California Notary Exam (Test): What to Expect

Every California notary passes a written state exam before the Secretary of State grants a commission. A first commission needs it, and so does every reappointment. CPS HR Consulting runs the exam, and its pages put its role in one line: "CPS HR administers the Notary Public written examination ONLY."

Below: the exam schedule, registration, exam day, scoring, whether it is hard, ten sample questions with answers, then results and retakes.

Exam logistics come from CPS HR's own exam pages and the Secretary of State's qualifications page, as captured on October 7, 2026. The law comes from the California Notary Public Handbook, January 2026 edition, and the code sections it reproduces. Check CPS HR's pages again before your exam day.

This guide is not the course. Reading it does not count toward the six hours a first commission requires or the three hours of a refresher, and cannot. A refresher counts only if you apply for reappointment before your current commission expires. The statutory education requirement is satisfied only by completing a course of study the Secretary of State has approved and receiving that vendor's Proof of Completion certificate. General notarial information, not legal advice.

Who takes the exam, and when

Passing the exam is one of the five requirements for a commission. The handbook lists it as "Pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State", alongside residency, age, the course of study and a background check. Government Code section 8201(a)(4) applies it to every person appointed, and says what the questions are drawn from: "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."

There is no exemption for a renewing notary. CPS HR charges the same fee to "New applicants and reappointments", and the handbook gives renewing notaries a timing rule: "To avoid a break in commission terms, you should take the exam at least six months prior to the expiration date of your current commission." The next sentence sets the other end of the window: "Test results are valid for one year from the date of the examination." It cites Title 2, California Code of Regulations, section 20803. CPS HR's information page adds that candidates "are not encouraged to test more than twelve months in advance of the commission expiration."

The course comes first. You take your Proof of Completion certificate to the exam, attached to your application. Which course that is, six hours or three, is worked out in Six-Hour vs. Three-Hour California Notary Course.

Exam schedule, dates and locations

CPS HR publishes the schedule. Its Test Schedule page links to a PDF that lists sessions by county. Each county names a venue, its street address and a room, then gives one row per session: a session number, a date and a start time. A county with no session in that period shows the month of its next exam instead, and the schedule says it will be updated as sessions are added. Dates change, so this guide lists none. Check the PDF for current ones.

The Test Schedule page asks you to view the schedule first, "to select the location, date, and time of the exam you wish to register for", and then register online through CPS HR's candidate system.

CPS HR offers special accommodation testing to applicants "who have an ADA disability or are unable to take the examination on Saturday due to religious affiliations." The request goes to CPS HR in writing, with your preferred location and exam date, your contact details, and a document on their official letterhead, signed by your doctor or clergy, naming the accommodation you need. CPS HR asks you to "allow 3-4 weeks for processing."

If weather or another emergency closes a test center on the scheduled date, "the examination will be rescheduled", and every registered candidate is told the new date and time.

How to register, and what it costs

You register online. CPS HR's FAQ says: "To register online, go to Test Schedule and review locations and dates for your area." Pick your session from the schedule above first.

A few rules from the registration page:

• If a session is closed or full online, "you are welcome to attend the exam as a walk-in candidate." Walk-ins are admitted "after all pre-registered applicants have been admitted", and a walk-in seat "is not guaranteed".
• "A confirmation scheduling letter will be sent via email or USPS (if no email address is on file) 1-2 weeks prior to the examination date."
• "All candidates, walk-in or pre-registered, should arrive at the test site 45 minutes prior to the scheduled examination time." CPS HR also says to "allow approximately 2-3 hours for registration, testing, and proctor instructions."

The fee. CPS HR's What to Bring page lists two amounts:

Payment is by "a separate check, money order, or cashier's check, made payable to the Secretary of State." "Cash is not accepted." The name must be preprinted on a check, and "Fees are nonrefundable." Temporary checks are not accepted, "One check per applicant required", and a check must be current or carry a void date at least 90 days after the exam date. CPS HR's Exam Materials page names only a "check or money order", so a check or a money order is the form both pages accept. The fee goes to the Secretary of State. It is separate from any course price.

The handbook's answers on re-applying after a missed deadline name "a check for twenty dollars ($20)" without saying which fee it pays. If that is your situation, confirm the amount with CPS HR before exam day.

