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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the California Secretary of State. Bank checked September 18, 2026.
A new notary chooses to take the oath of office in front of the county clerk. What must the notary present to the clerk?Government Code §8213(a)
A new notary takes the oath of office before another notary public in the county instead of before the county clerk. How may the oath and bond then be filed?Government Code §8213(a)
A notary elects to make a new filing after moving to another county. Within how many days of that filing must the notary obtain a seal that names the new county?Government Code §8213(b)
A notary moves the principal place of business to a different county. What does section 8213(b) say about filing in the new county?Government Code §8213(b)
A notary who holds a current California commission, and who has taken the full course at least once, applies for reappointment. How long is the refresher course?Government Code §8201(b)(2)
After an amended commission with a new name is issued, what must the notary file with the county clerk within 30 days?Government Code §8213(c)
Show all 182 questions (176 more)
Appointment, bond and filing, continued
Before cancelling a commission over an unpaid check, the Secretary of State gives two written notices. The second must come at least how many days after the first?Government Code §8204.1
Counting from the first day of the commission term, how long does a new notary have to file the oath of office and bond?Government Code §8213(a)
The Department of Justice receives a notary applicant's fingerprint images. To which agency does section 8201.1 require it to forward them?Government Code §8201.1(c)
For which reason may the Secretary of State cancel a commission under section 8204.1?Government Code §8204.1
How long does the county clerk keep a notary's oath of office after the term of the commission expires?Government Code §8213(a)
How long is the approved course of study that a first-time applicant must complete before appointment?Government Code §8201(a)(3)
How long is the term of office of a California notary public?Government Code §8204
May a notary give the Secretary of State a post office box as the principal place of business or residence?Government Code §8213.5
On whose recommendation is a military reservation notary appointed?Government Code §8203.2
Under section 8201, what must every question on the written notary examination be based on?Government Code §8201(a)(4)
What form must the notary's official bond take under section 8212?Government Code §8212
What happens if the oath and bond are not filed within the period section 8213 allows?Government Code §8213(a)
What happens to the commission number and the term when the Secretary of State approves a notary's name change?Government Code §8213.6
What is the amount of the official bond required by section 8212 for a notary who does not perform online notarization?Government Code §8212
What is the maximum civil penalty, for each violation, for a course vendor that breaks the Secretary of State's regulations for approved notary education?Government Code §8201.2(d)
What is the maximum fine for willfully failing to notify the Secretary of State of a change of address?Government Code §8213.5
What is the minimum age for appointment as a California notary public?Government Code §8201(a)(2)
When does an amended commission that carries a notary's new name take effect?Government Code §8213(c)
Where does a new notary file the oath of office and bond?Government Code §8213(a)
Where in California may a notary commissioned under section 8200 act as a notary?Government Code §8200
Where may a notary appointed for a military reservation perform in-person notarial acts?Government Code §8203.2
Which officer appoints and commissions California notaries public under Government Code section 8200?Government Code §8200
Which parts of a notary's application on file with the Secretary of State are NOT confidential under section 8201.5?Government Code §8201.5
Which qualities must the Secretary of State find in an applicant before granting a commission under section 8201.1?Government Code §8201.1(a)
Which requirement applies to a notary commissioned for a military reservation under sections 8203.1 to 8203.3?Government Code §8203.3
Which residency rule applies to a regular (non-military) applicant at the time of appointment as a California notary?Government Code §8201(a)(1)
Why does section 8201.1 require every notary applicant to be fingerprinted?Government Code §8201.1(a)
Within how many days must a notary notify the Secretary of State of a change of business or residence address?Government Code §8213.5
Fees 16
A county employee is commissioned under section 8202.5 to act for the county. The county paid the bond premium and the filings were made without charge. What happens to notary fees the employee collects?Government Code §8202.5
A notary takes one deposition, administers the oath to the witness and completes the certificate to the deposition. What is the maximum total fee?Government Code §8211(c)
A notary who is also a qualified and bonded immigration consultant enters a client's data on immigration forms. What is the most the notary may charge for that data entry?Government Code §8223(b)
A private employer pays for an employee's bond, seal and supplies under a section 8202.7 agreement. What else may that agreement provide?Government Code §8202.7
