1|P a g e
AAERT CDR (CERTIFIED DIGITAL REPORTER)
FINAL ACTUAL EXAM PREP 2026 ALL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWER WITH
RATIONALES ALREADY A GRADED WITH EXPERT
FEEDBACK |CURRENTLY TESTING |NEW AND
REVISED
1. According to the AAERT Code of Professional Ethics, the most
fundamental duty of a digital reporter is to:
A. Maximize efficiency to reduce transcript delivery time
B. Be fair and impartial toward each participant in a proceeding
C. Offer legal advice to pro se litigants to facilitate proceedings
D. Ensure all exhibits are digitally enhanced for clarity
Rationale: The AAERT Code of Ethics, Section I.A, mandates that
reporters "be fair and impartial toward each participant in a
proceeding," upholding the highest integrity of the profession.
2. Which situation would most clearly constitute a conflict of interest for
a digital reporter under AAERT ethical guidelines?
A. The reporter was previously employed as a legal secretary for the
presiding judge
B. The reporter owns stock in a technology company that is a named
party in the proceeding
C. The reporter has a personal friendship with a witness that does not
affect professional duties
D. The reporter is unfamiliar with the specific legal terminology being
used in the testimony
Rationale: A direct financial interest in a party presents an actual
conflict, violating the duty to guard against conflicts and the
appearance of impropriety.
,2|P a g e
3. Under the AAERT Code of Ethics, a digital reporter must preserve
recordings of the record for a minimum of:
A. One year, after which they may be destroyed without notice
B. Three years
C. Five years, except in capital cases where preservation is indefinite
D. Ten years, as mandated by federal statute
Rationale: Section I.G requires preservation of original recordings for
"no less than three years" through storage of original media and a
verbatim transcript.
4. The AAERT Best Practices Guide emphasizes that the primary
professional goal of a digital reporter is to:
A. Expedite the delivery of rough drafts to reduce attorney workload
B. Maximize billable hours through detailed annotation logs
C. Turn human communications into a permanently accessible,
reliable legal record
D. Minimize use of technical equipment to reduce recording errors
Rationale: The AAERT Best Practices Guide states that all reporters
share the goal of creating an "undistorted, reliable reflection of
proceedings" that is "useful and helpful to clients."
5. A digital reporter is scheduled for a deposition in a medical
malpractice case. The reporter’s sibling is a named defendant. The
reporter should:
A. Proceed with the assignment but avoid any personal conversation
with the sibling
B. Immediately disclose the relationship to all parties and recuse
themselves from the proceeding
C. Complete the deposition but omit annotations for any testimony
involving the sibling
D. Request a higher fee to compensate for the potential conflict of
interest
Rationale: The Code mandates guarding against conflicts and the
, 3|P a g e
appearance of impropriety; disclosure and recusal are necessary to
maintain impartiality.
6. The AAERT Code of Ethics concerning gift-giving states that a
reporter:
A. May accept any gift as long as the monetary value is less than $100
B. Must avoid giving or receiving any gift, incentive, or reward of
substance from parties or witnesses
C. May accept holiday gifts from clients without reporting them
D. Is prohibited only from giving gifts, not from receiving them
Rationale: Section I.D explicitly prohibits "giving or receiving any
gift, incentive, or reward of substance" to or from attorneys, clients,
witnesses, or others associated with proceedings, except for
professional fees.
7. When a transcript is produced for a proceeding that is not intended for
public distribution, the digital reporter’s ethical obligation regarding
confidentiality is to:
A. Share the transcript with colleagues for peer review to ensure
accuracy
B. Not make public any part of the proceeding
C. Release the transcript upon request by any member of the public
D. Anonymize the transcript and use it for training purposes only
Rationale: Section II.B requires that for transcripts not intended for
public distribution, the reporter "do not make public any part of the
proceeding."