What to bring on exam day

CPS HR's What to Bring page lists four things:

1. Photo identification. It "Must be current or issued within the last 5 years: no other forms of photo identification are acceptable." The page accepts a driver's license or State DMV ID card; a Canadian or Mexican driver's license; a U.S. passport or passport card, or a passport or passport card issued by a foreign government; or a U.S. military ID card. "The name listed on your identification must exactly match the name you print on Section 1D of the application (Full Legal Name)."
2. Your application, with your photo and your Proof of Completion attached. Attach a 2-by-2-inch color passport photograph of yourself and "the proof of completion certificate (3-hour or 6-hour) received from the notary public education course provider." The page adds: "The certificate must have your full name and be signed by the vendor to be valid."
3. The fee, in the form described above. If you are retaking after a fail, bring "a copy of your printed fail letter to accompany the $20 fee."
4. Sharpened No. 2 lead pencils.

The application is handed in at the exam. Under Government Code section 8201.5, as the handbook summarizes it, the application and photograph "shall be submitted at the examination site, then forwarded to the Secretary of State's office and reviewed by Secretary of State staff for qualifying information."

Two practical notes from CPS HR: personal belongings go in a designated place during the exam, and "the test site may not have a clock in the room; you may wear an analog watch".

How the exam works

CPS HR describes the exam this way:

• Format. "The Notary Public Examination consists of multiple-choice questions. It is a CLOSED-BOOK examination which is administered by proctors."
• Length and time. "The examination is a total of 45 items with a one hour time limit." Of those, 40 are scored. "There are also five non-scored items on the exam, these items do not count against a candidate's exam score and are only included to collect information on these questions so they can be used on a future exam." CPS HR's pages don't say which five.
• Passing. "A scaled score of at least 70 is required to pass the exam." Scores run from 0 to 100, and "A scaled score is NOT a percent score and cannot be calculated by dividing the number correct by the total number of questions on the examination." It uses scaled scores because "there are multiple versions" of the exam.
• How often. "Candidates can test ONLY once per calendar month. If the exam is taken more than once in a calendar month, the second score will be invalid and any fees paid will be forfeited."

Security. The proctors answer no questions about test items, and "You will not be permitted to talk nor communicate with anyone other than the proctor, nor may you use books, notes, or other aids." Once the exam begins, you may leave only for the restroom, one candidate at a time, with the Chief Proctor's permission, and "you will not receive additional time to complete the examination." A candidate who breaks a security rule is asked to hand in the materials and leave, and the incident is reported to the Secretary of State. No children are allowed at the site, and no smoking, eating or drinking in the testing center. Copying or passing on test content "will result in the disqualification of exam results and legal action under Federal copyright laws."

Can you take it online? CPS HR's pages describe a proctored exam at a test center, with a test booklet and No. 2 pencils. None of its exam pages offers a way to sit the exam online.

What it covers

CPS HR's answer is the whole handbook: "All of the material in the California Notary Public Handbook (including updates, if any) is subject to examination." Its information page splits the 40 scored items across five content areas. Each row links to related guides on this site:

Those guides are articles, not a course, and the state has reviewed none of them. What the state reviews is the course of study. The handbook says of approved courses in general that they "include all the material that a person is expected to know to pass the written examination."

What the handbook holds, section by section, and how to study from it are in How to Use the California Notary Handbook.

Is the California notary exam hard?

CPS HR's exam pages give no pass rate and no difficulty rating. They do set out the conditions you test under:

• It is closed book and timed. You get 45 items in one hour, which works out to an average of 80 seconds an item. You may not use books, notes or other aids, and a restroom break adds no time.
• The source is the handbook, including updates, if any. CPS HR's Exam Materials page says "The exam is based on the information contained in the handbook."
• The largest content area is Misconduct/Fees, with 15 of the 40 scored items. The handbook's discipline rules (Government Code sections 8214.1 and 8214.15) come with exact dollar figures, such as the civil penalties in sample questions 2 and 3 below.
• The pass mark is a scaled score of at least 70, and CPS HR says it is not a percent score, so 70 does not mean 70 percent of the items. Because there are multiple versions, "every exam may have a slightly different difficulty level". The scaled score is how CPS HR makes scores comparable across versions.

After a fail you may test again, though not more than once in a calendar month. The retake rules are under If you don't pass. To practice, start with the ten sample questions below, then the forty in the practice test. The handbook guide covers studying from the handbook itself.

Ten sample questions

These are notrai's own examples, written from the handbook and the code sections it reproduces. They are not questions from the state exam, and the state exam's questions are not public. Each answer below cites the section it comes from. Dollar amounts are as the January 2026 handbook reproduces the statutes. Laws change, so check the current code before you rely on a figure.

