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The CA-NOTARY exam has 45 questions and runs 1 hour.
These 10 free CA-NOTARY questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the California Notary Public Examination blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A commissioned California notary completed an approved three-hour refresher course, but the commission expired before the notary took the reappointment examination. Which education requirement now applies?
Correct answer: B - The notary must complete a new six-hour approved course
A newly appointed California notary has received the commission packet. The commission becomes effective only after the appointee:
Correct answer: D - The oath and $15,000 bond must both be filed with the proper county clerk within 30 calendar days from the beginning of the term
A customer brings a complete business contract signed the previous evening. Today she appears before the notary, is identified by satisfactory evidence, and acknowledges that she executed the contract. The document requests an acknowledgment. What is the proper action?
Correct answer: A - Complete the acknowledgment using today's appearance date
Two days after completing an acknowledgment, a notary discovers that the certificate names the wrong venue county. The signer is available. Which remedy complies with California law?
Correct answer: C - Repeat the notarial act and complete a new certificate and journal entry dated on the new appearance
A signer cannot write a conventional signature but is identified by satisfactory evidence. For a signature by mark, the required arrangement is:
Correct answer: C - The signer makes the mark and two witnesses sign the document
A properly identified, disinterested custodian appears with a paper printout of an electronic deed and signs, in the notary's presence, a certification under penalty of perjury that the printout accurately reproduces the electronic record and that intact tamper-evident controls show no changes. In this transaction, the notary should:
Correct answer: B - Administer an oath or affirmation and complete a jurat on the custodian's certification
A signer and a California notary are in the same office. The document and signatures are electronic, the signer is physically present, satisfactory evidence is available, and all journal and certificate requirements can be met. Which statement is accurate under current California law?
Correct answer: D - The notary may proceed electronically because physical appearance distinguishes the act from remote online notarization
A notary's oath and bond are filed in Placer County. The signer lives in Nevada County, personally appears before the notary in Sacramento County, and the deed will be recorded in Yolo County. In the acknowledgment certificate, the venue county should be:
Correct answer: A - Sacramento County
On April 20, 2026, a signer presents a Nevada driver license issued June 1, 2021, and expired June 1, 2025. It contains a photograph, physical description, signature, and identifying number, and nothing creates doubt about the signer's identity. How should the document be evaluated?
Correct answer: B - It may be accepted because it was issued within the preceding five years and contains all four required features
A signer left an unexpired California identification card at home and can retrieve it in about 20 minutes. A friend personally known to the notary offers to serve as a single credible witness. Why is that route unavailable on these facts?
Correct answer: C - The signer possesses authorized identification and can readily obtain it
The CA-NOTARY exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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