Make a list of all of the stenographer schools in your area. From there, look into the certification. It is up to you to make sure that the school you attend will allow you to go for the NCRA certification exam, which is required to work in a court for deposition purposes. If the school allows their students to sit in on that exam, you will need to ask about the passage rate that they have for that particular certification. How many students on average pass the exam after attending their school for that program?
Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the tuition costs. If you run across a school that refuses to quote a total amount for yearly tuition, you should take that as a red flag. There should be no reason for a school to not give out the information that you request.
In order to get closer to your career and to working in the court you will want to make sure that you have all the financial help that you can get for schooling. Ask about financial aid and make sure to ask about their FAFSA code. Make sure that you ask about the equipment costs. You need to be aware of how much a typical stenotype machine costs and any software or any other equipment that you may need. Are these costs included in the cost of the program or are they additional costs?
Check how long the program is and whether or not they get involved with internship programs. These programs allow students to work on a deposition or two so that they can become familiar with the process by going through real life court proceedings. After asking these questions make sure that you are making appointments with a few of the top schools that you spoke to. Do not focus just on one school as you want to make sure that you are keeping your options open. Before you know it, you will be working on a deposition in a court of law.
