• 148 questions

Maryland Notary Exam Questions: a Practice Test From State Law

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Section 18-103(c) fixes how many years a Maryland commission runs. How many?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Maryland Secretary of State. Bank checked October 4, 2026.

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All 148 questions

Commission, course and exam 28

  • A Maryland commission was revoked because the notary did not qualify in time. Who may reinstate it for good cause shown? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(d)(7)
  • A Maryland Senator may hand the authority to approve notary applicants to which official? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(a)(2)
  • A newly appointed Maryland notary does not qualify and pay the fees in time. What does section 18-103 say happens? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(d)(5)
  • A notary applicant lives in Maryland. Of which area must the applicant be a resident? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(5)
  • A notary applicant lives outside Maryland. What must be true of the applicant's home state? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(6)
  • A notary is appointed for one Maryland county. Where in the State may the notary act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-105
  • A person lives in another state. Which tie to Maryland lets the person be appointed a Maryland notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(3)
  • After the notice of appointment or renewal is issued, how long does a Maryland notary have to qualify before the clerk? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(d)(3)
  • An out-of-state Maryland notary is deemed to have appointed whom as agent for service of process? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(b)(2)
  • How does section 18-103 have Maryland spread the dates on which commissions expire and renew? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(c)(2)
  • How must an application for original appointment as a Maryland notary be made? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(a)(1)
  • How old must an individual be to be appointed a notary public in Maryland? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(1)
  • On the Secretary of State's new applicant page, what must a new Maryland applicant submit with the online application after the course and examination? Maryland Secretary of State, New Notary Applicant Information page, read 2026-10-04
  • The Secretary of State's new applicant page says the application process changed on 01/22/2024. What application fee does it give? Maryland Secretary of State, New Notary Applicant Information page, read 2026-10-04
  • Section 18-103(c) fixes how many years a Maryland commission runs. How many? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(c)(1)
  • The Senate seat for a Maryland applicant's district is vacant. Who may approve the notary application? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(a)(1)
  • Since October 1, 2021, what must a renewal applicant in Maryland have done? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(4)(ii)
  • Since October 1, 2021, what must an initial applicant for a Maryland notary commission have done? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(4)(i)
  • Under section 18-101, which officer of the State makes a Maryland applicant a notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(a)(1)
  • What must Maryland's notary course of study and examination cover? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(b)(1)
  • Where does an out-of-state individual commissioned as a Maryland notary qualify? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(d)(4)
  • Which character standard does section 18-102 set for a Maryland notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(a)(2)
  • Who hands the commission to a Maryland notary once the notary has qualified and paid the fees? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(2)
  • Who may give Maryland's notary course and examination besides the Secretary of State? Md. Code, State Government § 18-102(b)(2)
  • Whose approval does a Maryland resident's notary application need before the Governor may appoint? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(a)(1)
  • Whose approval does an out-of-state individual need to be commissioned as a Maryland notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-101(b)(1)
  • Whose signatures does a Maryland notary commission carry under the great seal of the State? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(1)
  • With whom are completed Maryland notary applications filed? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(a)(4)

