These 30 practice questions show the kind of questions and explanations you get with PrepRaven. They cover all 8 sections from the New York Department of State's notary public exam page and its Notary Public License Law booklet (September 2026) for the NY Notary Public Exam, three or four for each section, from easy to hard. Every question is original. None of them is a real exam question.
The New York notary public exam is a written, multiple-choice test on paper, and you get 1 hour once the instructions end. You may not bring books, notes or other reference materials. The Department of State says the questions cover license law, general terms and the duties of a notary public, as set out in its Notary Public License Law booklet, so every question on this page tests one rule from the September 2026 edition of that booklet. Each explanation names the part of the booklet the answer comes from (for example, Executive Law section 136 for fees), so that you can look it up and read the rule in full.
The Department of State does not publish how many questions the real exam has or what score you need to pass; results are reported only as pass or fail. This page is a practice set of our own length, not a copy of the real test.
Appointment and Commission
Who can be a notary, the 4-year commission, the residence and office rules, the exam exemptions for attorneys and court clerks, county clerk records and renewal (Executive Law 130-133).
Question 1 (easy)
How long is the term of a New York notary public commission?
- A. 4 years
- B. 2 years
- C. 7 years
- D. 10 years
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Executive Law section 130 sets the term of a notary public appointment at 4 years, and the rules in 19 NYCRR 182.10 repeat it. Ten years is how long a notary must keep records, not the length of the commission.
Question 2 (medium)
Notary Kevin Adebanjo lives in Albany County and holds a New York commission. Halfway through his term, he sells his house and moves to Vermont, and he keeps no office or place of business anywhere in New York.
What happens to his commission under Executive Law section 130?
- A. It stays valid until his term ends, but he cannot renew it
- B. He vacates his office as a notary public
- C. It stays valid if he reports the new address within five days
- D. It stays valid for 6 months after the move
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Section 130 says a resident notary who moves out of the state and keeps no office or place of business in New York vacates the office. Reporting a new address within five days is a duty of every notary, but it cannot keep a commission that the move has already ended.
Question 3 (medium)
After the Secretary of State approves a new notary, part of the $60 application fee is sent to the county clerk of the county where the notary lives.
How much of the fee goes to that county clerk under Executive Law section 131?
- A. $10
- B. $15
- C. $20
- D. $40
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Section 131 says the Secretary of State sends the commission, the oath and $20 of the application fee to the county clerk where the appointee lives. The booklet's fee schedule splits the $60 fee into $40 for the appointment and $20 for filing the oath of office, so $40 is not the county clerk's share.
Question 4 (hard)
According to the booklet, which of these people is NOT eligible to be appointed a notary public in New York?
- A. An inspector of elections who works at the polls each November
- B. A member of the state legislature
- C. A New Jersey resident who has a place of business in New York
- D. A person removed from office as a New York City commissioner of deeds
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Executive Law section 140 says a person removed as a New York City commissioner of deeds may not later be appointed a notary public. The Election Law makes inspectors of elections eligible, a 1927 Attorney General opinion allows members of the legislature, and section 130 allows nonresidents with a New York place of business.
Powers and Limits
What a notary may and may not do: oaths, acknowledgments and protests; no marriages or certified copies; no acts where the notary has an interest; no practice of law; the advertising rules (Executive Law 135 and 135-b).
Question 5 (easy)
Which of these acts is a New York notary public NOT allowed to perform?
- A. Administer an oath to a witness
- B. Perform a marriage ceremony
- C. Take a deposition in a civil case
- D. Protest a promissory note for non-payment
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Domestic Relations Law section 11, as given in the booklet, says a notary public has no authority to solemnize marriages. Taking depositions is allowed by CPLR Rule 3113, and section 135 of the Executive Law lists oaths and protests among a notary's powers.
Question 6 (medium)
Notary Diane Arredondo is lending $15,000 to her neighbor. To secure the loan, the neighbor is signing a mortgage on his house that names Diane as the mortgagee. He asks Diane to take his acknowledgment on the mortgage herself to save a trip to another notary.
What should Diane do?
- A. Decline, because she is a party to the mortgage
- B. Take it, because she knows the signer personally and needs no ID
- C. Take it, but charge no fee because the loan is to a friend
- D. Take it if a second witness also signs the mortgage in front of her
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The booklet says a notary who is a party to, or directly and pecuniarily interested in, a transaction may not act in it, and it gives a mortgagee as an example; 19 NYCRR 182.3 requires the same. Knowing the signer settles his identity, but it does not remove her interest in the mortgage.
