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Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC)

Certified Realtime Reporter

 

What is the CRC?

The Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC) is NCRA's certification designed for entry-level captioners who would like to begin working in the broadcast or CART captioning fields.

Become a Certified Realtime Captioner and take advantage of the growing number of opportunities available to realtime captioners. As a top national program that certifies your ability in realtime captioning, attaining the CRC designation commands respect from potential employers.

 

Who is eligible to sit for the CRC exam?

Candidates must be current or aspiring stenographic captioners in order to take the CRC requirements. Candidates do not need to be members of NCRA to take the CRC components.

How you maintain your CRC certification

Candidates who wish to use the CRC credential must become a Registered member of NCRA within 30 days of passing all CRC requirements. As a CRC, you will participate in NCRA's continuing education program. To renew your CRC, you must maintain your NCRA membership and earn a minimum of 3.0 CEUs over a three-year period.

 

Recognition of your achievement

After you have earned your certification, you will be able to log in to your NCRA account and print your newly earned certificate to proudly display in your home or office. Your certification also gets recognition in the Journal of Court Reporting and on NCRA's website. NCRA membership also includes a complimentary listing in NCRA PROLink.

 

Candidates who hold another NCRA certification will receive .25 PDCs for passing the CRC WKT.

 

Testing information

  1. Complete NCRA's CRC Certification Education, available as an on-demand webinar.
    or
    Take the Caption Masters training program.* Caption Masters must submit a verification form to continuinged@ncra.org upon completion. Candidates completing Caption Masters training program from 2018 forward are eligible to participate in this agreement. NCRA's Exam Retention Policy still applies and education used toward earning the CRC must be less than three years old.
  2. Take the CRC online skills test (literary matter at 180 wpm).
  3. Take the written knowledge test (50 questions).

NOTE: The NCRA Skills Test and the Written Knowledge Test can be taken in any order.  NCRA strongly recommends completing our education requirement prior to taking your Written Knowledge Test.

CRC Education Component

NCRA's CRC Certification Education is 10-and-a-half hours of online captioning education. This webinar helps prepare candidates for the CRC Written Knowledge Test (WKT), and thus should be taken prior to taking the WKT.

Candidates who elect to take the Caption Masters training program must have Caption Masters submit a verification form to continuinged@ncra.org upon completion.

*Candidates utilizing Caption Masters as their CRC mandatory education are responsible for preparing for the CRC Written Knowledge Test using the CRC Job Analysis. Candidates who are not successful passing the CRC WKT shall not hold NCRA accountable.

Online Skills Test

You have to pass a five-minute realtime Literary Skills Test (SKT) at 180 wpm with 96 percent accuracy.

You cannot edit your transcript at all. Time allotted is only to upload your file.

CRC - What is an error?

 

All candidates are required to read the Skills Test instructions and technical requirements prior to registering and taking their test.

 

Skills Test registration and information

 

 

Written Knowledge Test

The Written Knowledge Test, or WKT, is a 50-question, multiple-choice test that focuses on areas that come from the CRC Job Analysis:

  • Writing realtime (20%)
  • Language skills (15%)
  • The Broadcast captioning environment (25%)
  • The CART captioning environment (30%)
  • Research (10%)

You must pass with a score of 70% or higher.

 

 

All candidates are required to read the Written Knowledge Test information prior to registering and taking their test.

 

WKT registration and information

 

Note: Effective January 1, 2025, due to budget constraints, and in an effort to maintain a greener footprint, NCRA will no longer be mailing physical certification certificates to members. Members may download and print their own certificates through the NCRA website. Print certification certificate instructions