Fees 16

  • A check for a Maryland notary fee is dishonored and never made good. On which day after the notice is sent does the revocation take effect? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(6)(i)
  • A signer signs three copies of one record at the same sitting. On the Secretary of State's page, what may a Maryland notary demand for each signature on each additional copy? Maryland Secretary of State, Notary Division page, read 2026-10-04
  • For repeating an original notarial act, or copying the matter it addressed, what must Maryland's fee regulations set? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(a)(1)
  • May a Maryland judge or court-appointed magistrate charge a fee to perform a notarial act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-209(d)
  • May the Secretary of State set, by regulation, a travel charge higher than the one written in section 18-107(b)(1)? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(b)(2)
  • On the Secretary of State's notary page, what is the most a Maryland notary may demand for a remote notarial act since 1/22/2024? Maryland Secretary of State, Notary Division page, read 2026-10-04
  • On top of mileage, section 18-107 allows a Maryland notary a travel fee of no more than how much? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(b)(1)
  • Processing fees that the Secretary of State fixes under section 18-103(e)(5) are distributed to which fund? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(5)(ii)
  • The Secretary of State's notary page gives the fee in force since 1/22/2024. What is the most a Maryland notary may demand for an original notarial act? Maryland Secretary of State, Notary Division page, read 2026-10-04
  • Section 18-107 lets the Secretary of State set notary fees by regulation. What is the statute's ceiling for an original notarial act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(a)(1)
  • What ceiling does section 18-107 put on the fee for a remote notarial act under section 18-214? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(a)(2)
  • What does section 18-103 set as the fee a Maryland notary pays the clerk for the commission issued? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(3)(ii)
  • What does the Secretary of State's new applicant page tell a new Maryland notary to bring for the Clerk of the Court? Maryland Secretary of State, New Notary Applicant Information page, read 2026-10-04
  • What fee does section 18-103 set for the clerk to qualify a Maryland notary and register the notary's name, address and expiration date? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(3)(i)
  • What is the most the Secretary of State may charge for a check returned for insufficient funds under section 18-103? Md. Code, State Government § 18-103(e)(5)(i)
  • Which mileage rate does section 18-107 let a Maryland notary charge for travel needed to perform a notarial act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-107(b)(1)

Powers, limits and the stamp 21

  • A colleague asks to borrow a Maryland notary's stamping device to notarize while the notary is at lunch. What does section 18-218 say? Md. Code, State Government § 18-218(a)(1)
  • A deed was notarized in Delaware by a Delaware notary. What effect does section 18-210 give that notarization in Maryland? Md. Code, State Government § 18-210(a)
  • A foreign notarization arrives in Maryland with an apostille. What does section 18-213(d) treat as settled by it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-213(d)
  • A Maryland notarial officer fails to meet a duty set by the subtitle, other than the conflict rule. What happens to the notarial act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-221(a)
  • A Maryland notarial officer is not satisfied that a signature is knowingly and voluntarily made. What does section 18-207 allow? Md. Code, State Government § 18-207
  • A Maryland notary finds that the stamping device has been stolen. Whom must the notary notify, and how fast? Md. Code, State Government § 18-218(b)
  • A Maryland notary lives outside the State. Which county goes in the official stamp? Md. Code, State Government § 18-217(a)(1)
  • A Maryland notary notarizes a record in which the notary has a direct beneficial interest. What does section 18-203 call the act? Md. Code, State Government § 18-203(b)(2)
  • Besides a signature that is not voluntary, which doubt lets a Maryland notarial officer refuse under section 18-207? Md. Code, State Government § 18-207
  • By what name may Subtitle 2 of Title 18 be cited? Md. Code, State Government § 18-227
  • The date set in a Maryland notary's commission has passed. What does section 18-218 require for the device that makes the stamp? Md. Code, State Government § 18-218(a)(2)
  • Section 18-209 names court officers who share a Maryland notary's power. Which group is on its list? Md. Code, State Government § 18-209(a)
  • Section 18-215(b) treats a Maryland notary public differently from other officers on paper records. Must the notary public use the stamp? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(b)(1)
  • Subtitle 2 of Title 18 applies only to notarial acts performed on or after which date? Md. Code, State Government § 18-202
  • Under section 18-203, a Maryland notarial officer may not act on a record to which the officer or which other person is a party? Md. Code, State Government § 18-203(b)(1)
  • What do the signature and title of a person performing a notarial act in Maryland show under section 18-209(b)? Md. Code, State Government § 18-209(b)
  • What does section 18-217 call a Maryland notary public's official stamp? Md. Code, State Government § 18-217(c)
  • What must a Maryland notary's official stamp be capable of under section 18-217? Md. Code, State Government § 18-217(a)(2)
  • What must the official stamp of a Maryland notary include under section 18-217? Md. Code, State Government § 18-217(a)(1)
  • Where must a Maryland notary show the expiration date of the commission? Md. Code, State Government § 18-217(b)
  • Which of these is on the list of notarial acts in section 18-201? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(j)(2)

