Enrollment is now open!
Total Structure - "I don't have to put my own speedbuilding schedule together. Every minute is planned out. Marc has picked out the court reporting drills, dictations, order, everything. I just have to sit in the chair and follow along. There's not a second of wasted time."
Camille Connell
Daily lesson plans make the best use of your time.
Total Feedback - "I get to see my tests and errors along with Marc's notes. I have a better idea about what to work on, because now I can see where I'm making my mistakes."
Georgann McDonald
Students are tested on an average of 3 times a week, with graded tests sent back within the week.
Total Guidance - "I find the SimplySteno court reporting program to be proactive. There's a theme for each day, and it always seems to address something I've dealt with. I guess many issues are common, and Marc doesn't wait till they come up to talk about them."
Maureen Hepper
We actually teach. Students are not left on their own to figure things out.
Total Support - "Marc doesn't just tell me to "practice more" when I'm having problems. He gives me concrete things to do that target my writing/mental concerns."
Betty Kaplan
Telling a student to "practice more" is not teaching. We tell you what to practice, how to practice, and what you should get out of it.
Total Access - "I know I can reach Marc whenever I need him. I'm pretty sure he doesn't sleep!"
Carolyn Mulderig
I do sleep...but not much!
Total Relevance - "I don't need a degree from court reporting school. I just need to work on my writing speed. That's Marc's goal for me. I am not required to take courses that have no relevance to my court reporting goal. He puts the focus on the steno machine."
Lois Parks
To be clear, SimplySteno is not a court reporting school. We won't teach you how to write on your steno machine. You learned that in Steno Theory. SimplySteno will help you write faster...and smarter. After spending many years teaching within the court reporting school system, I was very determined to get out of it. Most court reporting schools charge over $1000 a month. Most court reporting schools have a graduation rate lower than 8%. Most court reporting schools force students to take academics they don't need, just so the students will earn units and remain in good standing with financial aid (even though we all know the focus should be on the steno machine). SimplySteno is a speedbuilding course designed to improve your existing ability on the steno machine. Whether you're writing at 60 or 200, SimplySteno has something to offer steno machine writers.
If you've been researching court reporting online, you've seen there are many different court reporting programs and court reporting schools available to you. I encourage you think about what you need in a court reporting course, then ask questions. I'm certain you will discover that SimplySteno is not just another online court reporting program. We differ in many ways.
We will not present you with a certificate or degree at the end of our course. Is that your goal - to receive a certificate of completion or degree? Keep in mind that not one state requires you to get a degree in order to work as a court reporter, captioner or CART provider. Not one. The machine is the thing - writing fast and with accuracy. And that's our goal for you - to hone your skills and raise your value.
Some states do require steno machine writers to pass the RPR exam before being eligible to work as a court reporter. Be clear - anyone who is a member of the NCRA is eligible to take the RPR exam. You don't even have to be enrolled in a court reporting school, despite what many programs will tell you. And if your state requires the RPR license to work, you don't even need to join NCRA to take the exam (though I would strongly suggest joining).
SimplySteno was designed to get you to 225 2-voice and beyond. We'll make those "fast talkers" sound slow. Beyond your 2-voice, we'll work hard to get you up to 200 jury charge and 180 literary speeds.
As you look through our site, you will see that the SimplySteno court reporting program is not for everyone. It requires dedication, time and trust. We will hold up our end of the agreement - we only ask that you hold up yours. We don't want to see you wasting your money or time. Before going any further, make sure you're qualified to start our program by clicking here.
Students must be at a minimum writing speed of 60 words per minute to start our program, which means you must have taken court reporting theory before taking a program like SimplySteno. Repeat - this is NOT an entry-level program. This is a speedbuilding program designed to improve your skills on the steno machine. If you are looking for a theory program, we are proud to refer students to StarTran Theory! They teach a wonderful theory that emphasizes realtime writing from day 1.
Take a look around and please feel free to email us with any questions you may have. Thank you.
SimplySteno Plus Overview
We train court reporting students in most states - Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Texas Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Recent Updates!
9/23/16 - Added over 11 hours of high-speed dictation to the Video Library!
8/3/16 - Over 100 new dictation videos will be loaded into the Video Library this week!
6/1/16 - SimplySteno Flashcards has been launched! And SimplySteno students, of course, have full access. A great new tool to learn those steno outlines!
5/16/16 - 12 new hours of high-speed dictation added to the Audio Library.
4/1/16 - 15 new hours of multi-voice dictation videos added to the Video Library.
2/2/16 - Not enough time for a full lesson today? We've added 33 SimplySteno Quick Classes to the Audio Library. Each class is about 40 minutes.
1/25/16 - 7 hours of dictation has been added to the Audio Library - speeds 120-180.
1/2/16 - 19 hours of sustained dictation is being added to the daily lessons.
10/15/15 - 17 hours of video practice have been added to the Video Library.
7/13/15 - The "Compare" feature is being slowly added to some lessons, allowing students to instantly compare their test transcripts to a correct transcript.
5/23/15 - SimplySteno Plus has a new audio player that allows the user to increase and decrease the audio speed by 20%. It also allows for easy use on a cell phone or tablet device.
2/15/15 - About 200 new audio and video files added to the libraries!
10/29/14 - Started adding the SimplySteno Live class recordings to the Video Library. That means lots of new dictation every week!
8/8/14 - Added new dictations to the audio library - most of them ranging from 200-250 wpm!
5/22/14 - Added new tests into the mix. New speakers - more variety - keeping you on your toes!
1/20/14 - Adding "Speedbuilding Focus" files to each speed in the Audio Library. They are about 20-30 minutes in length. They are a single, 5-minute dictation that is broken down by minute - slower - then goal - then faster - then the entire dictation. Great way to do some target practice on one dictation.
12/18/13 - We've added a CAT Software Training area! With teaching guides and videos for the 4 major CAT companies - Case CATalyst, Eclipse, DigitalCAT and Winner - it's a great place to learn your software.
11/11/13 - The EFT Video Series has been added. These EFT videos were designed by a certified hypnotherapist specifically for the SimplySteno Court Reporting Program. They deal with Test Anxiety, Fear of Failure, Fear of Success and more! It's not all about the fingers - it's about the mind as well.
10/29/13 - Stretching videos added. These videos were designed by a certified yoga instructor specifically for court reporting students - specifically for the SimplySteno Court Reporting Program. Students sit for long periods of time, so it's important to keep the body in good position.
9/25/13 - A MAJOR overhaul in the lesson format! We've integrated the audio files directly into the lessons to save court reporting students time. Many students have jobs or family duties, so making the most of every second counts!
8/15/13 - Added LIVE classes to the SimplySteno program! With video integration, you can actually see your teacher - and they can see you! It's a great opportunity to get in some live readback and get instant feedback from your speedbuilding instructor.
7/5/13 - Added more sustained and pyramid dictations to the lessons in every speed! It's important to have variety - to mix things up - to keep you on your toes!
5/26/13 - Added 250 new dictations to the Audio Library - all different speeds and types - literary, jury charge, 2-voice. By this time next year, we'll be shooting for close to 3,000 dictations available for use by SimplySteno court reporting students!
3/12/13 - Updated the Brief Machine section. There are now over 700,000 brief suggestions in the database. Just type in your English word or phrase and get a brief idea (or several) on demand!
1/1/13 - SimplySteno is proud to be a sponsor for the upcoming documentary about the field of court reporting. It's important that everyone learns about this amazing occupation! Check out the documentary website - CourtReportingMovie - and make sure to like the Facebook page to get updates!