8. Under AAERT’s ethical standards, a digital reporter who is offered
counsel fees to testify as an expert witness regarding a recorded
proceeding should:
A. Accept the fees without question as they are for professional services
rendered
B. Refuse any payment to avoid the appearance of impropriety
C. Ensure the fees are business-like and disclosed as payment for
AAERT CDR (CERTIFIED DIGITAL REPORTER)
FINAL ACTUAL EXAM PREP 2026 ALL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWER WITH
RATIONALES ALREADY A GRADED WITH EXPERT
FEEDBACK |CURRENTLY TESTING |NEW AND
REVISED
1. According to the AAERT Code of Professional Ethics, the most
fundamental duty of a digital reporter is to:
A. Maximize efficiency to reduce transcript delivery time
B. Be fair and impartial toward each participant in a proceeding
C. Offer legal advice to pro se litigants to facilitate proceedings
D. Ensure all exhibits are digitally enhanced for clarity
Rationale: The AAERT Code of Ethics, Section I.A, mandates that
reporters "be fair and impartial toward each participant in a
proceeding," upholding the highest integrity of the profession.
2. Which situation would most clearly constitute a conflict of interest for
a digital reporter under AAERT ethical guidelines?
A. The reporter was previously employed as a legal secretary for the
presiding judge
B. The reporter owns stock in a technology company that is a named
party in the proceeding
C. The reporter has a personal friendship with a witness that does not
affect professional duties
D. The reporter is unfamiliar with the specific legal terminology being
used in the testimony
Rationale: A direct financial interest in a party presents an actual
conflict, violating the duty to guard against conflicts and the
appearance of impropriety.
,2|P a g e
3. Under the AAERT Code of Ethics, a digital reporter must preserve
recordings of the record for a minimum of:
A. One year, after which they may be destroyed without notice
B. Three years
C. Five years, except in capital cases where preservation is indefinite
D. Ten years, as mandated by federal statute
Rationale: Section I.G requires preservation of original recordings for
"no less than three years" through storage of original media and a
verbatim transcript.
4. The AAERT Best Practices Guide emphasizes that the primary
professional goal of a digital reporter is to:
A. Expedite the delivery of rough drafts to reduce attorney workload
B. Maximize billable hours through detailed annotation logs
C. Turn human communications into a permanently accessible,
reliable legal record
D. Minimize use of technical equipment to reduce recording errors
Rationale: The AAERT Best Practices Guide states that all reporters
share the goal of creating an "undistorted, reliable reflection of
proceedings" that is "useful and helpful to clients."
5. A digital reporter is scheduled for a deposition in a medical
malpractice case. The reporter’s sibling is a named defendant. The
reporter should:
A. Proceed with the assignment but avoid any personal conversation
with the sibling
B. Immediately disclose the relationship to all parties and recuse
themselves from the proceeding
C. Complete the deposition but omit annotations for any testimony
involving the sibling
D. Request a higher fee to compensate for the potential conflict of
interest
Rationale: The Code mandates guarding against conflicts and the
, 3|P a g e
appearance of impropriety; disclosure and recusal are necessary to
maintain impartiality.
6. The AAERT Code of Ethics concerning gift-giving states that a
reporter:
A. May accept any gift as long as the monetary value is less than $100
B. Must avoid giving or receiving any gift, incentive, or reward of
substance from parties or witnesses
C. May accept holiday gifts from clients without reporting them
D. Is prohibited only from giving gifts, not from receiving them
Rationale: Section I.D explicitly prohibits "giving or receiving any
gift, incentive, or reward of substance" to or from attorneys, clients,
witnesses, or others associated with proceedings, except for
professional fees.
7. When a transcript is produced for a proceeding that is not intended for
public distribution, the digital reporter’s ethical obligation regarding
confidentiality is to:
A. Share the transcript with colleagues for peer review to ensure
accuracy
B. Not make public any part of the proceeding
C. Release the transcript upon request by any member of the public
D. Anonymize the transcript and use it for training purposes only
Rationale: Section II.B requires that for transcripts not intended for
public distribution, the reporter "do not make public any part of the
proceeding."
8. Under AAERT’s ethical standards, a digital reporter who is offered
counsel fees to testify as an expert witness regarding a recorded
proceeding should:
A. Accept the fees without question as they are for professional services
rendered
B. Refuse any payment to avoid the appearance of impropriety
C. Ensure the fees are business-like and disclosed as payment for