Question 7 (hard)
A bank's customer stops paying the rent on a safe deposit box. After giving the required notice, the bank opens the box in the presence of Notary Paul Seepersaud, who then files a certificate listing the contents.
Within how many days of the opening must a copy of that certificate be mailed to the customer?
- A. 5 days
- B. 30 days
- C. 10 days
- D. 90 days
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Banking Law section 335, as summarized in the booklet, says a copy of the notary's certificate must be mailed to the lessee within 10 days of the opening. Thirty days is the minimum time after notice before the bank may open the box, not the mailing deadline.
Question 8 (medium)
Which statement about a notary public who is also an attorney admitted to practice in New York is correct under Executive Law section 135?
- A. The attorney may not notarize any document for his or her own client
- B. The attorney may notarize for a client only when no other notary is available
- C. The attorney may notarize for a client only if the client is charged no fee
- D. The attorney may, at his or her discretion, take a client's affidavit or acknowledgment
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Section 135 says a notary who is an attorney admitted in New York may, in his or her discretion, give an oath to or take the affidavit or acknowledgment of a client. The law does not limit this to cases where no other notary is available.
Oaths, Affirmations and Affidavits
How an oath or affirmation is given, personal appearance, the jurat, affidavits, depositions and the Sunday rule (CPLR 2309).
Question 9 (easy)
A person who conscientiously declines to take an oath may make an affirmation instead. How does the booklet compare an affirmation with an oath?
- A. It is legally equivalent to an oath and just as binding
- B. It is binding only on papers that will not be filed in court
- C. It is valid only if a second notary also witnesses it
- D. It carries a lower penalty if the statement turns out to be false
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The booklet says an affirmation is legally equivalent to an oath and just as binding. A lower penalty is wrong because the booklet defines perjury as a false statement made under oath or by affirmation.
Question 10 (medium)
Marcus Harrington brings an affidavit he has already signed to Notary Linh Tran. He says he is in a hurry, so Linh asks him only, "Is this your signature?" He says yes, and she completes and signs the jurat without doing anything else.
What did Linh fail to do?
- A. Nothing, because she confirmed that the signature was his
- B. Have him sign the affidavit a second time in front of her
- C. Administer an oath, which every affidavit requires
- D. Take an acknowledgment instead of completing a jurat
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The booklet says a notary does not do her duty by only asking whether the signature on an affidavit is the person's own: an oath must be administered. Having him sign again would not help, because the missing step is the oath, not the signature.
Question 11 (hard)
According to the booklet, which statement about administering an oath is correct?
- A. A notary who is busy may let a trusted assistant give the oath for her
- B. The person taking the oath must express assent with words such as "I do"
- C. A notary may swear to her own affidavit when no other notary is nearby
- D. An oath is given when the person silently hands the signed affidavit to the notary
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The booklet says the person taking an oath must express assent with "I do" or words of like meaning. It also says a notary's powers cannot be delegated, a notary cannot give an oath to herself and silently handing over a signed affidavit is not enough.
Acknowledgments, Proofs and Certificates
Taking an acknowledgment or proof, satisfactory evidence of identity, the venue line, certificate forms and the black-ink statement under the signature (Real Property Law, Executive Law 137, 19 NYCRR 182.5).
Question 12 (easy)
Under Real Property Law section 303, what must a notary have before taking an acknowledgment?
- A. A recorded copy of the signer's earlier deed
- B. A letter from the signer's attorney
- C. A second notary present as a witness
- D. Knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the signer's identity
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Section 303 says no officer may take an acknowledgment unless the officer knows, or has satisfactory evidence, that the person making it is the person described in and who executed the document. Nothing in the law calls for a second notary to witness it.
Question 13 (medium)
Mateo Rivera signed a deed at home last night. Today he brings it to Notary Priya Seshadri, shows her the front and back of his current driver's license, which has his photo and signature, and tells her that he signed the deed. He did not sign it in front of her.
May Priya take his acknowledgment?
- A. No, because the deed must be signed in the notary's presence
- B. No, unless he signs the deed a second time in front of her
- C. Yes, because he appears in person and has proved his identity
- D. Yes, but only if a subscribing witness also comes to her office
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The booklet says the signer of a document need not sign it in the notary's presence for an acknowledgment, but must personally appear and be identified. A current government ID with a photo and signature, front and back, is satisfactory evidence of identity under 19 NYCRR 182.5.
Question 14 (medium)
A jurat begins with the line "State of New York, County of Erie, ss.:". What does this line state?
