistent results over time
28. When developing a court reporting curriculum, which type of dictation content should typically be introduced first? → Simple literary or news-style passages
29. When selecting dictation passages for CRI-level instruction, which factor is MOST important in gauging appropriate difficulty? → Syllabic intensity and vocabulary complexity
30. When writing measurable learning objectives, the ABCD model stands for: → Audience, Behavior, Condition, Degree