National Realtime Contest

The NCRA Realtime Contest began in 1999 as a way to showcase members' instantaneous speech-to-text skills. The contest has continued to be an exciting event for members and nonmembers alike.

Contest format

The competition consists of two five-minute dictations: literary at 200 wpm and two-voice at 225 wpm. Contestants will produce printable electronic files in the appropriate format as designated by the Committee for grading prior to leaving the contest room. Contestants qualify in each leg with an accuracy rate of 95 percent or better, and the best combined score among those qualifying in both legs shall be declared champion.

NCRA Realtime Contest Rules and Seating

NCRA Realtime Contest Rules

1. Any member in good standing of NCRA who holds the RMR, RDR, or CRR, or who holds both the RPR and the CRC, is eligible.
2. The contest will consist of two five-minute segments (legs): a literary component at 200 wpm and a two-voice component at 225 wpm. The literary shall consist of solid matter dictation of unspecified topic. The two-voice shall be testimony dictation with Q’s and A’s neither counted nor read.
3. Priority seating choices for the contest will be given to last year’s winner. Other contestants will be given randomly assigned seat numbers. (See Contestant Identification Numbering, Seating and Lottery Procedures.)
4. The jump drives that are turned in must be marked for identification with the candidate’s contestant number to protect the confidential grading process. Media will be left in test envelopes and can be picked up after the results are announced. iFiles that cannot be printed will result in disqualification of the candidate. MANDATORY – Contestant number must be in the header/footer on every page of both legs, both contests. Papers without contestant numbers will not be graded.
5. The percentage of accuracy to qualify is 95 percent or better. Grading will be done in accordance with NCRA’s What is an Error? guidelines for the CRR test.
6. Each leg shall be graded separately, with the three highest scores receiving award recognition. There shall be an averaging of both legs to award the overall winner, with averaging scores to the three highest averages.
7. NCRA may charge an appropriate entry fee to participate in the competition.
8. The Contests Committee will publish no names or information concerning any contestant or transcript except those that qualify under the rules.
9. All decisions of the Contests Committee made under these rules, or such supplementary rules as may be found necessary at the time of the Contest, shall be final.
10. The President of NCRA shall appoint the Contests Committee on an annual basis.

Contestant Identification Numbering and Seating

1. Last year’s winner will receive priority seating, to be selected at least 24 hours prior to the contest and according to seating layout provided to NCRA by the hotel.
2. All other seats will be numbered from 1 to “X,” with “X” being the total number of contestants in this year’s contest.
3. Seating will be randomly assigned in advance. After registration is complete and contestants receive their seat number, contestants will be admitted to the contest room.
4. There shall be no changing or rearranging of seats. Contestants may set up equipment with the assurance that they will not have to move before the contest starts.
5. If the Contests Committee does not specify a certain time, doors shall open one hour before the contest is scheduled to begin.

Unless given permission in advance, no contestants are permitted in the grading room. Acknowledgement and agreement with NCRA Contest Rules and Code of Ethics are required to participate in NCRA Contests.

Reviewed Feburary 2025