How to Investigate Court Stenographer Schools

After you have decided upon a career in court stenography, aka court reporting, you will need to fully investigate the prospective stenographer schools. Just like almost every other career, court stenographer schools are either public or private institutions. Before contacting each school, you should have a list of questions available so that you can make the most intelligent choice for your future.

Instructions

1. First of all, if you have not identified a list of stenographer schools in which to contact, you should read my previous article titled: How to Find Court Reporting Schools in the U.S. (see link in RESOURCES section below).

   Skip down to step two if you already have your list of schools prepared.

2. CERTIFICATION: Double check that each institution will allow you to sit for the NCRA certification exam.

3. CERTIFICATION PASSAGE RATE: Ask them what is the percentage of people who pass the NCRA exam after studying in their program.

   REMEMBER - stenographer schools with a high success rate will know it automatically because they are PROUD of it!

   Beware of any admissions representative who tells you that they don't know, AND --- they will not try to find out how to get the information.

4. TUITION/COSTS: Find out the total cost for each school on your list. If the school is a public institution find out the difference in cost between in state and out of state students. Stenographer schools that refuse to give out their total tuition costs should be crossed off of your list for obvious reasons.

5. FINANCIAL AID: Ask whether or not the school is eligible for federal financial aid, and find out their FAFSA code for future reference.

6. EQUIPMENT COSTS: Find out whether or not the cost of a stenotype machine, software, laptop and/or any other equipment cost is already calculated in the cost of the program.

7. EQUPMENT TYPE: Inquire about the specific type of steno machine, software, laptop, and any other equipment that is necessary for you to complete the program.

8. PROGRAM LENGTH: Ask about the amount of time it takes to finish their program from day one until graduation.

9. INTERNSHIP: Find out whether or not the school offers an internship or externship opportunity. If they do, you will want to find out where their students are placed, and how they are placed.

10. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT: After you have finished your investigations and you have a list of suitable stenographer schools you will need to schedule an in person visit. Set up a time to sit down with the admissions office, the financial aid office, and the stenography instructor. You will also want to take a tour of the school, so allow for ample time to get everything done.

    Relax and try to think of anything else that you may want to ask for your on campus visit. Good luck on your new career endeavor!

Resources

• How to Find Court Reporting Schools in the U.S.