A notary with a current Oregon commission applies for a new one. What does ORS 194.315(2) ask of this applicant?Answer: The course of study and the examination. Source: ORS 194.315(2)(j)-(k)
An Oregon applicant must not have been convicted of a felony, or of a crime involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit, during how many years before the date of application?Answer: 10. Source: ORS 194.315(2)(d)
An Oregon notary files a statement waiving the fees of ORS 194.400. What follows under ORS 194.315(6)?Answer: The office is not considered a lucrative office. Source: ORS 194.315(6)
If the Secretary of State denies or revokes an Oregon commission, the opportunity for hearing is given as for what?Answer: A contested case under ORS chapter 183. Source: ORS 194.340(2)
The Oregon notary examination must be based on what, by ORS 194.325(1)?Answer: The course of study described in the same section. Source: ORS 194.325(1)
ORS 194.315(3) names one document an Oregon applicant signs and sends in before the commission issues. Which?Answer: An oath of office. Source: ORS 194.315(3)
ORS 194.315(4) has the Secretary of State issue an Oregon notary commission for a term of how many years?Answer: 4. Source: ORS 194.315(4)
Show all 106 questions (99 more)
Commission, course and exam, continued
Under ORS 194.325(2), what must an applicant do before taking the Oregon notary examination?Answer: Complete a course of study from the secretary or an approved entity. Source: ORS 194.325(2)
What does ORS 194.315(5) say about an Oregon commission and the immunity that the law gives public officials?Answer: It provides no such immunity or benefit. Source: ORS 194.315(5)
What does the database the Secretary of State keeps under ORS 194.345 indicate about an Oregon notary?Answer: Whether the notary gave notice of acts on electronic records. Source: ORS 194.345
When is an Oregon notary applicant considered to have consented to the State Police furnishing information to the Secretary of State?Answer: Upon signing the application filed under ORS 194.315. Source: ORS 194.370(4)
Which agency furnishes information about an Oregon notary applicant at the Secretary of State's request, under ORS 194.370?Answer: The Department of State Police. Source: ORS 194.370(1)
Which conviction, at any time, keeps a person from an Oregon commission under ORS 194.315(2)(e)?Answer: Acting as or impersonating a notary public. Source: ORS 194.315(2)(e)
Which fact about an earlier commission disqualifies an Oregon applicant under ORS 194.315(2)(h)?Answer: It was revoked during the 10 years before the application. Source: ORS 194.315(2)(h)
Which residence rule does ORS 194.315(2)(b) set for an Oregon notary applicant?Answer: Oregon resident, or a place of employment or practice in Oregon. Source: ORS 194.315(2)(b)
Fees 9
An applicant withdraws after paying the Oregon application fee. Does ORS 194.365(1) provide for a refund?Answer: No, the fee is nonrefundable. Source: ORS 194.365(1)
An Oregon notary charges fees for notarial acts. What must the notary display, by ORS 194.400(3)?Answer: In English, a list of the fees the notary will charge. Source: ORS 194.400(3)
An Oregon notary employed by a private company may agree with it that the fees the notary collects do what?Answer: Are collected by and accrue to the company. Source: ORS 194.400(4)
The application fee for an Oregon notary commission may not exceed what amount?Answer: $40. Source: ORS 194.365(1)
ORS 194.350(4)(b) lists two things a non-attorney Oregon notary must put in any public notice of notarial services. One is the required statement. What is the other?Answer: The fees for notarial acts under ORS 194.400. Source: ORS 194.350(4)(b)
What is the most an Oregon notary may charge for a notarial act performed for a remotely located individual under ORS 194.277?Answer: $25. Source: ORS 194.400(1)
What is the most an Oregon notary may charge for an ordinary notarial act under ORS 194.400(1)?Answer: $10. Source: ORS 194.400(1)
When may an Oregon notary charge an additional fee for traveling to perform a notarial act?Answer: When it is explained and the amount is agreed in advance. Source: ORS 194.400(2)
Which body may collect the fees for notarial acts that its employee notaries perform in the course of employment, under ORS 194.400(5)?Answer: A public body as defined in ORS 174.109. Source: ORS 194.400(5)
Powers, limits and the stamp 17
A notary on the payroll of a Portland lumber corporation is asked to take the acknowledgment of a buyer signing a contract with that corporation. What does ORS 194.385 say?Answer: The notary may, unless a party to the instrument. Source: ORS 194.385