- A. The venue, the place where the notarial act was performed
- B. The county where the notary's commission was first filed
- C. The county where the document will later be recorded
- D. The county where the person who signed the document lives
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The booklet defines the venue as the place where the notary takes the affidavit or acknowledgment and shows it in the form "State of New York, County of ... ss.:". The county where the notary originally qualified goes in the statement printed beneath the notary's signature, not in the venue.
Question 15 (hard)
Notary Brian Walsh takes an acknowledgment on a power of attorney and signs the certificate. Beneath his signature he prints his name and the county where he originally qualified, but by oversight he leaves out his commission expiration date.
Under Executive Law section 137, what is the effect of the omission on the acknowledgment?
- A. The acknowledgment is void and must be taken again
- B. He is guilty of a class A misdemeanor for the omission
- C. His commission is suspended until he files a corrected certificate
- D. The acknowledgment is not invalid because of the omission
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Section 137 says no official act of a notary is held invalid because the notary failed to follow the statement rules; only a willful failure brings disciplinary action by the Secretary of State. The law does not make a missing date void the act or call for a corrected certificate.
Fees and Recordkeeping
What a notary may charge, the state fees and the records every notary keeps for at least 10 years (Executive Law 136, Public Officers Law 67, 19 NYCRR 182.9).
Question 16 (easy)
Notary Alicia Moreno administers an oath to one person who is signing an affidavit. What is the most she may charge under Executive Law section 136?
- A. $3
- B. $2
- C. $10
- D. $25
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Section 136 allows $2 for administering an oath or affirmation. The $25 figure is the fee for an electronic notarial act, and $3 is what a county clerk charges to authenticate a notary's signature.
Question 17 (medium)
Notary Samuel Brooks takes the acknowledgments of Hannah Cohen and Eli Cohen, a married couple who both appear in person and both sign the same deed.
What is the most he may charge for taking and certifying the acknowledgments?
- A. $4
- B. $2
- C. $6
- D. $25
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Section 136 allows $2 for the acknowledgment of one person and $2 for each additional person, which comes to $4 for two signers. Charging $2 for the whole document is wrong because the fee is set per person, not per deed.
Question 18 (hard)
Under 19 NYCRR 182.9, which of these must every notary record at the time of each notarial act?
- A. The signature of each person served
- B. The Social Security number of the signer
- C. The type of credential used to identify the signer
- D. A full copy of every document notarized
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Section 182.9 lists what the records must include, and one item is the type of credential used to identify the principal. The list does not include the signer's signature, Social Security number or a copy of the document.
Question 19 (medium)
Notary Denise Gallardo administers the oath of office to a newly appointed inspector of election. What fee may she charge for administering this oath?
- A. $2, the fee for any oath
- B. $4, the fee for an oath plus a certificate
- C. $10, the fee for an official oath
- D. No fee at all
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Public Officers Law section 69 says an officer is not entitled to a fee for administering the oath of office to an inspector of election or any other public officer. The usual $2 oath fee in section 136 applies only where no other statute sets a different rule.
Electronic Notarization
Registering as an electronic notary, communication technology, identity proofing, recordings and electronic certificates (Executive Law 135-c, 19 NYCRR Part 182).
Question 20 (easy)
Where must an electronic notary be physically located while performing an electronic notarial act?
- A. In the county where the notary is commissioned
- B. Anywhere within New York State
- C. In the same county as the signer
- D. Anywhere in the United States
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Executive Law section 135-c and 19 NYCRR 182.4 require the electronic notary to be located within New York State during the act, wherever the signer is. Nothing limits the notary to one county, because a notary's jurisdiction is statewide.
Question 21 (easy)
What fee is an electronic notary entitled to for each electronic notarial act under 19 NYCRR 182.11?
- A. $2
- B. $15
- C. $25
- D. $60
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Section 182.11 sets the fee at $25 for each electronic notarial act, which includes all costs the notary incurs. The $60 figure is the fee to register as an electronic notary, not a fee charged per act.
Question 22 (hard)
Notary Daniel Kim, an electronic notary working from his office in Buffalo, is asked to notarize a deed electronically for Sofia Petrov, who is in Portugal. The deed transfers a house in Rochester, New York.
What does 19 NYCRR 182.4 require before Daniel can complete the act?