A United States military veteran asks a notary to notarize a claim for a pension. What may the notary charge?Government Code §8211(f)
May a California notary choose to perform a notarization free of charge?Government Code §6100
On top of the base deposition fee, how much may a notary charge for administering the oath to the witness?Government Code §8211(c)
Two spouses both sign one deed and both acknowledge it before the same notary. What is the maximum total fee under section 8211?Government Code §8211(a)
What base fee does section 8211 allow for all services rendered in connection with taking a deposition?Government Code §8211(c)
What is the maximum fee for administering an oath or affirmation to one person and executing the jurat, seal included?Government Code §8211(b)
What is the maximum fee for certifying a copy of a power of attorney under Probate Code section 4307?Government Code §8211(e)
What is the most a notary may charge a member of the public for a photocopy of a requested journal line item?Government Code §8206(c)
What is the most a notary may charge for taking an in-person acknowledgment, for each signature taken?Government Code §8211(a)
What may a military reservation notary charge for notarial services performed within the reservation?Government Code §8203.6
What may a notary charge for verifying a nomination document or a circulator's affidavit under Elections Code section 8080?Elections Code §8080
What may a notary charge to notarize a signature on a vote by mail ballot identification envelope?Government Code §8211(d)
Duties, jurats and the seal 31
A jurat is requested on a document that purports to identify the affiant and shows a birthdate and a photograph. What must the affiant show to verify the birthdate?Government Code §8230
A notary works for a title company as its employee and is asked to notarize a customer's deed of trust. Does section 8224 bar the act?Government Code §8224
A notary's employer paid for the seal. Who owns it, and what happens to it when the job ends?Government Code §8207
A notary's seal is lost or broken. What does section 8207.3 require?Government Code §8207.3(e)
A signer brings a deed with blank spaces still to be filled in and asks for an acknowledgment. What does section 8205 say?Government Code §8205(a)(2)
After receiving notice of a lost seal and the notary's request, within how many working days does the Secretary of State issue a new certificate of authorization?Government Code §8207.3(e)
An affiant signed an affidavit at home and brings it to the notary for a jurat. What does section 8202 require?Government Code §8202(a)
Besides the notary's own sequential identification number, which number must appear on the seal of a notary commissioned on or after January 1, 1992?Government Code §8207
For what purpose may a notary use the title "notary public" under section 8207?Government Code §8207
How does a notary identify the affiant for a California jurat?Government Code §8202(a)
How must a notary sign a paper certificate of acknowledgment under section 8205?Government Code §8205(a)(2)
How must a notary store the official seal?Government Code §8207
May a notary take the acknowledgment of an instrument that the notary personally signed as a party?Government Code §8224.1
Of which document may a California notary certify a copy under section 8205(a)(4)?Government Code §8205(a)(4)
The Secretary of State sends a notary a written request, by certified mail, for information about an official act. Within how many days of receiving it must the notary respond?Government Code §8205(b)(2)
Under section 8202.8, what limit may a private employer with a section 8202.7 agreement place on its notary employee?Government Code §8202.8
What are the maximum dimensions of a rectangular notary seal under section 8207?Government Code §8207
What does the boxed notice at the top of a California jurat or acknowledgment certificate tell the reader?Government Code §8202(b)
What extra item must the jurat of a military reservation notary contain under section 8203.5?Government Code §8203.5
What is the largest diameter section 8207 allows for a circular notary seal?Government Code §8207
What kind of border must a California notary seal have?Government Code §8207
What legal effect does a copy of a power of attorney have once it is certified under Probate Code section 4307?Probate Code §4307(a)
What must a notary furnish to the Secretary of State on written request under section 8205(b)(1)?Government Code §8205(b)(1)
What must a notary present to an authorized vendor in order to obtain an official seal?Government Code §8207.3
What must happen to the seal when a notary's commission is terminated, resigned or revoked?Government Code §8207
What must the certification on a copy of a power of attorney state under Probate Code section 4307?Probate Code §4307(c)
What quality must the seal impression have under section 8207?Government Code §8207
Which item is NOT among the elements section 8207 requires on a California notary seal?Government Code §8207
Which notaries may protest bills of exchange and promissory notes for nonpayment under section 8205?Government Code §8205(a)(1)
Which notary has a direct financial or beneficial interest that bars the notarization under section 8224?Government Code §8224
Which three things does section 8202 require when a notary executes a jurat?Government Code §8202(a)
Acknowledgments and proofs 20
