How To Become A Scopist And Find Scopist Jobs Successfully! [2024 Update]
Do you want to know how to become a scopist? Look no further. This guide is all you need to get you started on becoming a scopist.
Being a scopist is a great option for those who want to work from home. It is a flexible freelance career option and it is relatively easy remote job to learn!
Read on as we discover:
- What exactly a scopist does
- How to become a trained scopist
- The best scopist training that is available online
- How much you can make
- Tools that scopists use for their work
Also, if you are wondering which are the best accredited scoping schools , where to look for scopist jobs and how much to charge; here you will find all the answers + LOTS of scopist career info and tips.
How To Become A Scopist Summary:
- Decide HOW You’ll Learn To Be A Scopist (We recommend the BEST way!)
- Master The Core Scoping Skills
- Get The Essential Scopist Tech And Tools
- Learn WHERE To Apply For Scopist Jobs
Steps To Become A Scopist
Becoming a scopist is not difficult. However, it is important to note that there are certain steps to follow in order to launch your freelance scoping career.
Step 1 –Decide HOW You’ll Learn To Be A Scopist
The first thing that you need to do is to decide the way you’ll become a scopist, the 2 most popular and efficient ways are :
- Take A Scopist Training Course (Best Overall)
- Be Trained From A Court Reporter
Let’s take a look at each of them to decide which is best for you, shall we?
| Option | Best For | Pros | Cons |
| Take a scopist training course | Someone with ZERO experience with legal transcription, editing and legal terminology | You will become a scopist in approx. 3-6 months and have the necessary tools and skills to succeed. | Can be pricey, should have at least $1500 to spend on a scopist training course |
| Be trained by a court reporter | Someone with some experience with legal terminology,transcription, and proofreading jobs | Cheaper, you will only have to invest in transcription tools. You immediately get practical experience | You will experience a steep learning curve and won’t have a community that’s there for you to guide you with comprehensive resources. |
1. Become Trained To Be A Scopist
This is the best overall choice for you if:
- Want to know the ins and outs of being a scopist and seek the most specialized training in this niche career.
- Never had experience with legal terminology, transcription, or legal proofreading.
- Seek orientation on how to use computer-aided transcription software like CATalyst.
- Is not sure about how to format court transcripts.
- Have the budget to invest at least $1500-$2500 for a scopist training course.
- Want to have extensive scopist training resources, a scopist community to rely on, and exclusive benefits that only specialized courses can offer (such as discounts or networking opportunities)
Now, while it may sound like being a scopist is no different from being a transcriptionist, it can be seen that special skills are needed.
This is because being a scopist is a relatively niche profession and so it is not something you can just wake up and jump into.
While you do not need to attend accredited scoping schools to get you started on your career, it is important to have some formal training and introduction,
Scopist training will usually cover:
- Legal terminology
- How to use computer-aided transcription software
- How to format court transcripts
- How to transform court notes into full court transcripts efficiently
- Practical training in the form of practice files
Some of the best scopist training available today are:
- The Internet Scoping School
- BeST Scoping Techniques
- Accolade Scoping Education
In the section below I will explain more about these courses.
However, if you want to know in more detail about the best free and paid scopist training courses you are welcome to read my article:
2. Learn From A Court Reporter
Quick Read: What Is A Scopist?
This is the best overall choice for you if:
- Already have some experience with legal terminology, transcription, or proofreading jobs.
- Don’t wish to invest in training or don’t have enough financial resources to buy a scopist training course.
- Prefers to have practical experience right away
- Has good connections and knows reliable court reporters that are willing to train them and guide them on how to be a professional scopist.
This is probably one of the more practical ways to learn how to be a scopist. Almost all court reporters will have the necessary skills to be a scopist.
However, not all court reports may have the time to ensure that the final full transcript is accurate and error-free.
This is where you can come in.
Offer your services to them in exchange for practical and hands-on scopist training from the court reporter.
As they say, experience is the best teacher, and who can be more experienced in the world of scoping than a court reporter.
Step 2 – Master The Core Scoping Skills
It cannot be denied that being scoping is somewhat of a specialist field. As such, there are certain skills that you must possess to become one.
Scopist skills include:
- Attention To Detail
It is important to pay close attention to the audio recordings of the proceedings and the notes from the court reporter to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
- Knowledge of Legal Terminology
Having knowledge of legal terminology will make the scopist transcription process easier and more efficient.
