l. Eligibility: Any writer of shorthand (pen or machine) who is a member in good standing of NCRA and who holds the Registered Merit Reporter certification from NCRA is eligible.
2. Test: Five-minute tests will be dictated as follows:
Test Speed Transcription Time
| Literary |
220 |
90 minutes |
| Legal Opinion |
230 |
90 minutes |
| Testimony |
280 |
90 minutes |
The testimony will be two-voice dictation, with Q's and A's neither counted nor read.
3. Number of transcriptions permitted: one of each take.
4. Professionalism barred: If requested, contestants must give to the committee satisfactory assurance that they have not received, directly or indirectly, any remuneration or promise of remuneration of whatever character for entering or winning any part of this contest.
5. The contestant who qualifies on the three above tests with the highest average for the three shall be declared Champion and shall be awarded the NCRA Shorthand Championship Trophy. In addition, suitable medals will be awarded to the writers who place first, second, and third on the individual speeds, and an appropriate certificate will be awarded to those who qualify on any of the three speeds.
6. Transcribing: Contestants are responsible for producing their own transcripts without assistance from another person. Those who type must type their own transcripts; those who use computer-aided transcription must use their own dictionaries and must perform their own translating, editing, and printing functions. In every sense, the contest transcripts must be the work product of the individual contestant. Any activities that call into question the integrity of a transcript may be reason for permanent disbarment from the Speed Contest.
7. Transcripts will be marked for identification and correction in such manner that it will be impossible to know whose work is being examined until after the grading has been completed.
8. No transcript will be rated that has more than 5% of errors.
9. The Committee will publish no names or information concerning any contestant or transcript except such as qualify under the rules. Transcripts will be available for review at the convention site following announcement of the results.
10. All successful transcripts (that is, all that qualify under the rules) and the shorthand notes of such transcripts are to become the property of NCRA.
11. All decisions of the Committee made under these rules, or such supplementary rules as may be found necessary at the time of the Contest, shall be final.
Reviewed June 2008