To compare the reliability of performance on recorded dictation tests with performance on live tests, 216 university students who were nearing completion of an intermediate shorthand course and 26 job applicants seeking stenographic positions were divided into 10 groups, with five receiving live dictation and five receiving recorded dictation. The experimental test battery consisted of three 80-word-per-minute dictation exercises, administered in 50-minute versions by trained examiners during May and June, 1966. Some conclusions were: (1) Either live or recorded dictation test administration is acceptable to examinees, (2) Most examinees prefer taking dictation from a male voice, (3) An analysis of student sample variance verifies that experience rather than test form or method of instruction exerted the greatest influence on shorthand skill, (4) As measured by Pearson product-moment correlations, there is no consistent relationship between test performance and the personal factors of age, education, amount of shorthand training, and length of shorthand experience, and (5) Although students had less transcription time than job applicants, their mean error scores were considerably lower. (SB)