AAERT CDR Exam Practice Test
2026/2027: Certified Digital Reporter
Court Reporting Questions and Answers |
100% Verified | Detailed Legal &
Technical Rationales | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded Study Guide
Question 1. What is the primary responsibility of a digital court reporter during a
proceeding?
A. Provide legal advice to the parties
B. Determine which testimony is admissible
C. Create and preserve an accurate record of the proceeding
D. Question witnesses when testimony is unclear
Answer: _C. Create and preserve an accurate record of the proceeding_
Rationale: The digital reporter’s central responsibility is to accurately capture,
preserve, and manage the official record. Decisions about admissibility and legal
interpretation belong to the judge or other authorized legal professionals.
Question 2. Which practice best helps ensure the integrity of a digital recording?
A. Editing the original audio after the proceeding
B. Maintaining secure, reliable copies of the original recording
C. Deleting portions containing objections
D. Converting every recording immediately into a compressed format
Answer: _B. Maintaining secure, reliable copies of the original recording_
Rationale: Preserving the original recording and maintaining appropriate backups
helps protect the authenticity and integrity of the record.
,Question 3. What should a reporter do if a microphone appears to malfunction
during testimony?
A. Ignore it unless someone complains
B. Stop recording permanently
C. Address the problem promptly and make an appropriate notation if necessary
D. Reconstruct the missing testimony from memory
Answer: _C. Address the problem promptly and make an appropriate notation if
necessary_
Rationale: Equipment problems should be addressed as soon as they are identified.
Any interruption or recording issue should be documented according to applicable
procedures.
Question 4. Which of the following is most important when positioning
microphones?
A. Placing all microphones behind the reporter
B. Positioning microphones to capture speakers clearly and consistently
C. Using only one microphone regardless of courtroom size
D. Placing microphones where they cannot be seen
Answer: _B. Positioning microphones to capture speakers clearly and
consistently_
Rationale: Proper microphone placement improves speech intelligibility and helps
produce a usable record. The reporter should consider speaker location,
courtroom acoustics, and potential interference.
Question 5. What does the term “chain of custody” generally refer to?
A. The sequence of attorneys assigned to a case
B. Documentation showing how evidence or records are handled and transferred
C. The order in which witnesses testify
D. The hierarchy of courtroom personnel
Answer: _B. Documentation showing how evidence or records are handled and
transferred_
,Rationale: Chain-of-custody documentation establishes the history of an item or
record from collection through subsequent handling, helping demonstrate that it
was properly controlled and preserved.
Question 6. Which action is most appropriate when a speaker cannot be identified
from the audio?
A. Guess the speaker's identity
B. Assign the speaker a temporary or appropriate unidentified designation
C. Delete the statement
D. Ask another reporter to invent an identification
Answer: _B. Assign the speaker a temporary or appropriate unidentified
designation_
Rationale: A reporter should never guess at an identification. When identity cannot
be established reliably, an appropriate notation should be used and the issue
resolved through proper procedures when possible.
Question 7. What is the purpose of creating redundant backups of digital court
recordings?
A. To make the files larger
B. To reduce security
C. To protect against loss, corruption, or equipment failure
D. To eliminate the need for the original file
Answer: _C. To protect against loss, corruption, or equipment failure_
Rationale: Redundant backups provide protection if the primary recording
becomes corrupted, inaccessible, accidentally deleted, or otherwise unavailable.
Question 8. Which file characteristic is particularly important when preserving an
original digital recording?
A. It should be altered to improve sound quality
B. It should remain identifiable as the original source file
C. It should always be converted to a video
D. It should be renamed randomly
Answer: _B. It should remain identifiable as the original source file_
, Rationale: Maintaining the identity and integrity of the original source recording
supports reliable recordkeeping and helps distinguish the original from derivative
copies.
Question 9. What is an “exhibit” in a legal proceeding?
A. A courtroom employee
B. A piece of evidence formally introduced or identified during a proceeding
C. A transcript correction
D. A witness qualification
Answer: _B. A piece of evidence formally introduced or identified during a
proceeding_
Rationale: Exhibits may include documents, photographs, physical objects,
recordings, or other materials that are marked or introduced during a proceeding
according to applicable rules.
Question 10. If multiple people begin speaking simultaneously, the reporter should
primarily:
A. Assume what each person said
B. Ignore the overlap
C. Take appropriate steps to clarify the record and document unintelligible portions
D. Delete all overlapping speech
Answer: _C. Take appropriate steps to clarify the record and document
unintelligible portions_
Rationale: Overlapping speech can compromise the record. The reporter should
follow established courtroom procedures to obtain clarification when appropriate
and accurately indicate portions that cannot be understood.
Question 11. What does “voir dire” generally refer to?