A notary signs a subdivision plat in Oregon. Under ORS 194.280(8), the stamp imprint is not required if what appears below the signature?Answer: The printed name, "NOTARY PUBLIC - OREGON", commission number and date. Source: ORS 194.280(8)
A woman in Bend cannot hold a pen and tells her son to sign her name. Which words does ORS 194.250 have the Oregon officer add?Answer: "Signature affixed by (name) at the direction of (name)". Source: ORS 194.250
An Oregon notarial officer's spouse has a direct beneficial interest in a record. What does ORS 194.225(2) say about notarizing it?Answer: The officer may not, and an act done anyway is voidable. Source: ORS 194.225(2)
An Oregon notary works for a credit union. May the notary administer an oath to another employee of the credit union?Answer: Yes, ORS 194.385(1)(b) allows it. Source: ORS 194.385(1)(b)
An Oregon notary's stamping device is stolen. What does ORS 194.295(4) require?Answer: Notifying the Secretary of State promptly on discovering it. Source: ORS 194.295(4)
Besides a notary and a judge or court clerk, who may perform a notarial act in Oregon under ORS 194.255(1)(c)?Answer: A county clerk or designated county recording employee. Source: ORS 194.255(1)(c)
How does ORS 194.290(2) describe the official stamp of an Oregon notary?Answer: An official notarial seal for all purposes. Source: ORS 194.290(2)
In the plat wording of ORS 194.280(8), how is the commission expiration date written?Answer: Month by name, not abbreviated, two-digit date, four-digit year. Source: ORS 194.280(8)(d)
Under ORS 194.225(3), an Oregon notarial officer may certify that a tangible copy of an electronic record is what?Answer: An accurate copy of the electronic record. Source: ORS 194.225(3)
What kind of imprint must an Oregon official stamp make?Answer: A legible one that can be copied with the record. Source: ORS 194.290(1)(b)
What must an Oregon official stamp include, by ORS 194.290(1)(a)?Answer: The notary's name, jurisdiction and commission expiration date. Source: ORS 194.290(1)(a)
What must each Oregon notary who protests commercial paper keep, under ORS 194.380?Answer: A record of all protests made by the notary. Source: ORS 194.380
When an Oregon commission is revoked or expires, what must the notary do with the stamping device under ORS 194.295(2)?Answer: Disable it, as by destroying, defacing or securing it. Source: ORS 194.295(2)
When may an Oregon notary not protest commercial paper held for collection by a financial institution?Answer: When the notary is individually a party to the paper. Source: ORS 194.375(3)
Which ground to refuse a notarial act appears in Oregon's ORS 194.245(1)(c)?Answer: The individual gave too little to confirm identity. Source: ORS 194.245(1)(c)
Which Oregon notary may protest commercial paper under ORS 194.375(1)?Answer: An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar. Source: ORS 194.375(1)
Notarial acts and certificates 12
An Oregon notarial officer finds that the county was left off a certificate signed last week. What does ORS 194.280(2) allow?Answer: The officer may subsequently correct the certificate. Source: ORS 194.280(2)
An Oregon notary public notarizes a paper deed. What does ORS 194.280(3) say about the official stamp?Answer: It must be affixed to the certificate. Source: ORS 194.280(3)
"I certify (or attest) that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ..." is the Oregon short form for which act?Answer: Certifying or attesting a copy of a record. Source: ORS 194.285(5)
If the officer is a notary public, what must an Oregon certificate indicate under ORS 194.280(1)(e)?Answer: The date of expiration, if any, of the commission. Source: ORS 194.280(1)(e)
Oregon defines "oath" and "affirmation" as an act in which a notary certifies that a person made a vow in the notary's presence on what?Answer: Penalty of perjury. Source: ORS 194.215(11)
The Oregon short form certificates in ORS 194.285 print which words beside the place for the stamp?Answer: "Stamp (if required)". Source: ORS 194.285
ORS 194.255(3) gives evidentiary weight to the signature and title on an Oregon notarization. How much?Answer: Prima facie evidence. Source: ORS 194.255(3)
ORS 194.280(1)(b) has an Oregon certificate name a location. Which location?Answer: The jurisdiction in which the notarial act is performed. Source: ORS 194.280(1)(b)
ORS 194.285(4) prints a short form for a signature made in front of an Oregon officer. How does it begin?Answer: "Signed (or attested) before me". Source: ORS 194.285(4)