- Have A Broad Vocabulary
Court proceedings can cover a wide array of topics. Having the necessary vocabulary to transcribe the same is an important skill to have as a scopist.
- Research Skills
Research skills are invaluable. The ability to research any terminology or legal procedure to put forward a full and accurate transcript will definitely make you stand out from the competition.
- Editing and Proofreading Skills
Since the court transcript as done by the scopist is likely to be the final court transcript, it is important to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors in the work. Sentence structure and accuracy are also important in the final court transcript.
Step 3 – Get The Essential Scopist Tech And Tools
While you do not need any fancy bells and whistles, there are 3 essentials that you must have before you embark upon your career as a professional scopist:
1. Logbook/ Journal For Scopists, Court Reporters And Proofreaders
Check out this logbook/ journal. It is amazingly handy for scopists, court reporters and proofreaders to jot down notes and important dates.
On a side note, since scopists usually work remotely from home or anywhere, here are super comfy 1 short-sleeve Scopist shirt and 1 long-sleeve Scopist shirt for you to wear in comfort. I have one, too!
2. A Good Laptop
Let’s face it – you need a laptop no matter what kind of work you do. However, if you are a freelance scopist or a digital nomad scopist, you need a laptop that is lightweight and fast.
Some of the best laptops for scopists include the HP Envy x360 Convertible Touchscreen Laptop and the Dell Inspiron 15 5000.
3. Scoping Software
These are most commonly referred to as computer-assisted transcription software or CAT software.
Essentially CAT software programs allow you to create real-time transcriptions of spoken English words.
This is especially useful for scopists, as the software does most of the major transcription work from the audio that is given.
As a scopist, you would then need to check this transcription against the notes and the audio to ensure accuracy and completion.
This will definitely save you plenty of time when you are carrying out your scopist-related tasks!
At this juncture, it is important to note that most CAT software programs are designed to work only on the Windows operating system. As such, do ensure that your computer meets these requirements before purchasing any CAT software.
While there are many CAT software programs available online, there are some that are designed especially for scopists.
Some of the best ones include:
This is one of the more well-known scoping software programs. It has efficient editing features and can quickly correct any punctuation errors that are in the transcript.
This intuitive transcription software edits transcripts to perfection. It scouts for any formatting, punctuation, grammar, and typo errors and corrects them accordingly.
This is most certainly one of the best tools you can invest in, for the best quality scopist work.
If you are looking for a fuss-free CAT program then the Eclipse Edit Scoping Software is for you.
While it is substantially pricey, especially if you are first starting out in your scopist career, Eclipse offers financing options to help you make your payments for the software.
This is one of the rare CAT programs that come with a free 90-day trial. It is easy to learn and offers comprehensive and has all the features you need to carry out your tasks as a scopist.
Other tech gear that you may found useful and that may enable you to carry out your work tasks more efficiently include:
4. A Good Pair Of Headphones
A pair of headphones that will enable you to pick up every little audio detail will most certainly make your job much easier.
One of the best wireless headphones is the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones with Mic. This has superior audio quality and lasts up to 30 hours on a quick charge.
5. Speakers
If you don’t like using headphones or if you would rather not immerse yourself too deeply into the audio, then a good pair of speakers will do the trick perfectly as well.
The Logitech 3.5mm Jack Compact Laptop Speakers give you a rich and powerful sound. It is easy to set up and more importantly, because of how compact it is, it takes up very little space on your desk.
6. Foot Pedals
While this is not essential, it definitely will make your job easier and enable you to carry out your tasks more efficiently.
A foot pedal allows you to control the pause/play functions on your computer so you don’t have to keep dragging your mouse to the buttons. It keeps your hands free to focus on typing.
The iKKEGOL Upgraded USB Single Foot Pedal is perfect for this. It is steady, durable, and easy to install and use. You can also easily customize the functions according to your preferences.
Step 4 – Learn WHERE To Apply For Scopist Jobs
Once you are a fully-trained, you can then begin your hunt for scopist jobs! There are many places where you can source for jobs.
Some of the best ones include:
- Scopist Facebook groups
- Professional Scopists
- Upwork
- Scopist Directories
- Courthouses, Court Reporters And Court Reporting Firms
- The NCRA Job Board
1. Scopist Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are a great source of freelance jobs, and this does not exclude scopist jobs!