A. Closing argument
B. A process of questioning used to determine qualifications or suitability
C. Jury deliberation
D. Filing an appeal
2026/2027: Certified Digital Reporter
Court Reporting Questions and Answers |
100% Verified | Detailed Legal &
Technical Rationales | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded Study Guide
Question 1. What is the primary responsibility of a digital court reporter during a
proceeding?
A. Provide legal advice to the parties
B. Determine which testimony is admissible
C. Create and preserve an accurate record of the proceeding
D. Question witnesses when testimony is unclear
Answer: _C. Create and preserve an accurate record of the proceeding_
Rationale: The digital reporter’s central responsibility is to accurately capture,
preserve, and manage the official record. Decisions about admissibility and legal
interpretation belong to the judge or other authorized legal professionals.
Question 2. Which practice best helps ensure the integrity of a digital recording?
A. Editing the original audio after the proceeding
B. Maintaining secure, reliable copies of the original recording
C. Deleting portions containing objections
D. Converting every recording immediately into a compressed format
Answer: _B. Maintaining secure, reliable copies of the original recording_
Rationale: Preserving the original recording and maintaining appropriate backups
helps protect the authenticity and integrity of the record.
,Question 3. What should a reporter do if a microphone appears to malfunction
during testimony?
A. Ignore it unless someone complains
B. Stop recording permanently
C. Address the problem promptly and make an appropriate notation if necessary
D. Reconstruct the missing testimony from memory
Answer: _C. Address the problem promptly and make an appropriate notation if
necessary_
Rationale: Equipment problems should be addressed as soon as they are identified.
Any interruption or recording issue should be documented according to applicable
procedures.
Question 4. Which of the following is most important when positioning
microphones?
A. Placing all microphones behind the reporter
B. Positioning microphones to capture speakers clearly and consistently
C. Using only one microphone regardless of courtroom size
D. Placing microphones where they cannot be seen
Answer: _B. Positioning microphones to capture speakers clearly and
consistently_
Rationale: Proper microphone placement improves speech intelligibility and helps
produce a usable record. The reporter should consider speaker location,
courtroom acoustics, and potential interference.
Question 5. What does the term “chain of custody” generally refer to?
A. The sequence of attorneys assigned to a case
B. Documentation showing how evidence or records are handled and transferred
C. The order in which witnesses testify
D. The hierarchy of courtroom personnel
Answer: _B. Documentation showing how evidence or records are handled and
transferred_
,Rationale: Chain-of-custody documentation establishes the history of an item or
record from collection through subsequent handling, helping demonstrate that it
was properly controlled and preserved.
Question 6. Which action is most appropriate when a speaker cannot be identified
from the audio?
A. Guess the speaker's identity
B. Assign the speaker a temporary or appropriate unidentified designation
C. Delete the statement
D. Ask another reporter to invent an identification
Answer: _B. Assign the speaker a temporary or appropriate unidentified
designation_
Rationale: A reporter should never guess at an identification. When identity cannot
be established reliably, an appropriate notation should be used and the issue
resolved through proper procedures when possible.
Question 7. What is the purpose of creating redundant backups of digital court
recordings?
A. To make the files larger
B. To reduce security
C. To protect against loss, corruption, or equipment failure
D. To eliminate the need for the original file
Answer: _C. To protect against loss, corruption, or equipment failure_
Rationale: Redundant backups provide protection if the primary recording
becomes corrupted, inaccessible, accidentally deleted, or otherwise unavailable.
Question 8. Which file characteristic is particularly important when preserving an
original digital recording?
A. It should be altered to improve sound quality
B. It should remain identifiable as the original source file
C. It should always be converted to a video
D. It should be renamed randomly
Answer: _B. It should remain identifiable as the original source file_
, Rationale: Maintaining the identity and integrity of the original source recording
supports reliable recordkeeping and helps distinguish the original from derivative
copies.
Question 9. What is an “exhibit” in a legal proceeding?
A. A courtroom employee
B. A piece of evidence formally introduced or identified during a proceeding
C. A transcript correction
D. A witness qualification
Answer: _B. A piece of evidence formally introduced or identified during a
proceeding_
Rationale: Exhibits may include documents, photographs, physical objects,
recordings, or other materials that are marked or introduced during a proceeding
according to applicable rules.
Question 10. If multiple people begin speaking simultaneously, the reporter should
primarily:
A. Assume what each person said
B. Ignore the overlap
C. Take appropriate steps to clarify the record and document unintelligible portions
D. Delete all overlapping speech
Answer: _C. Take appropriate steps to clarify the record and document
unintelligible portions_
Rationale: Overlapping speech can compromise the record. The reporter should
follow established courtroom procedures to obtain clarification when appropriate
and accurately indicate portions that cannot be understood.
Question 11. What does “voir dire” generally refer to?
A. Closing argument
B. A process of questioning used to determine qualifications or suitability
C. Jury deliberation
D. Filing an appeal