A document bound for California is acknowledged before a notary in France. Which of these can prove the foreign notary's signature under Civil Code section 1183?Civil Code §1183(b)
A document signed in California will be filed in another state. That state's acknowledgment form has the notary certify that the signer is the corporation's president. What may the California notary do?Civil Code §1189(c)
A recorder finds the notary seal on a deed too faint to photograph. What may the recorder require under Government Code section 27361.7?Government Code §27361.7
An acknowledgment was properly made but the certificate was defectively completed. What remedy does Civil Code section 1202 give an interested party?Civil Code §1202
An acknowledgment was taken in Nevada in the way Nevada law provides. Is the certificate sufficient in California?Civil Code §1189(b)
Does a certificate for proof of execution taken in California need the boxed notice about verifying identity only?Civil Code §1195(c)
For which document is proof of execution by a subscribing witness permitted under Civil Code section 1195?Civil Code §1195(b)(1)
How do officers authenticate their certificates of acknowledgment or proof under Civil Code section 1193?Civil Code §1193
How is a person proved to be a subscribing witness under Civil Code section 1196?Civil Code §1196
In the California certificate of acknowledgment, which phrase describes how the signer was identified?Civil Code §1189(a)(3)
Under Government Code section 8232.4, what does an apostille from a foreign state that is party to the Hague Convention establish about a foreign notarial officer?Government Code §8232.4(d)
Under what does the notary certify that the California acknowledgment certificate is true and correct?Civil Code §1189(a)(3)
What does a certificate in the section 1189 form show about an instrument signed for a corporation by a duly authorized person?Civil Code §1190
What must a subscribing witness prove under Civil Code section 1197?Civil Code §1197
What must generally happen before an instrument can be recorded under Government Code section 27287?Government Code §27287
What must the officer have before taking any acknowledgment under Civil Code section 1185(a)?Civil Code §1185(a)
When may a California notary complete another state's acknowledgment form under section 1189(c)?Civil Code §1189(c)
When must the certificate of acknowledgment be completed?Government Code §8214.1(j)
Who appears before the notary when an instrument is proved by a subscribing witness?Civil Code §1195(e)
Why can a grant deed not be notarized through proof of execution by a subscribing witness?Civil Code §1195(b)
Identity and the journal 41
A commission expires and the notary is reappointed 20 days later. Must the journals go to the county clerk?Government Code §8209(a)
A journal taken by a peace officer is returned after the notary has obtained a new one. What may the notary do with the returned journal?Government Code §8206(d)
A member of the public asks in writing for a copy of a journal line item. What must the request include?Government Code §8206(c)
A notary dies. Who delivers the notarial records and papers to the county clerk?Government Code §8209(b)
A notary leaves a job at a bank that bought the journal. What happens to the journal?Government Code §8206(d)
A notary receives a subpoena duces tecum for the journal. What does section 8206(e) require?Government Code §8206(e)
A notary resigns. Within how many days must all notarial records and papers be delivered to the county clerk?Government Code §8209(a)
A notary's journal is stolen from a car. What must the notary do under section 8206(b)?Government Code §8206(b)
A peace officer investigating a crime, with reasonable suspicion that the journal holds evidence of it, asks the notary for the journal. What must the notary do?Government Code §8206(d)
A peace officer or agency that seizes a notary journal must notify the Secretary of State by fax within how long, or as soon as possible afterward?Government Code §8206(d)
A requested journal line item does not exist. What does section 8206.5 require of the notary?Government Code §8206.5
A signer is physically unable to give any thumbprint or fingerprint. What does section 8206 require?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(G)
A signer offers a driver's license from Oregon. Beyond being current or issued within five years, what must it contain under section 1185(b)(4)?Civil Code §1185(b)(4)
A signer presents an identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government. It is current and has a photograph, description, signature and number. Is it acceptable?Civil Code §1185(b)(4)(F)
A signer's right thumb is bandaged and cannot be printed. What does section 8206 tell the notary to do?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(G)
A single credible witness is used to identify a signer. Which statement about that witness does section 1185 require?Civil Code §1185(b)(1)(A)
After how many years on deposit with the county clerk may notarial records be destroyed on order of court, if nobody has requested or referred to them?Government Code §8209(c)
After relinquishing the journal to a peace officer, within how many days must the notary notify the Secretary of State?Government Code §8206(d)
An identification document that is no longer current may still be relied on under section 1185 if it was issued within how many years?Civil Code §1185(b)(3)
An inmate in custody in a county jail needs a document notarized. Which identification does section 1185 accept?Civil Code §1185(b)(3)(D)
