Free California Certified Shorthand Reporter Professional Practice Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the California Certified Shorthand Reporter Professional Practice Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1During a deposition, counsel and the witness speak over each other and words are being lost. Which intervention follows CRB guidance?

   1. A.Ask the speakers to proceed one at a time.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Ask each speaker to increase their speaking volume.
   3. C.Ask each speaker to reduce their speaking rate.
   4. D.Ask each speaker to move closer to a microphone.

   Explanation: CRB states: "Anything that compromises your ability to make an accurate record should be addressed immediately." Interrupt immediately to restore a verbatim record; the other methods do not resolve live overlapping speech.

   Reference: COURT REPORTERS BOARD OF CALIFORNIA — Best Practice Pointer No. 1 — best_interrupt — p. 1, How

2. 2A reporter prepares an appellate transcript for electronic filing. No order permits scanning. Which production method meets rule 8.144(d)(1)(A)?

   1. A.Generate the transcript electronically from its text.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Scan the printed transcript into searchable images.
   3. C.Photograph the signed pages and combine the images.
   4. D.Scan the printed transcript and add bookmarks afterward.

   Explanation: The authority states: "Be generated electronically; it must not be created from a scanned document unless ordered by the court." Searchability added to a scan does not replace the rule's electronic-generation requirement.

   Reference: California Rules of Court, Rule 8.144 — rule 8.144(d)(1)(A)

3. 3A reporter checks the copy-and-paste function of an electronic appellate transcript. Under rule8.144(d)(1)(F), what must be excluded from copied text while its original formatting is kept?

   1. A.Witness names, exhibit references, date lines and speaker labels.
   2. B.Objections, parentheticals, examination headings and colloquy.
   3. C.Punctuation, paragraph breaks, question markers and answer markers.
   4. D.Headers, footers, line numbers and page numbers.Correct answer: D

   Explanation: Rule8.144(d)(1)(F) states: "Permit users to copy and paste, keeping the original formatting, but with headers, footers, line numbers, and page numbers excluded." The excluded material is the page apparatus, not substantive witness, exhibit or testimony content.

   Reference: California Rules of Court, Rule 8.144 — rule8.144(d)(1)(F)

4. 4A reporting firm asks a California CSR to accept an assignment on its behalf. The entity is one required to register under §8051. What must the reporter verify first?

   1. A.That the entity uses the reporter's preferred CAT software.
   2. B.That the entity is registered with the Board.Correct answer: B
   3. C.That the entity is headquartered in California.
   4. D.That the entity's clients all employ California counsel.

   Explanation: The authority states: "shall verify whether a person or entity is registered with the board before engaging in the practice of shorthand reporting on behalf of that person or entity" The required check concerns Board registration.

   Reference: California Business and Professions Code §8051 — §8051(j)

5. 5Before reporting a court hearing, a reporter wants to establish how clarification requests should be addressed. Whose preference should the reporter confirm?

   1. A.The courtroom clerk's preference.
   2. B.The presiding judge's preference.Correct answer: B
   3. C.The noticing attorney's preference.
   4. D.The supervising reporter's preference.

   Explanation: CRB states: "Confirm with the judge ahead of time their preference for how to handle clarifications." The presiding judge determines whether requests should be addressed through the judge or directly to counsel.

   Reference: COURT REPORTERS BOARD OF CALIFORNIA — Best Practice Pointer No. 1 — best_interrupt — p. 1, In Court

6. 6In a multiple-reporter appeal, a reporter estimates the pages needed for a segment. Who assigns that segment's beginning and ending page numbers?

   1. A.The reporter handling that segment.
   2. B.The designated primary reporter.Correct answer: B
   3. C.The appellate court records clerk.
   4. D.The trial court's courtroom clerk.

   Explanation: The authority states: "The primary reporter must then assign beginning and ending page numbers for each segment." Individual estimates go to the primary reporter for coordinated pagination.

   Reference: California Rules of Court, Rule 8.144 — rule 8.144(f)(1)

7. 7A reporter's appellate PDF has a viewer page counter that differs from its transcript page numbers, with no applicable multiple-reporter exception. What should be corrected?

   1. A.Make the PDF page counter match transcript pagination.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Restart the transcript text numbering after the cover.
   3. C.Replace numbered pages with dated bookmarks.
   4. D.Remove the cover page from the electronic transcript.

   Explanation: The authority states: "Ensure that the electronic page counter in the PDF file viewer matches the transcript page numbering" Alignment is required, subject to the listed exceptions.

   Reference: California Rules of Court, Rule 8.144 — rule8.144(d)(1)(C)

8. 8A CSR reasonably relied on the Board's directory showing a firm as registered when accepting work. Under §8051(k), which alleged violation is protected against Board action solely on that ground?

   1. A.A breach of transcript confidentiality.
   2. B.Negligent loss of stenographic reporting notes.
   3. C.Failure to verify the firm's Board registration.Correct answer: C
   4. D.Failure to pay a court-imposed transcript sanction.

   Explanation: Section8051(k) states: "The board shall not take action against a certificate holder solely for a violation of subdivision (j) if the certificate holder reasonably relied on the board’s directory". Subdivision(j) is the firm-registration verification duty. The protection does not excuse the other listed professional violations.

   Reference: California Business and Professions Code §8051 — §8051(k)

9. 9A deposition is also being videotaped. The videographer stops recording while attorneys continue placing transcript orders on the record. How should the reporter respond?

   1. A.Suspend reporting until all attorneys agree to resume.
   2. B.Suspend reporting until the videographer resumes recording.
   3. C.Continue making the stenographic or voice record.Correct answer: C
   4. D.Suspend reporting until the witness resumes answering questions.

   Explanation: CRB states: "You may remain on the record while the video has stopped, as in the case of getting attorneys’ orders at the end of the deposition." The reporter's official record operates independently of the video recording.

   Reference: COURT REPORTERS BOARD OF CALIFORNIA — Best Practice Pointer No. 3 — best_video — p. 1, Reminder

10. 10An appellate transcript segment exceeds its assigned ending page, 420. How should the reporter number the first additional page?

    1. A.421
    2. B.420A
    3. C.420-1Correct answer: C
    4. D.421-1

    Explanation: The authority states: "the reporter must number the additional pages with the ending page number, a hyphen, and a new number, starting with 1 and continuing consecutively." The assigned ending number remains the prefix, yielding 420-1.

    Reference: California Rules of Court, Rule 8.144 — rule 8.144(f)(2)