Q How do the examinations work?  Where do I find the Proctor?

A You select the Examination Proctor from among the people you know.  A Proctor may be anyone with a Bachelor Degree or higher, a professional person, a person in law enforcement, an officer in the Armed Forces, a religious official, a Notary Public, a Court Reporter, a Certified Teacher, a Certified Medical Transcriptionist or a business owner who has been in business for at least 5 years.  The examinations are sent directly to your Proctor every 3 months.  You make an appointment with your Proctor, take the exams and the Proctor mails the exams directly to us with a signed declaration that you have not had access to them. 

Q Do I pay for books separately?

A All textbooks, software and computer tutorials are included in your program.  You pay only the down payment and registration fee. 

Q Do you have financial aid?

A Homestudy schools are not eligible for Government financial aid at this time.  We have monthly payment plans and we accept Mastercard and Visa.  If you have a student loan at this time, you can use the "Forbearance" procedure to defer your loan until you have completed our program and are earning a good salary.

Q How do the speed tests work?

A This is also done with your Proctor.  We mail the test tape to your Proctor.  You go to your Proctor with your machine and a practice tape.  You practice for a few minutes and then the Proctor plays the tape to you once.  You go home and transcribe and mail us the transcript.  The Proctor mails back the tape with a declaration that the tape was played to you only once and that you have had no access to it.

Q How often can I have a speed test?

A. Each month you are sent two self check speed tests with your lesson.  If you are fairly close to passing the self check tests you should request an official speed test by leaving  a message on our 800 number.  Generally it is sent out the same day.  If you have not requested one after 3 lessons or 3 months, you must take an official test whether you feel ready or not.  If you are close to passing a speed and missing the test by only a few errors, your instructor will probably start sending tests to you on a weekly basis.  If you missed the test by 100 errors your instructor will probably use her discretion and say that you need to practice another lesson for a month before trying another official test.  There are no hard and fast rules on this.  It is a discretionary thing.  We try to send you what you need so that you pass as quickly as possible without wasting the tests and the Proctor's time.

Q Is there a charge for extra lessons if I don't pass a speed?

A. We have a very fair and very unusual policy.  Students sometimes don't use all the lessons provided to reach a certain speed.  When this happens we issue a credit to your account for the unused lessons.  On the rare occasions when a student needs an additional lesson to reach a certain speed we charge your account $150 for the extra lesson.  You don't actually pay this though as it usually evens out by the time of graduation with the credits you have received. Generally students are permitted to move up to the next level in the program and continue working on their speed.  Only when a student is having an extreme amount of difficulty is an additional lesson discussed with the student.  To date, no students have actually had an extra charge on their account at the time of withdrawal or graduation.

Q Do I choose my own tape material?

  A.  The majority of our students pass a speed every 3 lessons or every three months. (Sometimes a student may take longer than a month to complete a lesson due to personal reasons and this is permitted).  The reason our students pass their speeds so regularly is because our program is very different to other home study programs and properly structured.  WE TEACH YOU, YOU DON'T TEACH YOURSELVES.  Sometimes choosing your own material can be very damaging to your progress.  It is very very important to have exactly the right mix of speeds, the right mix of material and to practice each speed in exactly the right way.  When this is done YOU PROGRESS.