Here are the most active scopist Facebook groups today to get work as a scopist:
- Job Board – Court Reporters, Scopists & Proofreaders
- Triple Threat Scoping Job Board
- Scoping & Proofing Job Board (Court Reporters, Scopists, Proofreaders)
- Scoping & Proofreaders (NCRA)
- Scopist Needed Today
- Court Reporter/ Scopist Connection
- ECLIPSE Reporter/ Scopist/ Proofreader Group
- Case Catalyst Real Team Scopists And Proofers Available / Needed Today
- Case Catalyst Daily Copy Scopists And Proofers
- Professional Catalyst Scopists
Note: If you take The Internet Scoping School training you can be part of an amazing scopist Facebook community where you can network and find work opportunities!
2. Linkedin
Make sure your profile is updated to reflect your newly-minted scopist skills and make it known that you are looking for jobs!
3. Professional Scopists
National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) is a membership based platform that lets you take on work whenever you need to.
4. Scopist Directories
Sometimes these scopist directories may have an outdated design, but these are great membership sites to apply and get exposure for potential clients!
Here are some of the best scopist directories you can apply to get in:
5. The NCRA Job Board
Last but not least a site you shouldn’t ignore is the NCRA (The Association For Court Reporters And Captioners) official job board!
This is a place where you can sometimes find interesting scopist jobs, such as this one:
6. Courthouses, Court reporters, And Court Reporting Firms
You may not know any court reporters before you start landing your first scopist job. It is alright for you to not know.
For a start, you can do an internet research to find courthouses, individual court reporters and court reporting firms. You may cold calling or e-mail them about your services.
Try to ask the courthouses and court reporting firms if they can provide you with name and contact information of the stenographic court reporters.
Do not limit your search to only your immediate geographic area. As a scopist, you can work remotely for court reports all over the world.
7. Upwork
This is a popular place to look for scopist jobs. Additionally, you can post up your profile so that those who are looking for scopists can contact you.
Tip – Search for legal transcription or legal editing/proofreading jobs as some clients may not know about the scopist term.
Plus you can also gain some experience in related legal scopist jobs!
Here is an example when I looked for legal transcriptionist jobs:
Best Scopist Training
Here is some of the best scopist training online to get you started.
1. The Internet Scoping School
This is probably one of the best accredited scoping schools that provides the most comprehensive online scopist training.
The instructor, Linda Evenson has been providing training to aspiring scopists since 1999. With over 35 years of experience, Linda has trained more than 650 people to become scopists.
The Internet Scoping School is also highly recommended by the National Court Reporters Association.
Linda’s course teaches you the theory of being a scopist as well as all the practical, hands-on techniques that go into being a scopist.
If you feel that you are not ready to invest in a full scoping school course, then The Internet Scoping School also offers free scopist training to get you started.
Once you are ready, then you can purchase the full course to get the best scopist training tips to launch your freelance scopist career.
One of the best things about the Internet Scoping School is that you have the option of paying for the course in installments, depending on your budget and financial situation.
Additionally, you get lifetime access and updates and lifetime support. As you can see, this is truly a worthy investment into your career!
2. BeST Scoping Techniques
Another place that provides scopist training online is the BeSt Scoping Techniques. This is a self-paced scopist training program that teaches you all the necessary skills to become a scopist.
This means that there is no rush to complete the scopist training within a fixed time.
As one of the best scopist schools, this training program will also teach you about the factors to take into account when choosing your computer-aided transcription software and also offers students discounts when purchasing some of these.
The BeST Scoping Techniques also provides you with a full set of course materials, study aids, and practice files.
Taught by instructors who have over 40 years of scoping experience, this is most certainly one of the top scoping schools that are available online.
3. Accolade Scoping Education
This online scoping school takes pride in keeping the learning process of being a scopist as simple and as straightforward as possible.
That being said, don’t underestimate this scopist program!
The Accolade Scoping Education also provides training on scoping for court reporters who may want to expand their career options and work from home as a scopist.
- They are the only scoping training that has 30 recorded classes that you can watch in your own time.
- It also has one-on-one interaction with scoping students who have enrolled in the course.
With a focus on positive teaching and ensuring that all scopists are equipped with the necessary skills, The Accolade Scoping Education is most certainly a popular online scoping school.
How Much Money Does A Scopist Make?
Once you have completed your scopist training and are ready to take on the world of scoping and turn it into your freelance business, let’s take a look at how much money you can earn!
