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About the exam
California Notary Public Exam
To become a California notary public you must complete a six-hour approved education course (three hours for a timely renewal), pass the written exam given by the Secretary of State's vendor, CPS HR Consulting, and then clear a background check, file a bond and take an oath. The exam questions are based on the Secretary of State's Notary Public Handbook, which the law itself names as the source, and the current edition is the 2026 Handbook.
The exam is 45 items in 60 minutes with a scaled passing score of 70. Results are mailed within about 15 to 20 business days, and a passing result is valid for one year, so you need to complete the rest of the commission process inside that window.
This bank follows the handbook's structure: appointment, commission, bond, oath and seal; acknowledgments and jurats; satisfactory evidence of identity; the journal, fees and public access to records; prohibited acts, conflicts of interest, advertising and immigration consultant rules; and penalties, discipline, resignation and special situations such as a notary's death or name change.
Exam format
Notary Public Exam: questions, time and pass mark
| Item | Official exam | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 45 items | Verified Oct 2026 (cpshr.us notary exam page) |
| Time limit | 60 minutes | Verified Oct 2026 (cpshr.us) |
| Pass mark | Scaled score of at least 70 on a 0-100 scale | Verified Oct 2026 (cpshr.us); not necessarily 70% raw |
| Exam fee | $40; retake $20 | Verified Oct 2026 (cpshr.us; sos.ca.gov) |
| Results | Mailed in about 15-20 business days, valid for one year from the exam date | Verified Oct 2026 (sos.ca.gov FAQ; 2 CCR 20803) |
| Education | 6-hour approved course (3-hour refresher only if you apply before your current commission expires) | Verified Oct 2026 (Handbook) |
| Commission term | 4 years | Verified Oct 2026 (Gov. Code 8204) |
| Retake waiting period | Not stated on official pages | Unverified |
The practice test above draws 45 questions with a 60-minute timer and a 70% pass mark. Practice mode lets you work one topic at a time with explanations after every answer, and the cheat sheet view lists every question and answer for review.
Cost and booking
Fees, where to take it and retakes
Register for an exam date through CPS HR Consulting (notary.cpshr.us). The exam fee is $40, or $20 for a retake, and the Secretary of State charges a separate $20 application fee, submitted with a 2 x 2 color passport photo. You must bring your course completion certificate, a current photo ID and the completed application to the exam session. Exams are given at test sites around the state on a published calendar.
After passing you have one year to complete the process: Live Scan fingerprints, the $15,000 surety bond, and filing the oath and bond with the county clerk within 30 calendar days of the commission start date. Budget for the bond, a seal and a journal on top of the fees; those are bought from private vendors. A commission lasts four years, and a renewal exam is required each term.
What’s covered
250+ practice questions, by topic
Written from California Secretary of State Notary Public Handbook (2026) and Government Code 8200-8230. Every explanation cites its section.
- Appointment, Commission, Bond, Oath and Seal44
- Acknowledgments and Jurats61
- Identification and Satisfactory Evidence34
- Journal, Fees, Records and Public Access40
- Prohibited Acts, Conflicts, Advertising and Immigration35
- Penalties, Discipline, Resignation and Special Situations36
Why people fail
The mistakes that cost people the Notary Public Exam
- Memorizing the handbook's wording but not the rules behind it. Questions describe a situation (a signer with no ID, an employer demanding the journal, a document in Spanish) and ask what the notary must do.
- Not knowing the fee schedule. The maximum fees in Government Code 8211 are tested, and they change: AB 1597 raises them on January 1, 2027, so a 2026 exam uses the old numbers and a 2027 exam the new ones.
- Mixing up acknowledgments and jurats: who signs when, what the certificate certifies, and when a thumbprint is required in the journal.
- Weak on satisfactory evidence: which ID documents count, the single credible witness versus two credible witnesses, and what must go in the journal for each.
- Underestimating the conflicts and immigration rules: when a notary has a direct financial interest, what a non-attorney notary may not advertise, and the bilingual notice requirement.
A study plan that works
- Read the 2026 Notary Public Handbook from sos.ca.gov twice. It is the stated source of every exam question, and the second read is where the rules start to connect.
- Practice here one category at a time. Start with acknowledgments and jurats and identification; those are the largest categories in both the handbook and the exam.
- Build a fee and numbers sheet: $15 per signature for acknowledgments and jurats (as of 2026), 30 days to file the oath and bond, one-year result validity, four-year term, $15,000 bond, $1,500 and $10,000 civil penalties.
- Take a 45-question timed test in 60 minutes to get used to the pace, then review every explanation and star the ones you hesitated on.
- In the last two days, re-run your starred questions and reread the handbook's sections on prohibited acts, immigration consultants and the journal.
Try a few
Sample Notary Public Exam practice questions
Six questions pulled straight from the bank, with the answer shown. For the timed, no-peeking version, use the quiz above.
Why: The oath may be taken before the county clerk or before another notary public in that county. If taken before a notary, the oath and bond can be filed by mail with a receipt.
Source: Gov. Code § 8213(a)
Why: The certificate of acknowledgment is executed under penalty of perjury by the notary.
Source: Civ. Code § 1189(a); 2026 Handbook p. 12
Why: Satisfactory evidence is based on identification documents, the oath of a single credible witness personally known to the notary, or the oaths of two credible witnesses.
Source: Civ. Code § 1185(b); 2026 Handbook p. 9
Why: The personal representative must promptly notify the Secretary of State and deliver the notarial records to the county clerk.
Source: Gov. Code § 8209(b)
Why: The journal is the exclusive property of the notary and may not be surrendered to an employer upon termination, whether or not the employer paid.
Source: Gov. Code § 8206(d)
Why: If a notary allows an appointment to expire without reappointment within 30 days, all notarial records must be delivered within 30 days to the county clerk.
Source: Gov. Code § 8209(a)
FAQ
Notary Public Exam questions, answered
How many questions are on the California notary exam?
45 multiple-choice items in 60 minutes, given by CPS HR Consulting for the Secretary of State. A third-party source says 40 are scored and 5 are unscored, but the official pages do not confirm that split.
What score do I need to pass the California notary exam?
A scaled score of at least 70 on a 0 to 100 scale. Because it is scaled, it is not exactly 70 percent of the raw questions. Results are reported by mail in about 15 to 20 business days.
How much does the California notary exam cost?
$40 for the exam and $20 for a retake, plus a $20 Secretary of State application fee. The six-hour course, the $15,000 bond, the seal and the journal are extra and bought from private vendors. Figures are as of October 2026.
How long are the exam results valid?
One year from the exam date (2 CCR 20803). You must finish the commission process, including fingerprints and the oath and bond filing, within that year or take the exam again.
Do I need to take a course before the notary exam?
Yes. A six-hour Secretary of State approved course is required for a first commission or any renewal filed after your commission has expired. A three-hour refresher is allowed only if you apply before your current commission expires and have previously completed the six-hour course.
Are notary fees changing in California?
Yes. AB 1597 (Chapter 39, Statutes of 2026) raises the maximum fees in Government Code 8211 effective January 1, 2027, including acknowledgments and jurats from $15 to $20 per signature. Until then the 2026 figures apply, and this bank marks them as of 2026.
Is this the official California notary exam?
No. These are original practice questions written from the 2026 Notary Public Handbook and the statutes it reprints. Only CPS HR Consulting gives the real exam.