1. A notary identifies a signer through a single credible witness, but never gets the witness's sworn statement that the signer has none of the identification documents the statute lists. For failing to obtain that evidence, the notary faces a civil penalty of up to:

• A. $1,000
• B. $2,500
• C. $5,000
• D. $10,000

2. A notary's advertising claims powers that a notary does not have by law. On top of any disciplinary sanction, the civil penalty can reach:

• A. $500
• B. $750
• C. $1,500
• D. $10,000

3. A notary signs and seals a certificate of acknowledgment and leaves the rest of it to fill in later. On top of any disciplinary sanction, how large can the civil penalty for that be?

• A. $250
• B. $750
• C. $1,500
• D. $10,000

4. A peace officer took a notary's journal, and the notary started a new one. Later the officer gives the old journal back. What does the law say about the returned journal?

• A. Go back to it and retire the new one.
• B. Make no new entries in it.
• C. Use both, one for each type of notarial act.
• D. Deliver it to the county clerk within 10 days.

5. A man released from state prison last month presents the inmate identification card the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued him two years ago. May the notary rely on it under Civil Code section 1185(b)(3)?

• A. Yes. It was issued within five years.
• B. No. That card counts only while the inmate is in custody in prison.
• C. Yes, if a credible witness also vouches for him.
• D. Yes, for a jurat but not for an acknowledgment.

6. A notary wants to give a post office box as the principal place of business. When does the law allow that?

• A. Never
• B. Only if the notary also gives the Secretary of State a physical street address as the principal place of residence
• C. Whenever the box is in the county where the oath was filed
• D. Only with the county clerk's approval

7. A disinterested custodian certifies that a printed copy of an electronic record is accurate, so that the copy can be recorded. What does the notary complete for that certification?

• A. A certificate of acknowledgment
• B. A jurat
• C. A certificate of proof of execution
• D. A certified copy of the record

8. A signer brings a document in a language the notary cannot read, and the notary cannot tell what kind of document it is. What does the handbook say about the journal entry?

• A. Leave the document type blank.
• B. Have an interpreter translate the title.
• C. Make an entry to that effect, such as "a document in a foreign language".
• D. Refuse the notarization, because the type must be identified.

9. A client asks a notary to type the client's own answers into a federal immigration form. The notary is not qualified and bonded as an immigration consultant. What does the law say?

• A. The notary may do it if the forms are also notarized.
• B. The notary may not enter the data.
• C. The notary may do it if the client signs a waiver.
• D. The notary may do it if no fee is charged.

10. A notary is the escrow officer for the buyer in a home sale and is not named in any of the sale documents. May the notary notarize them?

• A. No. Any role in the transaction is a conflict of interest.
• B. Yes. Acting as escrow for a party is not a direct financial or beneficial interest.
• C. Only if the notary charges no fee
• D. Only with the Secretary of State's written permission

Answers

1. D, $10,000. The single-witness route requires the witness to swear, among other things, that the signer "does not possess any of the identification documents named in paragraphs (3) and (4)." A notary who fails to obtain that evidence "shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000)." (Civil Code section 1185(b)(1)(A)(iv) and (B))

2. C, $1,500. Section 8214.1(f) makes it a ground for discipline when a notary uses advertising "wherein the notary public has represented that the notary public has duties, rights, or privileges that the notary public does not possess by law." A violation of (f) "is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500)." (Government Code sections 8214.1(f) and 8214.15(a))

3. B, $750. One ground for discipline is "Failure to complete the acknowledgment at the time the notary's signature and seal are affixed to the document." A violation of that ground "is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750)." (Government Code sections 8214.1(j) and 8214.15(b))

4. B. "If the journal relinquished to a peace officer is returned to the notary public and a new journal has been obtained, the notary public shall make no new entries in the returned journal." (Government Code section 8206(d))

5. B. The paragraph lists "An inmate identification card issued by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, if the inmate is in custody in prison." Issuance within five years does not satisfy the custody condition. (Civil Code section 1185(b)(3)(C))

6. B. "A notary public shall not use a commercial mail receiving agency or post office box as his or her principal place of business or residence, unless the notary public also provides the Secretary of State with a physical street address as the principal place of residence." (Government Code section 8213.5)