Besides another state of the United States, which issuers of a driver's license does section 1185(b)(4)(B) accept?Civil Code §1185(b)(4)(B)
For which of these documents must the signer leave a right thumbprint in the journal?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(G)
How many active sequential journals may a notary keep at one time for in-person notarial acts?Government Code §8206(a)(1)
In a damages suit claiming the notary failed to establish a signer's identity, who has the burden of proof under section 1185(d)?Civil Code §1185(d)
Is the notary's own personal knowledge of the signer one of the ways to establish identity under section 1185(b)?Civil Code §1185(b)
The notary does not personally know anyone who could vouch for a signer who has no ID. How can credible witnesses still be used?Civil Code §1185(b)(2)
To which office are a former notary's journals delivered under section 8209?Government Code §8209(a)
What does a person convicted of perjury under section 1185 forfeit?Civil Code §1185(e)
What does the journal record when identity rests on two credible witnesses whom the notary does not know?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(E)
What may an employer do with its notary employee's journal under section 8206(d)?Government Code §8206(d)
When identity is based on an ID document, which details of it does the journal record?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(D)
Which employee identification card is on the section 1185(b)(4) list?Civil Code §1185(b)(4)(E)
Which foreign document is acceptable identification under section 1185(b)(4)?Civil Code §1185(b)(4)(A)
Which identification is on the Civil Code section 1185(b)(3) list, acceptable if current or issued within five years?Civil Code §1185(b)(3)
Which of these is NOT a required element of a journal entry under section 8206(a)(2)?Government Code §8206(a)(2)
Which of these must a credible witness swear to under section 1185(b)(1)?Civil Code §1185(b)(1)(A)
Which of these must the lost-journal notice to the Secretary of State include?Government Code §8206(b)
Which person may NOT serve as a credible witness under section 1185?Civil Code §1185(b)(1)(A)(v)
Which real property document is EXEMPT from the journal thumbprint rule?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(G)
Whose signature must a journal entry contain under section 8206(a)(2)(C)?Government Code §8206(a)(2)(C)
Within how many business days must a notary respond to a written public request for a copy of a journal line item?Government Code §8206.5
Online notarization 6
By what date must the Secretary of State complete the online notarization technology project, unless written notice of delay is given to the Legislature and the Governor?Government Code §8231(b)
The Online Notarization Act took effect on January 1, 2024. What must happen before a California notary may actually notarize online?Government Code §8231(b)
What bond amount does section 8231.10 require of a notary authorized to perform online notarizations?Government Code §8231.10
What is the maximum fee for taking an acknowledgment by online notarization, for each signature taken?Government Code §8231.9
Where must the notary be physically located when performing an online notarization under section 8231.4?Government Code §8231.4(a)
Which businesses have been covered by section 8231.18 since January 1, 2025?Government Code §8231.18
Prohibited acts and penalties 34
A commissioned notary is convicted of a felony. What must the court do under section 8214.8?Government Code §8214.8
A loan officer pressures a notary to backdate a certificate, knowing the act is improper. What offense does the loan officer commit under section 8225?Government Code §8225
A notary charges $25 for one in-person acknowledgment signature. Which consequence does the Government Code attach to overcharging?Government Code §8214.15(b)
A notary holds himself out as an "immigration consultant". What does section 8223(a) forbid?Government Code §8223(a)
A notary knowingly and willfully, with intent to defraud, notarizes a forged deed of trust on a single-family home. What is the offense under section 8214.2?Government Code §8214.2
A notary under investigation resigns the commission. What is the effect under section 8214.4?Government Code §8214.4
A notary who is not an attorney drafts a client's living trust and advises which clauses to use. Which ground in section 8214.1 applies?Government Code §8214.1(g)
A notary who is not an attorney promotes notarial services in Spanish on a storefront sign. What must be posted with it under section 8219.5?Government Code §8219.5(a)
A notary who is NOT qualified and bonded as an immigration consultant is asked to type a client's answers onto a federal immigration form. May the notary do it?Government Code §8223(c)
A notary's flyer claims the notary can "prepare and approve immigration petitions". Which ground for discipline in section 8214.1 fits?Government Code §8214.1(f)
A peace officer asks for access to a notary's journal and the notary willfully refuses. What is the most section 8214.21 allows as a civil penalty?Government Code §8214.21
A person who has never been commissioned hands out cards calling himself a notary public. What is the offense under section 8227.1?Government Code §8227.1
A signer knowingly makes a false sworn statement to a notary to obtain an improper notarization of a deed on a single-family home. What is the offense under Penal Code section 115.5(b)?Penal Code §115.5(b)
