7 YEARS THE "NORM" FOR A STENO WRITER TO FINISH SCHOOL??????

[Montrell Vann]

Just curious. Has anyone heard of 7 years being the "norm" for an individual to complete schooling as a steno writer? Anyone heard of this statistic being given before? I ran across a statement by a member on this site indicating 7 years is the "norm" for a steno writer to finish school, but maybe it was only sarcasm. I certainly don't want this egregious misconception to be advertised to any prospective students for them to be discouraged by such a statement. Let's correct the record just in case!

[Mary Jo Cochran]

No. I switched schools when I hit 225 Q&A. My first school was crappy, the original instructor left, the new one didn't like me. I went from 225 Q&A down to 160.

I'm inclined to think if you've been at a school three years, and you're not near finishing, then switch to another school. I read an article on a school in Washington where the students literally couldn't hit the qualifying markers - because they were almost impossible to reach.

I should think no more than 3 1/2 years would be the norm.

[Sabrina]

It took me two years to complete school. Of course, I was single, had no children and practiced my rear end off every night to speed tapes and whatever else I could get my hands on. If you are able to just focus on school and speed-building, it shouldn't take seven years. That's just my experience.

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

7 years? wow! Maybe if you go to school or classes and never practice at home. Although I'd think if you never practice at home, the norm would be "never." Also, be aware that "completing school" is meaningless. Getting credentials (RPR and CSR) is the only thing that counts. And that's just the beginning. That'll entitle you to call yourself a court reporter and for some agency to start giving you work but it's not nearly enough to provide the all-important confidence, which is the RMR. Once the basic certifying exams are passed, then the smart thing to do is NOT STOP PRACTICING EVEN ONE DAY until you pass the RMR. Once you have RMR speed and enough of it to overcome the jitters and pass the test, then is the time to start thinking about the CRR.

Practice 2-3 hours a night seven days a week and learn about smart briefing and phrasing, I say 2-3 years to pass the RPR and CSR.

[Kate Allen]

I can say that I am a current student in a 2 year program, and I plan in finishing it in the 2 years. My professor finished the same program in 2 years. Certifications will take additional time, but I hope to be a freelance writer after my internship before becoming certified.

[Kara Y. Dickinson]

My school was touted as a two year program, but after I had been in they switched to three years. I think that is a more reasonable time. I think it's important to know that only the few very, very naturally talented, super-focused will get out in 18 months to 2 years, but three years is reasonable.

I think it's important that students get a realistic answer so that they can make schooling decisions. For me, honestly, if I had known how long it was going to take me, I would have pursued a traditional degree because I already had two years behind me. Don't take this wrong, I love court reporting and my degree has been very valuable to me, but I don't think I would have signed on for three years.

[Kwanna Collins]

Hi Montrell! I am a court reporter student. In Q and A i am at 190 WPM so i figure by October or November i should be finish with school. October would be 2 years for me; however, there are some students in my school that are a little behind but i tell you one thing, after three years my school will give you the boot and you must wait an entire year to come back. Seven years is a bit too much. Like you said, maybe the person was joking, i hope so.lol Take care

[Quyen N. Do]

Okay, so I'm a seven-year-er ... but ... I didn't practice a single day outside of class. I figured I was young and had p-l-e-n-t-y of time, so I actually didn't take it very seriously nor did I give it my 110%. The program was canceled several times before I could even get started, because enrollment was too low to hold class. So, from schooling, including passing my state licensing exam ... seven (7) years, yep, on the nose. Most of the students I went to school with had been in the program 5+ years, and that's an understatement. There were a few, like, two or three, who I knew passed within two to three years.

BUT ... please, puh-lease, don't do as I did. I am most definitely a poor example of what a steno student should be. To succeed (and to do so much more quickly than I did), one needs to breath, eat, sleep, dream and live steno! Unless you are one of the rare naturals, of course. :)

Good luck!

[Monica Gerard]

Personally, I think 3 years is more realistic for most people, as opposed to the two years that many schools suggest. True, it may be accurate that 2 years might be the "average," because there are those gifted few that seem to graduate in 12 to 18 months - enough to bring the average down to 2 years. We certainly have plenty people in our school that have been enrolled well over 2 years - some as many as 4 years. For me, I'd be happy if I graduated in 2 1/2 to 3 years years - and that's with a lot of hard work.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that even though 2 years might be average, the average in this case is not a good measure of the "central tendency." I think the median might paint a different picture. For example, if you took a random sample of 100 graduates of court reporting programs, line them up by the length of time to graduate, the 50th person in the group would have done it in 3 years.

Remember that many programs in the country kick out students who don't hit certain benchmarks, so they only graduate people that complete 225 in 2 years or less. What about all those who were kicked out? They don't factor into the equation at all, yet the are the majority of students who enroll in school!!

I'm fortunate that my school doesn't have that constraint - otherwise I'd be denied the opportunity to participate in a field for which I believe I am highly qualified!

[Patricia Babits]

I have heard that 7 years is the average now in California. I don't know if that's true or not. I would say it was the average at my school. I went to public school. You were only on the machine 1 hour 40 minutes a day, and many students didn't practice outside of class. There were women there for ten years, honestly.

If you are on the machine five hours per day, you won't be in school seven years!!!
I got to the 200s in two years. I won't say how long I was in school after that. I think not writing short did keep me in those high speeds for way too long.

[Mary Jo Cochran]

California and (I think) Texas has their own state requirements. I think you have to pass a four voice state test, and you have so long to pass the test after finishing school - or you're out. I worked in Florida, and I saw about five reporters who came from Texas and California because they couldn't work in their state.

There are so many strategies to getting speed up. Someone can sit and practice for hours and not really get anything out of it. The key is the focus for getting CORRECTLY a few words, a string of words, whole sentences - getting them into your head and onto the paper, as well as practicing with different tapes. Using the same tapes over and over just makes someone go through the droll without any effect. I meditated my last year, about two or three times a day for 20 minutes each. I was amazed how much it helped me build speed.

But if someone is in school, seeing no progress in a speed level in let's say four or six months - then something is wrong. The person doesn't have the right strategy for building speed, or doesn't really want it and isn't trying, or maybe the wrong school.

When someone gets into a court reporting program, they're not just getting into an eductional program - they've joined the Court Reporing Marines - it's a commitment, from the time you get up to get ready for class, during class, and until you go to bed. It is not something you do just during class.

[Kyung]

The school I went to said 2 to 3 years going days. I think they said 3 to 5 going nights. I took almost ten years. Of course, I also held a full-time day job and did not practice. Also, I completed my school in, I think, 7 years. But I had to take the CSR two or three times to pass the machine portion. This is also back when they offered the CSR only twice a year. They now offer it three times a year in California.

I did go days for the last six months.

[Virginia Kling]

It's all realtive. If you attend a school that only has class 2 or 3 days a week for an hour each day then it will take you longer than if you are in a school that holds class 4 - 5 days a week for 4-5 hours a day. It's simple math.

And yes going the extra mile and practicing at home only adds to the hours needed to complete the program. What was a quote I read, I think it was here on CSR Nation, something like -- The practiced are better than the Talend when the Talent doesn't practice.

With that said, I am on year six but I had to do the math to realize that I was in the wrong school and needed more class time to actually get close to my goal (and it didn't help that I lost a year for medical reasons).