How many questions are on the California notary exam?

The California Notary Public examination is 45 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. A scaled score of 70 is required to pass. It is administered by CPS HR Consulting on behalf of the Secretary of State.

How often is the California notary exam offered?

Monthly in major California cities, and often more than once a month, so a retake rarely means a long wait.

Do California notaries have to retake the exam to renew?

Yes. A California notary commission runs four years, and reappointment requires passing the written examination again as well as completing an approved course of study.

Does this app cover notary exams in other states?

No. Notary law is state law, and California’s rules on identification, journals, seals and certificates differ substantially from other states. This app covers California only.

California Notary Public · Secretary of State commission

CA Notary Exam Prep
Practice + Mock Exam

360 originally authored multiple-choice questions for the California Notary Public examination — 225 practice questions plus a 135-question mock bank that builds a weighted 45-question, 60-minute sitting. Every question was written from the Notary Public Handbook published by the Secretary of State, and every one carries the verbatim provision it tests, checked back against the source.

Coming soon to the App Store

About the California Notary Public examination

The examination is administered by CPS HR Consulting on behalf of the California Secretary of State. It is 45 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, proctored, closed-book, and offered monthly in major cities. Every question is based on California law as set out in the Notary Public Handbook the Secretary of State publishes.

Item	Detail
Questions	45 multiple choice
Time	60 minutes
Pass mark	Scaled score of 70
Term	4 years

Key facts

Renewal means retaking: a commission runs four years, and reappointment requires passing the examination again. Most other professional licences renew on hours; this one renews on a test.
Education is separate: a six-hour approved course of study is required before appointment. A three-hour refresher is available only to a current commission holder who applies before the commission expires — once it lapses, the full six hours are required again.
Then the paperwork: after passing, the oath of office and a $15,000 surety bond must be filed with the county clerk within 30 calendar days of the start of the term. No exception is made for mail delays.
California only: notary law is state law. Passing here qualifies you in California and nowhere else.

Where the questions come from

The Notary Public Handbook describes itself as the official source of laws related to notaries in California, and it reprints the Government Code, Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure sections that govern the work. That makes it possible to do something most exam-prep banks cannot: tie every question to the exact sentence of law it tests.

Each question stores a verbatim excerpt of the provision behind it, and each of the 360 excerpts was checked back against the Handbook text before shipping.
Answer keys were then re-derived from the Handbook by independent blind review — nine passes of 40 questions, none of them shown the answer key.
Questions are original. The examination's own items are not public, and none are reproduced here.

The Secretary of State publishes the Handbook but no public question bank — the examination is proctored and its items are not released.

Four parts weighted to a 45-question sitting

225 practice questions and a 135-question mock pool, split across the four areas the Handbook covers.

Part 1 56 practice · 34 mock

Commission, qualifications and education

Who may be appointed, conviction disclosure, the six-hour course and the three-hour refresher, the 30-day oath and bond deadline, the $15,000 bond, statewide jurisdiction, the practice of law, and conflict of interest.

Part 2 56 practice · 34 mock

Identification and the journal

Satisfactory evidence and the two identification-document lists, the credible witness routes, every required journal entry, thumbprints, lost or seized journals, and the seal.

Part 3 57 practice · 34 mock

Notarial acts

Acknowledgments and jurats and how they differ, proof of execution by a subscribing witness, signature by mark, certified copies of powers of attorney, tangible copy certification, incomplete documents, and correcting an act.

Part 4 56 practice · 33 mock

Conduct, discipline and special situations

Advertising rules including the bar on "notario publico", immigration documents, the statutory fee schedule and its five no-fee exceptions, change of address and name, foreign-language documents, and electronic notarization.

Free study resources

Read alongside the practice questions — the licensing path, the exam mechanics, and a free sample from the bank itself.

Study Notes by Part

The four parts broken down from the source document, each with its own free questions.

Four parts · notes + questions

Free Practice Questions

The exact 8-question free-preview set from the app — two per part, answered instantly with the provision behind each answer.

8 questions · answers & explanations

California Notary Guide

How to get commissioned: eligibility, the six-hour course, the exam, fingerprinting, and the 30-day oath and bond deadline that voids a commission if missed.

Commissioning path · renewal

California Notary Exam FAQ

Format and pass mark, how often it is offered, why renewal means retaking, what disqualifies an applicant, and why a California commission does not travel.

Format · pass mark · renewal

Why PrepLicense

Independent

Built independently, with no affiliation to the California Secretary of State or CPS HR Consulting — made purely for candidates.

Sourced to the Handbook

Every question carries the verbatim provision it tests, checked back against the official Handbook — all 360 of them.

Offline

The question bank lives on your device — practise on the commute, anywhere, anytime.

No ads, no tracking

A clean experience with transparent pricing — no ads, no data tracking.

Coming soon

Built for the California commission

225 practice questions, a weighted 45-question mock, four-part analytics, and the exact provision behind every answer. For a first commission and for the renewal four years later.

Coming soon to the App Store

This is an independent study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the California Secretary of State or CPS HR Consulting, which administers the examination. Nothing in the app is legal advice. Actual exam rules and content follow announcements from the relevant authorities. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.