An officer makes and delivers as true a certificate containing statements the officer knows to be false. What is the offense under Government Code section 6203?Government Code §6203(a)
How does section 8214.1(b) treat a conviction that follows a plea of nolo contendere?Government Code §8214.1(b)
How does section 8214.15 treat a negligent, as opposed to willful, failure to discharge a notary's duties?Government Code §8214.15(b)
Sections 6203, 8221, 8225 and 8228.1 share one limitation period. Prosecution must begin within how many years after discovery of the offense, or after its completion, whichever is later?Government Code §6203(b)
Someone knowingly destroys a notary's journal. What is the offense under section 8221?Government Code §8221
Under Penal Code section 470(b), what crime is counterfeiting or forging the seal or handwriting of another with intent to defraud?Penal Code §470(b)
What crime does a notary commit by willfully failing to deliver the notarial records to the county clerk within the section 8209 deadline?Government Code §8209(a)
What happens on a second offense under section 8219.5?Government Code §8219.5(d)
What is the maximum civil penalty under Civil Code section 1189 when a notary willfully states as true, in an acknowledgment certificate, a material fact the notary knows to be false?Civil Code §1189(a)(4)
What is the maximum civil penalty under section 8214.15 for a willful failure to discharge fully and faithfully the duties of a notary?Government Code §8214.15(a)
What is the sanction for a first violation of the foreign-language notice rule or the "notario" ban in section 8219.5?Government Code §8219.5(d)
What right does a notary have before the Secretary of State revokes or suspends the commission or imposes a civil penalty?Government Code §8214.3
When does impersonating a notary become a felony under section 8227.3?Government Code §8227.3
Which act is a misdemeanor under section 8228.1?Government Code §8228.1
Which conviction is a ground to deny or revoke a commission under section 8214.1(b)?Government Code §8214.1(b)
Which failure carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 under Civil Code section 1185(b)(1)(B)?Civil Code §1185(b)(1)(B)
Which item is exempt from the foreign-language notice rule of section 8219.5?Government Code §8219.5(a)
Which phrase may a California notary NOT use under section 8219.5(c)?Government Code §8219.5(c)
Which violation carries a civil penalty of up to $750, and not $1,500, under section 8214.15?Government Code §8214.15
Who is liable for damages caused by a notary's official misconduct or neglect under section 8214?Government Code §8214
Who may examine a notary's books and records to enforce the notary law under section 8228?Government Code §8228
This unofficial California notary exam practice test holds 182 questions, each written from a linked section of the Government Code or the Civil Code. Choose a part under Start from, or switch to Exam mode to sit 45 questions in one hour, the format the exam administrator lists. Checked 18 and 19 September 2026.
Read the full guide
The real exam: 45 items in one hour
CPS HR Consulting runs the exam for the Secretary of State. Its candidate page lists 45 closed-book items in one hour. Forty are scored: 5 on administrative procedures, 12 on notarial acts, 4 on identification, 4 on immigration and foreign language, 15 on misconduct and fees. Exam mode shows no pass or fail, because the state's mark is a scaled score. Misses wait under Missed. Clear my progress wipes them.
Where a California notary practice test fits
The Secretary of State tells applicants to prepare from the current Notary Public Handbook, which reprints the laws cited here. Misconduct and fees fill 15 of the 40 scored items, so start there. Identification is 4 items. Civil Code 1185 allows no personal-knowledge shortcut: only a listed ID or credible witnesses under oath. The breakdown lists no online notarization, so treat the six Online notarization questions as extra.
Memorize the Government Code 8211 caps: $15 per signature on an acknowledgment, $15 for a jurat, $30 for a deposition plus $7 each for the oath and the certificate.
Know the commission basics: a 4-year term (Government Code 8204) and a $15,000 surety bond (8212). The seal must be photographically reproducible, circular up to 2 inches or rectangular up to 1 by 2 1/2 inches (8207).
Drill the 30-day deadlines: oath and bond at the county clerk (8213), an address change to the Secretary of State (8213.5), journals delivered after a commission ends (8209).
Questions and answers
How long is the California notary exam, and what score passes?
CPS HR Consulting lists 45 multiple-choice items in one hour. Forty count. Passing takes a scaled score of at least 70 on a 0 to 100 scale, which is not 70 percent correct. Nobody may sit the exam twice in one calendar month.
Will these exact questions be on my exam?
No. Nobody here has seen the state's question pool, and this site has no tie to the California Secretary of State or CPS HR Consulting. No commissioned California notary has checked the answers yet. If an answer disagrees with its section, the section wins.
Can a California notary notarize online yet?
Not as of 18 September 2026. Government Code 8231 bars online notarization until the notary registers with the Secretary of State and the state finishes its technology project, due by January 1, 2030 unless the Secretary reports a delay.