Passing the CBC (Certified Broadcast Captioner) Exam

Why should you take the CBC exam? To establish yourself as a Certified Broadcast Captioner and to acknowledge yourself as an expert in the field. The CBC is an entry-level exam that measures the knowledge, skill and accuracy of the candidate to produce an accurate, simultaneous translation and display of broadcasts utilizing realtime translation software.

Tips:

• Know your software
• Learn how to make and transfer an ASCII file to disk
• Practice writing, make a disk, and grade what you wrote
• Read through the materials you receive when you register for the exam BEFORE you get to the test site
• Check your bag for necessary cables, disks, power cords, etc.
• Take the test in upper case
• Be sure that you have removed conflicts from your dictionary (ex: by/bye/bi/buy)
• Read the JCR and other NCRA publications
• Know the laws governing captioning
• Attend a workshop

The NCRA CAPR (Council of the Academy of Professional Reporters) Realtime Certification Committee finalized a CBC Job Analysis that breaks down how a captioner spends his/her time:

For information on how to prepare for the CBC exam, please view the CBC Study Guide [Acrobat]