What does an Oregon notarial officer who certifies a copy have to determine, under ORS 194.230(4)?Answer: That the copy is a full, true and accurate reproduction. Source: ORS 194.230(4)
Which of these does ORS 194.215(8) list as a notarial act in Oregon?Answer: Making, noting or recording a protest of a negotiable instrument. Source: ORS 194.215(8)
Whose name must an Oregon certificate of a notarial act contain, by ORS 194.280(1)(d)?Answer: The person for whom the notarial act is performed. Source: ORS 194.280(1)(d)
Identity and the journal 18
A former Oregon notary kept a record of protests of commercial paper. Within what time must it be delivered to the Secretary of State once the office is vacant?Answer: Three months. Source: ORS 194.390(2)
A military identification card or a tribal identity card must contain what to identify a signer in Oregon?Answer: The signature and a photograph of the individual. Source: ORS 194.240(2)(a)(B)
A paper journal in Oregon must be what kind of book, by ORS 194.300(2)?Answer: A permanent, bound register with numbered pages. Source: ORS 194.300(2)
After the death of an Oregon notary, ORS 194.300(8) sends the journal to which office?Answer: The Secretary of State. Source: ORS 194.300(8)
An Oregon journal entry holds the full name and what else of each individual for whom the act is performed?Answer: Contact address. Source: ORS 194.300(3)(c)
An Oregon notary notarizes five duplicate originals of one document for the same individual on the same date. What may the journal show?Answer: A single entry that gives the total number of duplicates. Source: ORS 194.300(4)(a)
An Oregon notary serves a repeat customer on a later date and refers to a prior journal entry. What must the reference identify?Answer: The page and line numbers of the prior entry. Source: ORS 194.300(4)(c)
An Oregon notary who is an employee may enter into an agreement with the employer about what, by ORS 194.300(10)?Answer: The employer retaining the journal when employment ends. Source: ORS 194.300(10)
An Oregon notary's commission expires and is not renewed. What becomes of the journal under ORS 194.300(6)?Answer: The notary retains it for the 10-year period. Source: ORS 194.300(6)
An Oregon notary's commission is revoked. What happens to the journal under ORS 194.300(7)?Answer: It goes to the Secretary of State within 30 days. Source: ORS 194.300(7)
Besides a United States passport, which passport does ORS 194.240(2)(a)(A) accept as identification in Oregon?Answer: An officially recognized passport of a foreign country. Source: ORS 194.240(2)(a)(A)
For how many years after the last notarial act chronicled in it must an Oregon journal be retained?Answer: 10. Source: ORS 194.300(1)
How many journals does ORS 194.300(1) say an Oregon notary maintains?Answer: One or more journals. Source: ORS 194.300(1)
How may an Oregon notarial officer identify an individual who is confined in a correctional facility?Answer: By examination or comparison of official government records. Source: ORS 194.240(2)(c)
In Salem, a signer hands an Oregon notary a driver license that ran out two years back. Does ORS 194.240 treat it as satisfactory evidence?Answer: Yes, it expired not more than three years before the act. Source: ORS 194.240(2)(a)(A)
Is the journal of an Oregon notary who is not a public official or public employee open under the public records law?Answer: No, it is exempt from disclosure. Source: ORS 194.300(9)
When identity rests on satisfactory evidence, which detail about the credential does an Oregon journal entry include?Answer: Its date of expiration. Source: ORS 194.300(3)(e)
Which notarial act may an Oregon notary leave out of the journal, by ORS 194.300(11)?Answer: Administering an oath or affirmation. Source: ORS 194.300(11)
Remote and electronic acts 15
A remotely located individual is in a foreign state. Under ORS 194.277(3)(d)(B), signing the record must not be prohibited by whom?Answer: The foreign state in which the individual is located. Source: ORS 194.277(3)(d)(B)
An Oregon journal kept in an electronic format must be in what kind of format?Answer: A permanent, tamper-evident electronic format. Source: ORS 194.300(2)
An Oregon notary has never met a remote signer and nobody can vouch for him. What does ORS 194.277(3)(a)(C) accept as satisfactory evidence of who he is?Answer: At least two different types of identity proofing. Source: ORS 194.277(3)(a)(C)
An Oregon notary intends to start notarizing for remotely located individuals. What does ORS 194.277(7) require before the first such act?Answer: Notice to the Secretary of State naming the technologies. Source: ORS 194.277(7)
