CRI Reporting Fundamentals & Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A court reporter is asked to read back testimony during cross-examination. Which transcript section should be located first?
- The most recent answer given by the witness (Correct answer)
- The question posed by opposing counsel
- The objection that preceded the testimony
- The judge's ruling on admissibility
Correct answer: The most recent answer given by the witness
When reading back testimony, the reporter locates the most recent answer from the witness unless counsel specifies a different starting point.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a scopist in court reporting?
- To proofread and edit rough draft transcripts for accuracy (Correct answer)
- To operate the stenography machine during proceedings
- To certify the final transcript on behalf of the reporter
- To synchronize audio recordings with written transcripts
Correct answer: To proofread and edit rough draft transcripts for accuracy
A scopist reads the rough draft transcript through computer software and corrects untranslated or mistranslated steno outlines.
Question 3: Which realtime translation setting would most help a reporter reduce the number of untranslated steno strokes during a fast-paced deposition?
- Expanding the personal dictionary with job-specific terms beforehand (Correct answer)
- Increasing the translation buffer size in CAT software
- Switching to a lower baud rate on the steno machine
- Disabling conflict resolution to speed up output
Correct answer: Expanding the personal dictionary with job-specific terms beforehand
Pre-loading job-specific vocabulary into a personal dictionary reduces untranslates by ensuring the CAT software recognizes anticipated terms.
Question 4: Under NCRA guidelines, what must a CRI candidate demonstrate regarding reporting speed?
- Minimum 225 wpm with 95% accuracy on literary, jury charge, and testimony material (Correct answer)
- Minimum 200 wpm with 98% accuracy on literary material only
- Minimum 250 wpm with 90% accuracy on any single voice material
- Minimum 175 wpm certified by a state board examination
Correct answer: Minimum 225 wpm with 95% accuracy on literary, jury charge, and testimony material
NCRA's RPR requires 225 wpm at 95% accuracy across all three literary, jury charge, and two-voice testimony legs.
Question 5: When a witness speaks with a heavy accent and the reporter cannot clearly discern a word, what is the best immediate action?
- Politely interrupt and ask the witness to repeat the unclear word (Correct answer)
- Write a phonetic approximation and flag it for post-proceeding review
- Leave a blank and continue without interrupting the proceeding
- Ask the judge to appoint an interpreter before continuing
Correct answer: Politely interrupt and ask the witness to repeat the unclear word
The reporter has the right and duty to interrupt politely to ensure accurate capture of testimony rather than guessing at words.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a conflict in a CAT dictionary?
- A single steno outline that translates to two or more different words (Correct answer)
- A stroke that cannot be captured by the stenotype keyboard
- An error produced when the writer drops a single finger
- A mismatch between the audio recording and the transcript text
Correct answer: A single steno outline that translates to two or more different words
A conflict occurs when one steno brief is assigned multiple possible translations, requiring the writer or software to resolve which word is intended.
Question 7: A deposition transcript is requested by a party who was not present at the proceeding. Which ethical rule governs the reporter's response?
- The transcript may be provided to any party who orders and pays for it (Correct answer)
- Only the noticing attorney may receive a copy of the transcript
- The transcript cannot be released without a court order
- The reporter must notify all parties before releasing the transcript
Correct answer: The transcript may be provided to any party who orders and pays for it
NCRA's Code of Professional Ethics requires reporters to provide transcripts to any party who orders and pays the appropriate fee.
CRI Reporting Fundamentals & Skills 2
A court reporter is asked to read back testimony during cross-examination.
Which transcript section should be located first?