Reviews from students & graduates:

Reviews from students & graduates

I learned about scoping while searching online for at-home career options. I came across the topic of scoping. I had never heard of scoping before so after a lot of reading and Google searches, I was intrigued. That was a few months ago, and I’ve been taking time to really think about pursuing scoping as a career. Despite all of the high reviews for BeST I saw online, I actually signed up for a scoping course at another online school because of the lesser price of tuition and quickly realized after receiving my materials that I had made a big mistake. The materials were all in book form, very little internet use of any kind, and extremely outdated. I withdrew from that course and began saving the tuition cost for the BeST program. I’m so excited to finally be enrolling. Jil H.

I am a graduate of BeST Scoping Techniques. I absolutely loved the program and you couldn’t ask for better or more supportive teachers. The other courses I checked out…well, all I can say is they didn’t feel like home, and BeST did. I think one of the biggest bonuses of taking Cathy and Judy’s course is the support that comes along with it. I mean, they are ALWAYS available! I swear neither of them ever sleep! LOL Have a question? Just send out a quick e-mail and within 5 minutes, you have your answer. April

I went to look at your site, ladies, and all I can say is – how fortunate your students will be to be able to benefit from your knowledge and experience! I’m greatly wishing I had waited and taken YOUR course. Besides being half of what I paid, I would have learned twice as much. : ) since I’m still paying off my first training loan, I’ll just have to stick around SSG and learn the long, hard way. lol Best wishes, Cathy and Judy! Maria

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I don’t think you can go wrong with Cathy and Judy’s course. I know that they will do a great job and keep making enhancements to make it truly “THE BEST” scoping course. Dolly

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My first anniversary is coming up as a BeST graduate. In my first year, I have found steady work. I have worked for the same two reporters for almost all of that year and recently picked up a steady third. There have been others that have come and gone, for all different reasons, but I have never been without work unless I wanted to take time off. I have had one referral complete your course, one is currently taking it, and a third should be starting in the next week. All in all, I want to thank you and Judy for presenting me with this opportunity. I have, obviously, found this to be a very good profession and I am happy to tell anyone about it that is willing to listen to me! CarolG

Please feel free to pass along my email address to prospective students! I am so impressed with the course content and layout that I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. My BeST to you………;-) Pat

ABSOLUTELY!!! I would *love* to recommend this course to anyone interested in becoming a scopist. You and Cathy have been so wonderful. You’ve both been very encouraging and are always available to help when I need it. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I … became your very first student!! Lisa

I only wished I found BeST before! What you guys offer is tremendous compared to others I have found. I believe you two have done an excellent job setting up what every scopist needs to start a career. And not only can a person finish the course and have everything they need, but you are always there answering questions on the scopist support site and that’s awesome. Like I said, I wish I had found you sooner! Brenda

I’m so glad I went to Judy’s and Cathy’s BeST Scoping School! I’m actually making real money now, and this is the most fun job I’ve ever had! LOL! 😉 KT

Hey, Cathy and Judy, I just wanted you to know I’ve been very busy doing work for two reporters. I believe you gave me the leads on both of them, too! They both gave me glowing reviews on my first jobs for them. Happiness! Thanks so much for your course and your support! Jackie

I graduated in March of this year, and though I had no prior experience, I am doing wonderful in my new career. But only due to the ladies that run the BeST scoping course. I can’t believe I’m actually working from home! I just wanted to thank you, Judy and Cathy, for all the leads that you are sending to the BeST graduates. I am so busy lately that I don’t even get a chance to read emails, no less respond to many of them. You’ve trained me well and then gave me many leads so that I can put my skills to work. Thank you again! Tammy

Dear Cathy and Judy: I can’t thank you both enough for all you do! Everything about the course is wonderful, and you have left no stone unturned. I am so thankful to have found BeST and feel truly blessed to have met and been trained by the two of you. I love my web page!!!! Many thanks for making it so nice. It really looks great. You’ve made doing it all so much fun. Thanks again, Val

Thanks for having such a great program. You and Judy are very well respected in the industry!! Jennifer

I wanted to tell you both that the feedback you give is great. The input you give in response to the lesson answers, as well as to the MANY questions I ask are wonderful. I know I made the right choice in choosing your course. Christine

I highly recommend taking the Best Scoping Techniques course. There are other courses available, but I chose this course because (1) Judy and Cathy respond immediately before, during, and after the course; (2) they are the ones that started and maintain the invaluable scopists forum; and (3) there is an excellent support system after the course is completed by way of reporter-scopist connections through BeST. I “graduated” less than a month ago, and am already scoping a few transcripts for a reporter, and I am most grateful for the opportunity. It definitely takes a while to get going, and you have to aggressively market yourself. Best of luck to you, Karyn, and again, welcome to the forum! Liz S.