By the definition in ORS 194.277(1)(a), communication technology lets a notary and a remotely located individual communicate simultaneously by what?Answer: Sight and sound. Source: ORS 194.277(1)(a)
For a remote signer outside the United States, ORS 194.277(3)(d)(A) accepts a record that involves property located where?Answer: In the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Source: ORS 194.277(3)(d)(A)
How may a remotely located individual comply with the personal appearance rule of ORS 194.235?Answer: By using communication technology to appear before a notary. Source: ORS 194.277(2)
In ORS 194.277, "identity proofing" is a process or service by which who gives the notary a means to verify a remote signer's identity?Answer: A third person. Source: ORS 194.277(1)(c)
May an Oregon notary use a paper journal to chronicle notarial acts performed on electronic records?Answer: Yes, either journal format may chronicle all notarial acts. Source: ORS 194.300(2)
Under what condition may an Oregon county clerk accept for recording a tangible copy of an electronic record that carries a notarial certificate?Answer: The notarial officer certifies it is an accurate copy. Source: ORS 194.305(3)
Unless a rule sets a different period, for at least how many years must the audiovisual recording of an Oregon remote notarial act be maintained?Answer: 10. Source: ORS 194.277(6)
What kind of technologies may an Oregon notary select to perform notarial acts on electronic records, under ORS 194.305(1)?Answer: Tamper-evident technologies. Source: ORS 194.305(1)
What must be created when an Oregon notary performs a notarial act using communication technology?Answer: An audiovisual recording of the performance of the act. Source: ORS 194.277(3)(c)
Where must the notary be to perform a notarial act using communication technology under ORS 194.277(3)?Answer: In this state, Oregon. Source: ORS 194.277(3)
Which sentence, added to an Oregon short form certificate, makes it sufficient for a remote notarial act under ORS 194.277(5)(b)?Answer: "This notarial act involved the use of communication technology.". Source: ORS 194.277(5)(b)
Prohibited acts and penalties 20
A client knowingly pressures an Oregon notary into violating chapter 194. What does ORS 194.990(1)(d) make the client guilty of?Answer: A Class B misdemeanor. Source: ORS 194.990(1)(d)
A man who holds no commission knowingly acts as a notary in Oregon. What is the offense under ORS 194.990(1)(b)?Answer: A Class B misdemeanor. Source: ORS 194.990(1)(b)
A person injured by a violation of ORS 194.350 may recover actual damages or what sum, whichever is greater?Answer: $200. Source: ORS 194.405(1)
After a conviction under ORS 194.990(1), what does the clerk of the court transmit to the Secretary of State?Answer: A certified copy of the judgment. Source: ORS 194.990(3)
An employer threatens to dismiss an Oregon notary unless she skips personal appearance for one deed. Under ORS 194.405(3), for what is the employer liable to her?Answer: All damages recovered from her for the coerced violation. Source: ORS 194.405(3)
An Oregon customer leaves without paying the ten dollar fee. May the notary hold the original record that the customer brought in, under ORS 194.350(7)?Answer: No, except as otherwise allowed by law. Source: ORS 194.350(7)
An Oregon notary fails to meet a requirement of ORS chapter 194. Is the notarial act invalid for that reason?Answer: No, apart from the spouse and interest rule of 194.225(2). Source: ORS 194.355(1)
An Oregon notary knowingly performs an act that ORS chapter 194 prohibits. Of what is the notary guilty under ORS 194.990(1)(a)?Answer: A Class B misdemeanor. Source: ORS 194.990(1)(a)
An Oregon notary pays a civil penalty. Does that payment bar a criminal proceeding or an action for damages over the same conduct?Answer: No, ORS 194.980(3) says it is not a bar. Source: ORS 194.980(3)
Before a civil penalty may be imposed on an Oregon notary, what must the notary have been given?Answer: Notice in writing specifying the violation. Source: ORS 194.980(4)
If the Secretary of State believes an alleged violation of ORS chapter 194 is not being investigated or prosecuted, whom may the secretary direct to take full charge?Answer: The Attorney General. Source: ORS 194.415(1)
In lieu of a civil penalty, what may the Secretary of State deliver to an Oregon notary under ORS 194.985?Answer: A written Official Warning to Cease Violation. Source: ORS 194.985