7. B, a jurat. The handbook says the custodian's certification "shall be subscribed and sworn to, or affirmed, by the disinterested custodian before a notary public and accompanied by a jurat completed by the notary public". (Handbook, Tangible Copy Certification, page 18, citing Government Code sections 27201.1 and 8202)

8. C. "If unable to identify the type of document, the notary public must make an entry to that effect in the journal (e.g., 'a document in a foreign language')." (Handbook, Foreign Language, page 23)

9. B. A notary who is not qualified and bonded as an immigration consultant "may not enter data provided by a client on immigration forms nor otherwise perform the services of an immigration consultant." (Government Code section 8223(c))

10. B. A notary who "acts in the capacity of an agent, employee, insurer, attorney, escrow, or lender for a person having" that kind of interest does not hold one of the notary's own through that role. A notary named in the documents as a buyer, for example as grantee or vendee, would have one. (Government Code section 8224)

Forty more questions, with cited answers, are in California Notary Practice Exam Questions, With Answers.

When results arrive, and how to check them

Expect your result approximately 15-20 business days after the exam, by email or mail, and in your CPS HR online account. CPS HR's FAQ says results "will be emailed (if you provided an email address on the upper right corner of your application) or mailed via USPS approximately 15-20 business days following the examination." To check online, sign in through My Account on CPS HR's site and select View Notifications, which shows "a copy of your exam results letter." "Result information will not be discussed over the phone."

The same FAQ says "Current processing timelines can be found at the top of the homepage." When this guide was checked, the top of CPS HR's notary pages gave a date: results had been processed for exams taken on or before it. If you listed an email address and had no CPS HR account yet, CPS HR emails you a username and password. That message means CPS HR has processed your application and created your account. The FAQ warns it may be caught by spam filters, so check your junk folder.

If you think your score is wrong, CPS HR rescores on written request, with a $30.00 money order payable to CPS HR, received "within 45 days after the test date".

What comes next

If you pass, your application goes on: "Once candidates pass the exam, their application is forwarded to the Secretary of State's office for processing." Every appointment, renewals included, needs a background check by the California Department of Justice and the FBI. The handbook says "Information concerning the fingerprinting requirements will be mailed to applicants who pass the examination." Fingerprints are taken through Live Scan, and the Secretary of State issues the commission.

Once the commission is issued, you have 30 calendar days from the beginning of the term in it to take, subscribe and file an oath of office and file a $15,000 surety bond with the county clerk. Miss that window and the commission never takes effect. The steps from the commission to your first notarial act are in Your First 30 Days as a California Notary, and the whole sequence is in How to Become a Notary in California.

If you don't pass

CPS HR mails a fail notice. "Candidates who fail the exam may apply and test again, but may not test more than once in a calendar month." The retake fee is $20.00 for "Applicants who failed the last exam they took", with your printed fail letter.

Renewing notaries who took the three-hour refresher have a deadline on top of that. The handbook answers this case directly: "If you can take the exam again prior to the expiration date of your current commission, the Proof of Completion certificate from the three-hour course would still be valid." The answer's next sentence covers the other case: "However, if your commission expires prior to retaking the exam, the three-hour course no longer meets the education requirements, and you will need to take an approved six-hour course."

Official sources

Check the source before you rely on a date, a fee or a rule.

• CPS HR Consulting, California Notary Exam — exam information, registration, the test schedule, what to bring, and security procedures — cpshr.us/services/california-notary-exam-2/notary-exam-information
• California Notary Public Handbook, plus a checklist of the required steps to become a notary public — www.sos.ca.gov/notary
• Secretary of State, notary public qualifications — www.sos.ca.gov/notary/qualifications
• Secretary of State, Notary Public Section — Business Programs Division, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, California 94277-0001; (916) 653-3595

Where notrai fits

notrai is a California Secretary of State–approved notary public education vendor. The Secretary of State approved two notrai courses of study — the six-hour course for first-time applicants and the three-hour refresher for renewing notaries who meet its conditions (Six-Hour vs. Three-Hour lists them) — each under its own certificate of approval. That approval covers those two courses of study and nothing else. It is not an endorsement or recommendation of the courses, of notrai or of this website, and nothing on this page is legal advice.

Both courses are online and self-paced, and each issues a Proof of Completion certificate to a student who completes it. Each also includes its own practice exam, built from the course material rather than the state exam. You can try it with a notrai account before you buy a course.

Separately, notrai has an AI tutor you can ask about California notary law.

Create an account to try the course practice exam →