Hi Judy, I am writing today with some very good news! I did my first scoping job this week. Naturally, I was a little nervous being that it was my first deposition since graduating. Well, anyway, I sent the transcript back, and the court reporter sent me some feedback. She said that I am the best scopist that she has ever had. She said it is really hard to find a qualified scopist. Anyway, Judy, all the hard work I put in has paid off. I want to thank you and Cathy for all the wonderful instruction you gave to me. I couldn’t have done it without you two. Thanks a million! I am so very happy. Take care and God bless you both. Mary B.

Dear Cathy and Judy: I can’t thank you both enough for all you do! Everything about the course is wonderful, and you have left no stone unturned. I am so thankful to have found Best and feel truly blessed to have met and been trained by the two of you. I love my web page!!!! Many thanks for making it so nice. It really looks great. You’ve made doing it all so much fun. Thanks again, Val

I really appreciate your help throughout this rigorous course. Your step-by-step process has allowed me to retain and practice information than I would have been able to do otherwise. The thoroughness of the course was exceptional. I especially like the exercises that needed to be completed, as they helped me focus and learn efficiently.
Marietta

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You’re definitely the BeST!! Thank you for always responding to me and for giving me encouragement, too. I’m so glad I signed up with you two! Jenny

I’m already overwhelmed by the promptness of your and Cathy’s responses and am assured that I have joined the BeST!!! Trisha

Business is great. I am working for four different reporters right now. I have another sending me work tomorrow. Thanks for all you have done to get me started. You will never know how grateful I reall am because words can never express all of my gratitude. God bless you, Jacki

I am a graduate of BeST, have a very solid scoping business as a result of taking the course. I couldn’t be where I am today in my scoping business if it weren’t for the training I received through the course. I did extensive research into all the scoping school options before deciding on BeST, and I am very happy with the training and professionalism of the BeST course. Christine

Thank you!! I always appreciate your explanations and encouragement. You are both awesome and terrific “cheerleaders” letting me know how great I’m doing (or not). Do you ever take a break? It seems like it doesn’t matter what time I email something, one of you is sending an answer a short time later. Kudos! Joy

I took the course last fall and finished it in two or three months. Cathy and Judy are both great to work with and were (and continue to be) extremely helpful and supportive. The knowledge I gained from the course has enabled me to stay as busy as I want to be (and sometimes busier than I want to be!) for the past year, and some of the reporters I’ve worked with have asked me where I took my training and have said it must have been very comprehensive because they have found very little, if anything, to change when I return their jobs to them. Enjoy the course! It’s a great investment. Peggy

Thanks to you two and the patient help you gave me as I was starting out. Oh, and BTW, I haven’t given up on my writing — spent last summer CARTing at the local universities and notetaking for hearing-impaired students. Think how many people you and Cathy helped when you helped me! There’s one deaf college grad who wouldn’t be if it weren’t for me, or if it weren’t for you helping me. There are people in other states who wouldn’t have made deadlines on Internet transcription for the courts if not for you. There are important court cases (the Carnahan case in Missouri, for example), that might have been more drug out if not for . . .guess who? YOU! And there is a gal and her husband in STL who might have lost their home if not for the retraining provided by . . . (you guessed it!) I can never thank you and Cathy enough for all you taught me, but I SURE know who I’m sending my “Scoping-bound” students to this spring! Take care, and wishing you much success and many blessings! You’ll always be in my prayers and in my heart. KT

Several years ago I took the BestScopingTechniques schooling. It has to be the best decision I ever made. I now have my own business. And BEST of all, I get to work at home. Taking this scoping schooling was wonderful. Any time I had a question, they were always there to answer. The entire course ran very smoothly, and there were always many helpful suggestions. I’d do it over again in a minute. At the end of the course, they helped me to understand how to set up a business. Upon occasion, I still ask for help and they have never let me down. Thank you Cathy and Judy. You’re my heroes. Margo

I am one of your grateful grads. I am slowly building my business as I am still working part-time. I work on Case Catalyst 4.7 and really enjoy doing med/mal depositions. I can’t imagine ever being able to do this work without having taken your course. You gals are terrific! Maureen

I’m happy to report that I’ve been working almost non-stop since graduation. Thanks so much. I hope the two of you are well and enjoying the holidays. Carol L.