ORS 194.340(1)(h) names false or misleading claims that a notary has powers the notary lacks, "including the power" to do what?Answer: Counsel on immigration matters. Source: ORS 194.340(1)(h)
The statement an Oregon non-attorney notary must give when promoting notarial services names which legal subject expressly?Answer: Immigration. Source: ORS 194.350(4)(b)(A)
What is the largest civil penalty the Secretary of State may impose on an Oregon notary for one violation?Answer: $1,500. Source: ORS 194.980(2)(a)
What is the largest fine for knowingly destroying, defacing, materially altering or concealing a record or paper of an Oregon notary, under ORS 194.390(4)?Answer: $500. Source: ORS 194.390(4)
Which act with a certificate is a ground to revoke an Oregon commission under ORS 194.340(1)(j)?Answer: Executing one with a statement known to be false. Source: ORS 194.340(1)(j)
Which factor may the Secretary of State consider in imposing a civil penalty on an Oregon notary, under ORS 194.980(2)(b)?Answer: Whether the violation was repeated or continuous. Source: ORS 194.980(2)(b)
Which term may an Oregon notary who is not an attorney licensed to practice law not use, by ORS 194.350(3)?Answer: "Notario publico". Source: ORS 194.350(3)
Within how many years after the cause of action has accrued must an action under ORS 194.405 be commenced?Answer: 6. Source: ORS 194.405(4)
How this list was compiled: Written from Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 194 (Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, ORS 194.205 to 194.440, and the penalties of 194.980 to 194.990), 2025 edition, as the Oregon Legislative Assembly publishes it at https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors194.html, read 2026-10-13. Exam format facts are from the Oregon Secretary of State's Notary Public Guide, https://sos.oregon.gov/business/notary/Documents/notary-guide.pdf, and the transcript of its self-paced Notary Basics training, https://sos.oregon.gov/business/notary/Documents/TRANSCRIPT-FOR-SELF-PACED-TRAINING.pdf, both read 2026-10-13. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the statute text; nothing is copied from another practice test, from the state's examination or from the Secretary of State's Notary Public Guide or training. Short quotations from the statute are marked.
How it works
This unofficial Oregon notary public study guide is 106 practice questions written from ORS chapter 194, the state's notary statute, 2025 edition. Each answer names its section. Checked October 13, 2026.
Read the full guide
Study guide topics that are Oregon's own
Beside the rules most states share, the questions cover what ORS chapter 194 sets for Oregon: the plat wording that stands in for a stamp (ORS 194.280), journal entries that are optional for oaths and copy certifications (194.300), protests of commercial paper (194.375) and civil penalties of up to $1,500 (194.980).
Identification may be expired up to three years (ORS 194.240). A notary who charges fees displays a fee list in English (194.400).
Keep the journal 10 years after its last act. On revocation it goes to the Secretary of State within 30 days (ORS 194.300).
The application fee is at most $40 and is not refunded. The term is four years (ORS 194.365, 194.315).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the Oregon notary exam?
Twenty, chosen at random from a bank of 60, by the Secretary of State's Notary Basics training transcript, read October 13, 2026. At least 80% passes. The test is open book and untimed, and a failed attempt may be repeated with no waiting period.
Are these the real Oregon notary exam questions?
No. This site has never seen the state's examination and is not affiliated with the Oregon Secretary of State. Every question was written from ORS chapter 194. No commissioned Oregon notary has reviewed the answers yet.
Is there an official Oregon notary public study guide?
Yes. The Secretary of State publishes the Oregon Notary Public Guide free on its website and says the open book exam is based on it and on the required training. This page is separate practice on the statute and replaces neither.
Do renewing Oregon notaries take the training again?
Yes. ORS 194.315 lists the course of study and the examination for every applicant for a commission, and the Secretary of State's guide says notaries with an active commission must take the notary basics training to renew.
How much can an Oregon notary charge?
No more than $10 for each notarial act, or $25 for an act performed for a remotely located individual. A travel fee may be added only when it is explained and the amount is agreed in advance (ORS 194.400).