Firstly, it is important to note that how much money you can earn will depend on whether you intend to take it on as a part-time or a full-time career.
Of course, your scopist rates per page depend on your experience.
On average, a scopist page rate is about $1.25. This can certainly increase once you garner more experience.
How much you earn will also depend on how quickly you can return the completed court transcript. The more transcripts you can complete, the more you earn.
According to salary.com, a full-time scopist can make an average of $32,590 and $48,378 per year. Factors that are taken into account when determining this include:
- Education
- Certification
- Any additional skills
- Number of years being a scopist
Setting Your Scopist Rates Guide
Besides wondering how much do scopists make, as a scopist beginner, you may also be asking yourself:
How much do I charge as a scopist?
After looking through various scopist rates resources, here is an average estimate of how much you should charge per page and service:
| Type Of Service | Type Of Turnaround Time | Average market price per page |
| Full Audio | Regular (5-7 days) Expedite (2-3 days) Daily | $1.25 $1.75–$2 $2.20-$2.60 |
| Video | Regular (5-7 days) Expedite (2-3 days) Daily | $1.60 $2 – $2.25 $2.40-$2.95 |
| Spot checking | Regular (5-7 days) Expedite (2-3 days) Daily | $1.20 $1.55 – $1.80 $2.20-$2.40 |
You can also check out the page Court Reporter Scopist Pay Rates, where you get a list of different resources with legal scopist and legal transcriptionist current rates.
FAQs on How To Become A Scopist
How Much Money Can You Make Being A Scopist?
The average scopist earning is about USD1.00 to USD1.25 per page for a regular turnaround job that requires 2 to 3 business days. A well-trained scopists who is fresh out of training can earn USD30,000 per year. With improved speed skill, he or she can easily USD50,000 per year or more.
What Is The Difference Between A Scopist And A Proofreader?
A scopist is a transcript editor for court reporters, who has to compare the court reporter’s shorthands, complete the formatting and editing to create the finished transcript. You can work remotely as a scopist with a laptop, software, and headphone. There are a variety of scoping courses online if you want to be a scopist.
What Is The Difference Between A Scopist And A Transcriptionist?
A scopist edits English words on the computer screen after the written verbatim input from the stenograph is given by the court reporter whereas a transcriptionist types every English word speedily and accurately on the computer screen after he or she matches the voices in the audio files that are obtained from the court reporter.
Are Scopists In Demand?
Scopists are in high demand despite it being an unpopular profession that only few people know about. The pay is lucrative. You are flexible to work from anywhere at any time, even from the comfort of your home and also while on vacation. All you need is only a laptop with totally tax-deductible scoping software.
How Do Scopists Get Paid?
Since most scopists are freelance scopists, therefore, they are paid by page by the court reporters. Some scopists receive annual salaries if they work exclusively for one court reporter. Scopists that can translate the court transcription notes from stenotype to written English with correct formatting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are invaluable to busy court reporters.
How Much Does A Scopist Earn In California?
Standard scopist salary in California, dated 26 January 2023
| Percentile | Salary |
| 25th percentile scopist salary | USD37,350 |
| 50th percentile scopist salary | USD41,547 |
| 75th percentile scopist salary | USD48,689 |
| 90th percentile scopist salary | USD55,192 |
How To Become A Scopist FAQs
1.What Is A Scopist?
Admittedly, not many people may have heard about being a scopist. However, that does not mean that they do not perform a vital function!
A scopist essentially takes the notes that are done by a court reporter and transforms them into full court transcripts.
Roughly, the process is as follows:
- The court reporter uses a stenotype machine to type out what is being said during court proceedings. This is done in shorthand.
- The court reporter then gives these notes to a scopist, together with the audio of those proceedings.
- The scopist then refines the shorthand notes into a full transcript.
- The role of the scopist is to ensure that the transcript is as accurate to the notes and audio recordings as possible.
- They must also ensure that spelling, formatting, and punctuation are correct in the final transcripts of the proceedings.
The final transcripts of any legal proceedings are of utmost importance because these are the documents that are relied on by lawyers and/or record keepers for any future dealings in relation to the proceedings.
As such, the role of the scopist in ensuring accuracy is paramount.
Hope this answers your question about what is a scopist!
2.How Do I Get A Job As A Scopist?
You can get a job as a scopist by getting scopist training in a NCRA recommended school such as the Internet Scoping School.
Alternatively, you can also receive practical training by working with a court reporter.