Dear Cathy and Judy, Thank you so much for the graduation package. Also, thank you for the web pages (they are beautiful!). I am ready to start scoping full time, thanks to the two of you. Joy L.

Judy and Cathy have created a great program at a fair cost, and they are available, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. In addition, they have their own board where members are court reporters, scopists, and part of the CAT program companies. This board and its wonderful members were part of my research. It was one of the positive factors that led me to my decision. My advice is to make a list of questions, talk to one or both ladies, and then let your instinct help you decide. I did, and I do not regret my decision to take their course. I have been highly pleased with everything, and I am looking forward to a long relationship with Cathy, Judy, and the members of SSG. I hope this helps you, coming from a BeST student, soon to be a proud graduate. Debbie

Just a thank you for my “Grad Pack.” I received it today and am walking around with a big grin on my face! I so appreciate all your time and support you’ve given me over the last few months. My website looks great and I’m anxious to get out there and apply all that knowledge you so generously shared with me. Again, many thanks for your kind support and encouragement, you are truly a blessing. Barb

I have quite a few different reporters I work with. Mostly Florida, New Jersey, Arizona and California. Thank you so much for all the help that has come from you and Cathy. This sure takes a lot of learning. I actually have reporters who now tell me how good I am. I’m really getting hooked on this profession. Everytime I get a new job, I can’t wait to get it started. Again, thank you. Margo

After taking your class, I started scoping for a person who is an Advantage Software rep. She allowed me to attend many seminars about Eclipse and Accucap, the Broadcast Captioning software. Thanks to that, I began helping the faculty at St. Louis Community College’s Department of Court Reporting. They used my “knowledge” (haha) to help set up their labs and troubleshoot Eclipse problems. As a result of that, the Technical Schools of St. Louis asked me to teach machine shorthand to their students. I’ve undertaken that, and I will soon attend more technical education at Advantage Software in West Palm Beach on encoders/decoders since I’m purchasing a large number of them for schools in St. Louis. Hahahaha! Can you believe it? But it’s all largely thanks to you and Cathy and the patient help you gave me as I was starting out. Oh, and BTW, I haven’t given up on my writing — spent last summer CARTing at the local universities and notetaking for hearing-impaired students. Think how many people you and Cathy helped when you helped me! There’s one deaf college grad who wouldn’t be if it weren’t for me, or if it weren’t for you helping me. There are people in other states who wouldn’t have made deadlines on Internet transcription for the courts if not for you. There are important court cases (the Carnahan case in Missouri, for example), that might have been more drug out if not for . . .guess who? YOU! And there is a gal and her husband in STL who might have lost their home if not for the retraining provided by . . . (you guessed it!) I can never thank you and Cathy enough for all you taught me, but I SURE know who I’m sending my “Scoping-bound” students to this spring! Take care, and wishing you much success and many blessings! You’ll always be in my prayers and in my heart. KT

All I can say is from personal experience from taking the BeST scoping course, the way the course is designed and the support and guidance that is offered by Cathy and Judy is fabulous. The course is excellent, so I had no problem learning the steno through the course. They just have the lesson plans set up really well so you can learn steno effectively. I definitely could not have learned how to read steno without a course. That would have been nearly impossible for me. Christine

I heartily endorse taking the Best Scoping Techniques course. I looked into two other courses and opted for BeST for three reasons: (1) Judy and Cathy respond with alacrity to all questions and test answers; (2) they host and contribute to this invaluable forum; and (3) they continue to support you by way of the reporter/scopist connections after you graduate. I opted out of another Internet course because it took six days before my initial test was graded. This was a MAJOR turnoff for me. Because I had studied court reporting, I already knew how to read steno. It took me a little over two months to complete BeST’s course, and I just recently completed my final exam and am now considered a graduate! Liz S.

Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement. You and Cathy have a great school and I will pass along my recommendations to anyone who is looking to work at home and have a fun and exciting career. Thanks again, Hope

I just started the BeST Scoping Techniques course, and one of the biggest selling points to me is the fact that besides providing the necessary educational information, BeST also prepares you so that by the time you finish, you will have the business basics that you need to succeed. The amount of support that you get from Cathy and Judy is outstanding. I’m still waiting on getting information on some of the other scoping schools that I applied to. Now I have to go back to studying! (Because I’m sure that Cathy and Judy can see that I’m here instead of studying!!! 🙂 They definitely got the name right…BeST definitely is the best!!! Kris

I do want to let you know, I’ve enjoyed the lessons. They were exceptionally witty, funny and informative. If school teachers taught their lessons this way, the students would find school to be very interesting and there would be less absenteeism. I’ve really enjoyed them. Thank you. Mini

I would like to thank you both for making this such a wonderful experience! I never thought learning this would be so easy! Maria

Based on a “gut feeling” and with little or no research, I decided to take the BeST Scoping Techniques course. I found it to teach a wide range of skills necessary and important if you want to be a professional scopist. The course is constantly being modified and improved. You get encouragement along the way. The instructors are ALWAYS there to respond to your questions and to calm nerves. Throughout the course, you are directed to a variety of fun diversions which I imagine will be helpful on those really late nights when I need a quick break. As I mentioned earlier, the instructors are constantly looking for ways to improve the course material and enable their graduates to hit the pavement running. As you can tell, I think the course title says it all.
Pat

Dear Judy and Cathy, I just have to tell you both how utterly impressed I am at with BeST so far. Your diligence and reponsiveness are incredible! Of course, I (and not to mention my dear husband!) was hesitant about sending almost $2000.00 to some “Internet school.” I did TONS of research, which did allay my fears to some extent. But the QUICK response I received from you ladies, ON A SUNDAY, no less, really gave me a feeling of security and that I did the right thing. I am thoroughly enjoying your course thus far, and I hope the wonderful communication from you continues!
With sincere thanks,
Michelle Lyn Patti

Hi, If you are looking for a scoping school that will do the following:
* teach students every aspect of scoping
* provide current information on file transfer and editing software
* list marketing tips
* suggest rates for billing
* give 24/7 (almost!) responses to questions before, during, and after graduation
* post job leads
* encourage with positive, positive, and more positive reinforcement
Then go with Cathy and Judy at BeST. You will not regret it!
Best wishes,
Sue

Hello, I chose BeST and highly recommend it. The cost was reasonable, the training was thorough and enjoyable, and the personal support was excellent. I’ve worked steadily since 2003 as a result of my training with BeST. Good luck! Peggy

I would like to say that I really did enjoy this course. The lessons were very informative and flowed smoothly. The directions, instructions, and explanations were very clear and easy to follow. You both were very helpful and responded very quickly; whether it be with test results, moving to the next lesson, answering questions, or taking care of any technical difficulties. I have absolutely no complaints, just the highest of praise. Thank you. Donna

One of the biggest selling points to me is the fact that besides providing the necessary educational information, BeST also prepares you so that by the time you finish, you will have the business basics that you need to succeed. The amount of support that you get from Cathy and Judy is outstanding. Now I have to go back to studying! (Because I’m sure that Cathy and Judy can see that I’m here instead of studying!!! 🙂 Kris

I gave up. Best was certainly the best scoping course based on my research. Hard as I tried to see if Scoping Careers International & Internet Scoping School could match your course, they didn’t. This is Toney checking in just to let you know that although it has only been a couple of days studying the course, I love it!. It seems to be well thought out and thorough. I cant thank you & Cathy enough for all the help you provided me researching your course & honestly could only find people with nothing but glowing reviews of Best. Thanks for the discounts which greatly helped. Now as a student I’m sure I will be contacting you & Cathy with student related questions in the future but for now I just wanted give you some early feedback your course. Toney

Things are going wonderfully for my career as a scopist. I have actually had to turn jobs down. Can you believe that one? In less than a year, I have more work than I can handle. Hope things are great with you and Cathy. Thanks again for jumpstarting my new career! Kristi

I would definitely recommend this course. I finished the program in five months and had my first job two weeks out of school. I’m excited beyond words. Thanks for everything, ladies! Laura

When I lost my job due to downsizing, I never thought I’d be able to find something that allowed me to make the kind of money I was making at my old job. Not only am I making MORE money now, I’m also able to attend my kids’ school functions and be available to them like I never was before. There is no way I could ever thank this program enough. Ben

I love this career. It’s such interesting and rewarding work. My favorite thing is working on criminal trials. I feel like I’m reading a crime novel. I have to remind myself that this is real life! John