(1) The examination for "court reporter," "shorthand reporter," "certified court reporter," or "certified shorthand reporter" shall be an examination developed, administered, and graded by the department with the advice of the board or any examination prepared by a recognized person (institution, organization, corporation) approved by the department that meets the requirements stated in this regulation.

(2) Recognition of an examination as the Washington certification examination is conditioned upon the examination meeting the following requirements:

(a) Be a timed tape with content, speed, and quality approved by the department with the advice of the board, prior to use;

(b) The examination requires the applicant be able to report and transcribe at least two hundred words per minute of two-voice testimony for five consecutive minutes;

(c) At least ninety-five percent accuracy is needed to pass the examination;

(d) Be offered at least twice a year;

(e) The pass/fail scores of the state certification applicants are provided to the department within four weeks of the date of the examination to include a complete list of all the applicants;

(f) Examinations statistics are supplied following each examination: The number scheduled, passed, failed, and failed to appear;

(g) The procedures for security and confidentiality of the examination and applicants must meet the requirements of the department of licensing; and

(h) The department will be supplied with the examination tape and all the individual examination papers with grading marks and comments on them for review. The department reserves the final authority for examination results. The department may retain the examination papers for thirty days after final determination regarding scores to allow appeals and review of papers. Sixty days after the examination results are released all examination papers will be destroyed, except those under appeal, which will be held until final disposition.

(3) The Washington state statutory examinations which were held April 1990, October 1990, and April 1991, are recognized as the qualifying examinations for state certification as a shorthand or court reporter.

(4) State applicants who have previously passed the Washington state department of licensing recognized examination within three years of application may be issued certification without additional examination if certified documentation of the passed examination is provided.

(5) Applicants who have failed the examination may apply by submission of a reexamination application and the required fee.