As for the best scopist job sites you can search for opportunities in:
3.How Do I Train To Be A Scopist?
You can be trained to be a scopist by enrolling in one of the most respectable scopist schools which are:
- The Internet Scoping School
- BeST Scoping Techniques
- Accolade Scoping Education
These scopist schools offer training resources where you will learn necessary scopist skills such as:
- Understand legal terminology
- Know how to manage a computer-aided transcription software
- Learn the industry best practices to deliver high-quality scoopist work.
4.What Is The Difference Between A Scopist And A Proofreader?
A scopist does the job of both a proofreader and a legal transcriptionist while the proofreader only edits the final transcription to increase readability and proper formatting.
In more detail, a scopist transforms court notes into full-court transcripts with proper formatting, spelling, and sentence structure.
While a proofreader checks the grammatical errors, sentence structure, spelling, and readability of the final legal transcript.
- If you are interested in a proofreader career I recommend you to check out my article: How To Become A Proofreader Online [In 8 Simple Steps]
FAQs On How To Become A Scopist
How Much Money Can You Make Being A Scopist?
The average scopist earning is about USD1.00 to USD1.25 per page for a regular turnaround job that requires 2 to 3 business days. A well-trained scopists who is fresh out of training can earn USD30,000 per year. With improved speed skill, he or she can easily USD50,000 per year or more.
What Is The Difference Between A Scopist And A Proofreader?
A scopist is a transcript editor for court reporters, who has to compare the court reporter’s shorthands, complete the formatting and editing to create the finished transcript. You can work remotely as a scopist with a laptop, software, and headphone. There are a variety of scoping courses online if you want to be a scopist.
What Is The Difference Between A Scopist And A Transcriptionist?
A scopist edits English words on the computer screen after the written verbatim input from the stenograph is given by the court reporter whereas a transcriptionist types every English word speedily and accurately on the computer screen after he or she matches the voices in the audio files that are obtained from the court reporter.
Are Scopists In Demand?
Scopists are in high demand despite it being an unpopular profession that only few people know about. The pay is lucrative. You are flexible to work from anywhere at any time, even from the comfort of your home and also while on vacation. All you need is only a laptop with totally tax-deductible scoping software.
How Do Scopists Get Paid?
Since most scopists are freelance scopists, therefore, they are paid by page by the court reporters. Some scopists receive annual salaries if they work exclusively for one court reporter. Scopists that can translate the court transcription notes from stenotype to written English with correct formatting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are invaluable to busy court reporters.
How Much Does A Scopist Earn In California?
Standard scopist salary in California, dated 26 January 2023
| Percentile | Salary |
| 25th percentile scopist salary | USD37,350 |
| 50th percentile scopist salary | USD41,547 |
| 75th percentile scopist salary | USD48,689 |
| 90th percentile scopist salary | USD55,192 |
What Is Internet Scoping?
According to National Court Reporters Association, internet scoping is an act of editing a transcript translated by Computer Aided Transcription software into English, correcting mistranslated or untranslated stenotype notes, with proper pronunciation and format by a scopist. Scopists are usually independent contractors with dedicated ability to spend long hours in front of their computer screens.
What Is A Scopist For Court Reporter?
Scopist is hired by court reporters to transform the undefined raw stenotype notes into proper English while ensuring that the notes are correctly formatted, punctuated and thoroughly researched. Scopist will check that all the legal terms and names are correctly spelled through research. Questionable areas are flagged and returned back to court reporters to proofread.
How To Become A Scopist?
The most common path to become a scopist is a traditional education, by completing a scoping program from scoping school.
The courseworks of a traditional scopist program are:
- Law and legal terminology.
- Scoping machine shorthand.
- Reporting technology.
- Medical reporting.
- Reporting communications.
- Realtime reporting.
A scopist is an expert in grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure.
Conclusion
As you can see, being a scopist is most certainly one of the more lucrative freelance career options.
Once you know how to become a scopist, you will officially be skilled in one of the more in-demand work from home careers!
More importantly, scoping is considered to be a relatively unique career. As such, when you are trained up, it is easy to stand out and make your mark as a scopist.
This will definitely allow you to increase your rates substantially over time and become an expert in the scoping field and earn a full-time income while working from home.
Affiliate Link Disclosure
This article contains some affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you click on them, at no additional cost to you. I do hope you find the information in this article helpful!
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