Notarial acts and certificates 22

  • A Maryland notarial officer detects a change in an electronic signature in an electronic record. May the officer certify a tangible copy of it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(e)(2)
  • A Maryland notarial officer takes an acknowledgment. Besides the signer's identity, what must the officer determine? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(a)
  • A Maryland notarial officer witnesses a signature. What must the officer determine under section 18-204(c)? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(c)
  • A Maryland officer is asked to certify a printout of an e-signed lease. Who must make the printout under section 18-204(e)? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(e)(1)
  • A Maryland signer's hands cannot hold a pen. Under section 18-208, who may write the name at the signer's direction? Md. Code, State Government § 18-208(a)
  • A signer acting for no one else acknowledges a deed. Which opening words does section 18-216(b) give for the Maryland short form? Md. Code, State Government § 18-216(b)
  • A signer swears that a statement is true. Which opening words does section 18-216(d) give for the Maryland short form? Md. Code, State Government § 18-216(d)
  • A trustee acknowledges a record for a trust. Which extra words does section 18-216(c) put in the Maryland form? Md. Code, State Government § 18-216(c)
  • Another person signs a record at the direction of a signer who cannot sign. What does the Maryland notarial officer insert on the record? Md. Code, State Government § 18-208(b)
  • For a notarial act on a tangible record in Maryland, where must the certificate be? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(f)(1)
  • How soon after the act does section 18-215(a) want a Maryland certificate completed? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(a)(2)
  • In section 18-201, what does a verification on oath or affirmation declare about a record? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(t)
  • In section 18-201, what does an individual declare in an acknowledgment? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(b)
  • Section 18-204(d) sets a standard for a copy that a Maryland officer certifies. Which standard? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(d)
  • Section 18-215 says how a Maryland notary's signature on a certificate must be written. How? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(a)(2)
  • Section 18-215(d) reads a promise into every certificate a Maryland officer completes. What is the promise? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(d)
  • Section 18-215(e) sets the earliest moment at which a Maryland officer may sign the certificate. When is it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(e)
  • Which law does section 18-204 tell a Maryland notarial officer to follow when noting a protest of a negotiable instrument? Md. Code, State Government § 18-204(f)
  • Which of these is acting in a representative capacity as section 18-201 defines it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(i)
  • Which of these must a certificate of a Maryland notarial act contain under section 18-215(a)? Md. Code, State Government § 18-215(a)(2)
  • Which words open Maryland's short form certificate for certifying a copy of a record? Md. Code, State Government § 18-216(f)
  • Which words open Maryland's short form certificate for witnessing or attesting a signature? Md. Code, State Government § 18-216(e)

