Notary exam practice
Notary Exam Practice Test by State
Quick answer
A notary exam practice test only helps if it comes from your state's official handbook, because each state that tests draws its questions from its own law. We publish a 30-question New York test and a 20-question California test, and every answer quotes the official line it tests. The table below shows which states require a written exam.
New York
New York notary exam practice test
30 questions from the official Department of State license law booklet, with instant scoring and the rule behind every answer.
Start the testCalifornia
California notary exam practice test
20 questions from the official Secretary of State handbook, with instant scoring and the rule behind every answer.
Start the testWhich states require a notary exam?
At least 13 states require a written notary exam. Each state below is confirmed from its own commissioning office or statute, linked in the middle column. Several states with exams also require a course first, and some exempt attorneys.
| State | What the official source says | On this site |
|---|---|---|
| California | A six-hour approved course, then a written exam that needs a score of 70 or more.[1] | Practice test |
| Connecticut | The online application includes an exam on the Notary Public Manual.[2] | |
| Hawaii | A written, closed-book exam on Hawaii notary law after the application is approved.[3] | |
| Louisiana | Applicants who are not Louisiana lawyers must pass the state notary exam.[4] | |
| Maine | New applicants must pass an exam given by the Secretary of State or an approved entity.[5] | |
| Maryland | New applicants must complete a course of study and pass an exam.[6] | |
| Montana | Applicants must meet the education requirement and pass an exam.[7] | |
| New Jersey | Applicants must pass an exam prescribed by the State Treasurer.[8] | |
| New York | A one-hour, multiple-choice exam graded pass or fail. Attorneys and court clerks are exempt.[9] | Practice test |
| North Carolina | New notaries must pass the exam at the end of a course taught by a certified instructor.[10] | State guide |
| Oregon | Applicants must pass the Secretary of State's notary exam.[11] | |
| Pennsylvania | First-time notaries must pass an exam given by Pearson VUE.[12] | State guide |
| Utah | Applicants must pay for and pass an online exam.[13] |
We add a state to this table only after reading its requirement on an official source. Confirm the current rules with your commissioning office before you book an exam or a course.
How state notary exams work
A state notary exam is a short written test on that state's notary law, taken before your commission is issued. New York and California, the two states with practice tests here, run it very differently.
New York's exam is a walk-in, one-hour, multiple-choice test that costs $15 per attempt and is graded only pass or fail. Results stay valid for two years.[9]
California requires a six-hour approved course before the exam, a score of 70 or more to pass, and a $40 exam and application fee. Results stay valid for one year.[1]
In California, state law says every exam question is based on the law in the Secretary of State's notary booklet.[14]
All questions shall be based on the law of this state as set forth in the booklet of the laws of California relating to notaries public distributed by the Secretary of State.[15]
New York and California exams side by side
The two exams test the same kind of knowledge but differ on cost, preparation and scoring. The New York column comes from the Department of State exam sheet.[9]
The California column comes from the Secretary of State exam page and its 2026 handbook.[1]
| New York | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Course required first | No | Yes, a six-hour approved course |
| Exam fee | $15 per attempt | $40 with the application, $20 to retake |
| Format | Multiple choice, 1 hour | Written exam based on the handbook |
| Scoring | Pass or fail, no numerical score | 70 or more to pass |
| Results valid | 2 years | 1 year |
| Retakes | Any later exam date, $15 each | Not more than once in a calendar month |
How to study for any state notary exam
Study from the official source and practice actively. Test makers write from the handbook, so a practice test that cites a different source can teach you the wrong number.
- Find your state's official study material.For New York that is the Notary Public License Law booklet. For California it is the Notary Public Handbook.
- Read it once, start to finish.Mark every number: fees, terms, deadlines and record periods.
- Take a practice test in study mode.Read the quoted rule under every question you miss.
- Retake in exam mode.Answers stay hidden until the end, like the real exam.
- Check the exam logistics on the official site.Fees, ID, pencils, photos and course certificates differ by state.
Exam topics include: License law, general terms and information related to the duties and functions of a notary public, as outlined in the "Notary Public License Law" booklet[9]
How we build each practice test
We write every question ourselves from the official text and store the verbatim line that proves the answer. Nothing is copied from prep sellers, flashcard sites or official sample tests.
Each quote is matched word for word against the source, and each answer key is checked against its quote by hand and by an automated consistency check. The New York bank has 76 questions and the California bank has 48; the practice tests show 30 and 20 of them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I study for the notary exam?
Read your state's official notary handbook once, then practice with questions written from it. Focus on the numbers (fees, terms, deadlines) and on the acts a notary may not perform. Take a practice test in study mode first, then retake it in exam mode until you score every topic.
Is the notary public test difficult?
It is narrow rather than hard. The questions test exact rules from one handbook, so people who read the handbook and drill the numbers usually find it manageable. New York grades it pass or fail; California requires a score of 70 or more.
Does it cost $10,000 to become a notary?
No. In New York the costs are a $15 exam fee and a $60 application fee, and no bond is required. California requires a $15,000 bond, but that is the bond amount, not a fee you pay; the bonding company charges a premium.
Which states require a notary exam?
We have confirmed 13 from official sources: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Utah. In several of them the exam applies only to new or non-attorney applicants. The table above links each state's source.
Which state has the hardest notary exam?
No official body ranks state notary exams. California asks the most of applicants before the exam: a six-hour approved course, then a written exam needing a score of 70. New York has no course requirement and grades its one-hour exam pass or fail.
Is being a notary a good side hustle?
It depends on your state's fee caps. A New York notary may charge $2 for an oath or per signer on an acknowledgment; California allows up to $15 per signature. Our fees by state table lists the cap in every state, and mobile notaries can model travel fees with our calculator.
Sources
Every number on this page comes from one of these official pages. We read them on October 7, 2026.
- Take the Exam (California Secretary of State). sos.ca.gov
- Notary Public Licensing | CT Secretary of the State. portal.ct.gov
- Notaries Public | Hawaii Attorney General. ag.hawaii.gov
- Notary Application Process | Louisiana Secretary of State. sos.la.gov
- 4 MRSA 1923 Examination of notary public (Maine Legislature). legislature.maine.gov
- Notary FAQ | Maryland Secretary of State. sos.maryland.gov
- Applying for a Commission | Montana Secretary of State. sosmt.gov
- New Jersey Notary Public Manual (Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services). nj.gov
- Notary Written Exam Info and Schedule (NYS Department of State). dos.ny.gov
- 18 NCAC Chapter 07 Notary Public Division (NC Office of Administrative Hearings). reports.oah.state.nc.us
- Notary Qualifications | Oregon Secretary of State. sos.oregon.gov
- Notary Public | PA Department of State. pa.gov
- Qualifications and Process | Utah Notary. notary.utah.gov
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- California Government Code 8201, reprinted in the 2026 Notary Public Handbook (California Secretary of State). notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov
Junaid edits mobilenotarylist.com. He has read and quoted the notary fee law for all 50 states and DC, and wrote the practice exams from the official New York and California study materials. He is not a notary or a lawyer, so every rule here is quoted and linked to its source, and you can check every number yourself. How we check facts.
Get found by people who need a mobile notary in your city. Free.
List your service area, travel fee and hours. Clients contact you directly. We never take a cut of your signings.