PSAT Writing and Language Practice Test 49: Court Reporter

Questions 1-11 refer to the following information.

Court Reporter

In the court of law, a judge is the public official who presides over the hearing and is ultimately responsible for the administration of justice. An attorney or a lawyer advises and represents individuals, businesses, or agencies in legal disputes. Defense attorneys and prosecutors are the specific names given to lawyers 1 whom represent the accused or whom represent local, state, or federal agencies as they accuse others of crimes, respectively. The jury consists of a body of people appointed to listen, consider evidence, and give a verdict on a 2 specific trial—essentially, jurors represent a panel of judges. Responsible for maintaining order in the court is an officer, much like a police officer. And a court clerk maintains records of the court proceedings. Other than interested parties like the defendant and the witnesses, this list 3 composes those occupants found in a normal legal proceeding. 4 Or will they?

5 Court reporting an often-overlooked occupation of legal services—is essential to trials, depositions, committee meetings, and basically any legal proceeding you can think of. A court reporter provides a verbatim record of court proceedings using recording equipment, stenographs, and stenomasks. 6 For this reason, a court reporter transcribes any spoken dialogue, recorded speech, gestures, actions, etc. that occur in a legal environment where exact record of occurrences is mandatory. Hence, the oversight does not reflect the significance of the occupation itself. Court reporters are very important to the judicial system.

Stenographs are machines like keyboards that use key combinations rather than single characters 7 for effective communication. A court reporter using a stenomask, on the other hand, actually speaks into a covered microphone recording dialogue and reporting actions that a computer then transcribes. Recording equipment might consist of anything from a traditional tape recorder to more advanced digital audio recording with voice recognition technology. Whatever a court reporter chooses to use, 8 they are charged with generating exact records of what was said inside the courtroom and then providing accurate copies to courts, counsels, and other involved parties.

As you might guess, the occupational skills valued in a court reporter encompass clerical, listening, and writing skills; selective hearing; attention to detail; and knowledge of legal codes, jargon, and court procedures. That being said, it might surprise 9 you to learn that most entry-level positions require only an associate's degree or certificate program, and completion of licensing exams. 10 You are on your way to a six-figure salary and a front-row seat at local, state, or federal court proceedings in as little as two years. In addition, 11 a given court reporter's salary is more likely to be within a consistent range than the salaries of other major legal fields, making it a job you can count on to give you a solid paycheck.

Source: Onetonline.org