Are you interested in a home study school program for Court Reporting?

ADMISSIONS

REQUIREMENTS

Whether studied through a resident or home study program, mastering the skills to become a machine shorthand reporter is a very challenging undertaking.

Home study education students should:

Be highly motivated and self-disciplined
Work well independently, but also know when to seek help from instructors, fellow students via the Internet, or court reporter mentors
Have a serious commitment to learning and a high level of perseverance

Although success at StenoMax includes mastering practical skills and academic knowledge, it also involves demonstrating such qualities as commitment, perseverance, integrity, dependability, a positive attitude, and a sense of professional responsibility.

The StenoMax Institute will admit only those applicants who provide proof of a high school diploma, a general equivalency diploma (GED) or its equivalent, or a transcript from a post secondary college or university. Applicants from another court reporting school should provide a transcript from that institution.

Applicants must also have keyboarding skills of at least 25 wpm.
All students must be at least 18 years old.

Beginning students will need a stenotype machine (see machines) and a computer with word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word or WordPerfect). By the end of Theory, realtime writing skills will require the following computer specifications (these are the requirements for Case Catalyst – check with other CAT software vendors for their requirements):

Operating system: Windows 2000 or XP
Processor: 300Mhz Pentium compatible
RAM: 128 MB or more (XP minimum 128MB; Windows 2000 minimum 64MB)
Hard drive: 2GB with minimum 650MB available space
Monitor: SVGA monitor – 800 x 600 display or higher with full color
Keyboard/Mouse: Mouse or other pointing device
Drive: Diskette drive (to read steno notes and import) and CD-ROM drive
Ports: One USB or one standard parallel port for security device (key), one serial port for writer realtime connection, and one serial port for CaseView output

In most states, court reporters must be certified as officers of the court and/or notaries public. These certifications normally require a police record free of felony convictions; however, in some states, an exemption may be granted (but only rarely).