Identity and the journal 21

  • A Maryland notary keeps a journal in an electronic format. What must the format be? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(b)(3)
  • A Maryland notary keeps a journal on a tangible medium. What form must it take? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(b)(3)
  • A Maryland notary resigns the commission. Besides keeping the journal, what must the notary tell the Secretary of State? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(e)
  • A Maryland notary works for two firms and notarizes paper records at both. How many journals for those tangible records may be open at once? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(b)(2)
  • A Maryland notary's journal is lost. What does section 18-219 require? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(d)
  • A passport is on the table, yet a Maryland notarial officer still has doubts. What does section 18-206(c) let the officer do? Md. Code, State Government § 18-206(c)
  • A signer is identified by an identification credential. What must the Maryland journal entry say about the credential? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • A signer shows a Maryland notarial officer a government ID that section 18-206 does not name. What must the ID contain? Md. Code, State Government § 18-206(b)(1)
  • Does a Maryland journal entry record what the notary charged? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • How long must a Maryland notary keep a journal after the last notarial act chronicled in it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(a)(2)
  • How may a credible witness identify a signer to a Maryland notarial officer under section 18-206? Md. Code, State Government § 18-206(b)(2)
  • Instead of keeping a journal for the full period, where may a current or former Maryland notary send it? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(f)
  • No ID was shown because the Maryland notary has known the signer for years. What does section 18-219(c) want written down about identity? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • Section 18-219(c) sets the timing of each line a Maryland notary writes in the journal. What timing? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(1)
  • Under section 18-205, what must the person whose signature is being notarized in Maryland do? Md. Code, State Government § 18-205(a)
  • What must a Maryland journal entry record about each individual for whom the act is performed? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • What must a Maryland journal entry show about how the individual appeared? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • When does a Maryland notarial officer have personal knowledge of an individual's identity? Md. Code, State Government § 18-206(a)
  • Which notarial acts must a Maryland notary public chronicle in a journal? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(a)(1)
  • Which of these does section 18-219 require in each entry of a Maryland notary's journal? Md. Code, State Government § 18-219(c)(2)
  • Which of these is named in section 18-206 as a means of satisfactory evidence of identity? Md. Code, State Government § 18-206(b)(1)

Remote and electronic acts 23

  • A customer insists that a Maryland notary use a tamper-evident technology the notary has not selected. What does section 18-220 say? Md. Code, State Government § 18-220(a)
  • A Maryland notarial act was done over a video link. Which fact must section 18-214(h) put in its certificate? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(h)
  • A Maryland notary has personal knowledge of a remote signer's identity. Are identity proofing and credential analysis still required? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(n)
  • A Maryland notary identifies a remote signer by technology. Remote presentation and credential analysis are two steps. What is the third? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(a)(1)
  • A Maryland notary plans to start notarizing electronic records. Which step does section 18-220(b) put first? Md. Code, State Government § 18-220(b)(1)
  • A person takes over a deceased Maryland notary's audio-visual recordings as personal representative. How soon must the Secretary of State be notified? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(j)(2)
  • A remote signer fails the identity proofing quiz the first time. What does section 18-223 allow? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)
  • A remote signer signs a tangible record and a declaration on camera. By when must they be sent to the Maryland notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(c)(1)
  • A remote signer sits in another country during a Maryland remote notarial act. Which law decides whether the act is valid? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(l)
  • Before a Maryland notary's first remote notarial act, what must the notary tell the Secretary of State? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(k)(1)
  • For how many years at least does section 18-214(j) keep the audio-visual file of a Maryland remote session, absent a rule that differs? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(j)(3)
  • How many possible answer choices must each identity proofing question have under section 18-223? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)
  • In Maryland's identity proofing quiz under section 18-223, what is the fewest questions a remote signer may be asked? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)
  • In section 18-201, what is credential analysis? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(d)
  • In section 18-201, who is a remotely located individual? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(p)
  • Must a person in Maryland accept a transaction in which the notarial act is performed by communication technology? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(n)
  • On a retake of the identity proofing quiz, what share of the prior questions must be replaced? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)
  • Section 18-201 defines communication technology. What must such a device or process allow in a Maryland remote session? Md. Code, State Government § 18-201(c)
  • Section 18-214(a) gives the power to act by communication technology to a notary who is where? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(a)
  • Under section 18-223, a Maryland notary attaches an electronic signature and official stamp to an electronic record with a digital certificate. Which standard does the section name? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(f)
  • What record of a remote notarial act must a Maryland notary, or a person acting for the notary, create? Md. Code, State Government § 18-214(a)(3)
  • What share of the identity proofing questions must a remote signer answer correctly under section 18-223? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)
  • Within what time must all the identity proofing questions be answered under section 18-223? Md. Code, State Government § 18-223(c)

