Free New York Notary Practice Questions
8 sample questions · all four parts · answers & explanations
These are a free sample of the same original questions shipped in the app — two from each of the four parts, exactly what a non-premium user previews in the app. Tap an answer to check yourself and read the explanation. The full app has 200 practice questions plus a 120-question mock bank that builds a weighted 40-question, 60-minute sitting, every question written from the Notary Public License Law booklet published by the New York Department of State.
Who appoints and commissions notaries public in New York, and how far does that commission reach?
Why: Executive Law 130 gives the appointment power to the Secretary of State and makes the notary's jurisdiction co-extensive with the boundaries of the state. County clerks hold the record of the commission and certify official character, but they do not appoint.
How long is the term of a New York notary public commission?
Why: Executive Law 130 sets the term at 4 years. Reappointment before expiry, or within 6 months after, lets the Secretary of State waive the qualifying requirements — including the examination.
Which set of acts is every duly qualified New York notary authorized to perform throughout the State?
Why: Executive Law 135 lists the core powers, exercisable within and throughout the State. Drafting instruments is the practice of law, and a New York notary has no authority to solemnize a marriage.
What may a New York notary do with foreign and inland bills of exchange and promissory notes?
Why: Executive Law 135 keeps the historic protest power, with the demand and the protest both named. Unlike California, New York does not limit this power to notaries employed by a financial institution.
Which instrument is expressly excluded from the definition of "conveyance" in Real Property Law 290?
Why: Real Property Law 290(3) excludes a will, a short lease of not more than three years, an executory contract for sale or purchase of land, and an instrument containing a power to convey as agent or attorney. Mortgages, subordinations and instruments in execution of a power are all inside the definition.
What does the term "conveyance" cover under Real Property Law 290?
Why: The definition is written broadly around effect on title, not around the name of the document. The exclusions that follow are what narrow it.
What must a New York notary do before performing electronic notarial acts?
Why: Section 182.4(a)(1) adds registration on top of the ordinary requirements of section 182.3. The electronic capability is an add-on to an existing commission, not a separate one.
Where must an electronic notary be physically located while performing an electronic notarial act?
Why: Section 182.4(a)(3) requires the notary to be inside New York, even though the principal may be elsewhere. Paragraph (4) then requires a location-detecting network so the requirement can be verified.
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