Court Reporters Certification

To qualify for an Apprentice Certification, you must:

1. Pass any part of the oral exam (i.e., Lit, JC, or Q&A) during the 2-year period immediately preceding the date of application.
2. Pass the written exam.
3. Pass a criminal history background check by DPS and the FBI.
4. Have one of the following items:
   • A letter from a court reporting school verifying they’re a student at that school enrolled in an upper speed class and can report at least 200 wpm;
   • A certificate of completion from a court reporting school; or
   • References, work product, or other evidence of performing shorthand reporting services in a satisfactory manner in the course of actively engaging in the practice of shorthand reporting for 3 of the 5-year period immediately preceding the application for apprentice certification in a jurisdiction that does not license or certify shorthand reporters.
5. Have a supervising certified shorthand reporter (CSR) and include their name and CSR number on the application for apprenticeship.

       Additional Information for Apprenticeship Certification:

• • Apprenticeship certifications may only be issued in the same method of certification for which you’ve proven to be proficient in by your court reporting school.
  • Those applying for apprenticeship must use a full professional version of computer-aided transcription (CAT) software without page limitations in order to report a legal proceeding.
  • Apprenticeship certifications are valid for no more than two years and cannot be renewed.
  • Those holding an apprentice certification cannot report proceedings in court but can report proceedings outside of court.

To apply for an Apprenticeship Certification, you must do the following prior to registering for the exam:

1. Submit the Application for Apprenticeship and pay the required fee via the online system on our home page.

• Do not apply for the exam using the JBCC online licensing system. You can only apply for the exam with TCRA.
• Refer to the Exam Procedures section on the Exam page of our website for additional information.

2. Submit the required documentation for one of the following items:

• A letter from a court reporting school verifying they’re a student at that school enrolled in an upper speed class and can report at least 200 wpm; or
• A certificate of completion from a court reporting school; or
• References, work product, or other evidence of performing shorthand reporting services in a satisfactory manner in the course of actively engaging in the practice of shorthand reporting for 3 of the 5-year period immediately preceding the application for apprentice certification in a jurisdiction that does not license or certify shorthand reporters.

3. Pass a criminal history background check by DPS and the FBI.

• Applicants that apply for certification online will receive the service code form via the automated email confirmation they receive after submitting their application for certification.
• They must check their inbox (and spam folder) for this correspondence.

Fees

All fees are non-refundable. However, if you have a fee dispute you must submit it to courtreporting@txcourts.gov for resolution. 

Application for Apprentice Certification: $200.00

Acceptable forms of payment: Credit Card or Debit Card