Prohibited acts and discipline 17

  • A customer gives a Maryland notary an original record to notarize. May the notary hold the record back from the customer? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(e)
  • A Maryland notary tells customers the notary has a right or privilege that a notary does not have. How does section 18-104 treat this? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(a)(1)
  • A Maryland notary who is not an attorney promotes notarial services on a website. Which statement must the page carry? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(d)(2)
  • A Maryland notary's flyer is printed in English and Spanish. Where must the section 18-224 statement go? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(d)(2)
  • A Maryland notary's stamping device is a public seal for the purposes of which law? Md. Code, State Government § 18-218(c)
  • An applicant is denied an initial Maryland notary commission. Must the applicant be given notice and the opportunity for a hearing? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(c)
  • Before the Secretary of State recommends action against a Maryland notary's commission, what is the notary given? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(a)(2)
  • The Governor revokes a Maryland notary's commission under section 18-104. May a person harmed by the notary still seek other remedies? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(f)
  • How is the notice requirement of section 18-104 deemed satisfied for a Maryland notary? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(e)
  • Is a hearing under section 18-104 a contested case under Title 10, Subtitle 2 of the State Government Article? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(d)
  • May a Maryland notary who is not an attorney act as an immigration consultant on the strength of the commission? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(a)
  • To whom may the Governor delegate the authority to act against a Maryland notary commission? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(b)(1)
  • Virginia has revoked a notary's Virginia commission. How does section 18-104 treat that fact for the same notary in Maryland? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(a)(1)
  • When may a Maryland notary use the term 'notario publico'? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(c)
  • Which of these does a Maryland notary commission NOT authorize under section 18-224? Md. Code, State Government § 18-224(a)
  • Which of these is listed in section 18-104 as a ground for action against a Maryland notary commission? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(a)(1)
  • Who may deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend or put conditions on a Maryland notary commission under section 18-104? Md. Code, State Government § 18-104(a)(1)

How it works

These unofficial Maryland notary exam questions are written from State Government Article, Title 18, the law a notary works under. Each answer names its section. No real examination question is used. Checked 4 October 2026.

Read the full guide

Maryland asks a new applicant for a course and an examination

Since October 1, 2021 an initial applicant must complete the course of study and pass the examination, given by providers the Secretary of State authorizes (section 18-102). A renewal applicant completes the course. The Secretary's new applicant page, read 4 October 2026, prints no question count or pass mark.

Statute ceiling or fee in force

Section 18-107 lets a regulation set fees up to $25 for an act and $50 for a remote act. The Secretary of State's page gives the amounts in force since 1/22/2024: $8 and $30. The Fees topic asks both and says which one each question means.

  • The term is four years. A notary who does not qualify before the court clerk within 30 days of notice has the commission revoked (18-103).
  • Journal: one permanent, bound register with numbered pages for tangible records, kept 10 years after its last entry (18-219). Title 18 names no bond.
  • The stamp shows name, office and county (18-217). The fee cap is $8 an act. A remote act's recording is kept 10 years (18-214).

Questions and answers

What score passes the Maryland notary exam?

The Secretary of State's notary pages, read 4 October 2026, print no pass mark, question count or time limit, so this page has none. Exam mode draws a 25-question sample. A good score here shows you know the statute, not how a provider scores.

Are these the real exam questions?

No. This site has never seen the state's examination and is not affiliated with the Maryland Secretary of State. The questions come from Title 18 and the Secretary's own pages, not the handbook. No commissioned Maryland notary has reviewed the answers yet.

How much can a Maryland notary charge?

The Secretary of State's page gives the fees in force since 1/22/2024: no more than $8 for an original notarial act, $30 for a remote act and $4 for each signature on an additional copy. Travel is the IRS mileage rate plus up to $5.

Is there an exam to renew a Maryland notary commission?

Section 18-102 asks a renewal applicant to have completed the course of study. It names the examination only for an initial applicant. The Secretary of State's renewal page has the current steps.

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