- A. Sofia must confirm out loud, during the recorded session, that it involves U.S. property
- B. Sofia must come to New York, because remote signers must be in the United States
- C. Daniel must get written approval from the Secretary of State before notarizing for anyone abroad
- D. Daniel must have a second electronic notary join the session
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Section 182.4 says that when the principal is outside the United States, the notary must verify, through the principal's verbal confirmation during the recorded act, that the matter involves property in the United States or another qualifying U.S. connection. The signer may be anywhere, and no approval from the Secretary of State is required.
Question 23 (medium)
An electronic notary uses audio-video communication technology to identify a signer. How long must the notary keep the recording of the session?
- A. At least 4 years
- B. At least 10 years
- C. At least 6 months
- D. Until the notary's commission expires
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Executive Law section 135-c and 19 NYCRR 182.8 both say the recording must be kept for at least ten years from the date of the transaction. Four years is the length of a commission, and the recording must be kept even after the commission ends.
Misconduct and Penalties
Fraud in office, false certificates, official misconduct, refusing to give an oath, acting before filing the oath and removal (Executive Law 135-a, Penal Law, Judiciary Law 484 and 485).
Question 24 (hard)
The booklet says a notary who knowingly makes a false certificate that a deed was acknowledged is guilty of forgery in the second degree, a class D felony.
What is the longest prison term the court may set for that crime?
- A. 1 year
- B. 3 years
- C. 4 years
- D. 7 years
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The booklet says this forgery is punishable by a term not exceeding 7 years, and Penal Law section 70.00 sets 7 years as the limit for a class D felony. Four years is the limit for a class E felony, such as issuing a false certificate.
Question 25 (easy)
A signer cannot come to the office, so a notary takes the signer's acknowledgment over the telephone. How does the booklet describe this?
- A. It is illegal, and the notary is guilty of a misdemeanor
- B. It is allowed if the notary recognizes the signer's voice
- C. It is allowed for documents that will not be recorded
- D. It is allowed if the signer mails a copy of an ID afterward
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The booklet says taking acknowledgments over the telephone is illegal, and the notary is guilty of a misdemeanor. Knowing the signer's voice does not help, because the signer must personally appear before the notary.
Question 26 (medium)
According to the booklet, which of these is a ground for removing a notary public from office?
- A. Taking an acknowledgment on a Sunday
- B. Declining to perform notarial acts electronically
- C. Making a misstatement of a material fact in the application
- D. Notarizing a document in a county other than the home county
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The booklet says a notary may be removed for a misstatement of a material fact in the application for appointment. The other three acts are allowed: the booklet permits acknowledgments on Sunday, requires no notary to notarize electronically and lets a notary act anywhere in the state.
Legal Terms
The definitions and general terms in the booklet's glossary, from acknowledgment, affiant and apostille to venue and will.
Question 27 (easy)
In the booklet's list of definitions, what is a codicil?
- A. A written statement giving another person the power to act for someone
- B. A clause in which witnesses certify that a will was signed before them
- C. A written instrument that passes title to personal property
- D. An instrument made after a will that changes it in some way
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The booklet defines a codicil as an instrument made after a will that modifies it in some respects. The clause in which witnesses certify a will's signing is the attestation clause, a different term.
Question 28 (medium)
What does the booklet call the part of an affidavit in which the notary certifies that the affidavit was sworn to before him or her?
- A. The jurat
- B. The venue
- C. The attestation clause
- D. The acknowledgment
Show answer
Correct answer: A. The booklet defines the jurat as the part of an affidavit where the officer certifies that it was sworn to before him, and it notes that the jurat is not the affidavit itself. The venue only states the place where the act was performed.
Question 29 (hard)
Which term does the booklet use for delay or negligence in asserting one's legal rights?
- A. Statute of limitations
- B. Laches
- C. Duress
- D. Escrow
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The booklet defines laches as the delay or negligence in asserting one's legal rights. A statute of limitations is a law that limits the time for starting a criminal prosecution or a civil action, not the delay itself.
Question 30 (easy)
In the booklet's definitions, who is the affiant?
- A. The officer who administers the oath
- B. The person who witnesses the signing of a will
- C. The person who makes and signs an affidavit
- D. The person who starts a lawsuit
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The booklet defines the affiant as the person who makes and subscribes his signature to an affidavit. The person who starts a lawsuit is the plaintiff, and the officer who gives the oath is the notary.
What these questions are, and are not
The Department of State names its Notary Public License Law booklet as the source of the exam topics, and the current edition is dated September 2026. These questions test the rules in that booklet: the statute sections, the state's notary regulations (19 NYCRR Part 182) and the list of legal terms. Where the booklet disagrees with itself or with current Department of State guidance, we leave that rule out of the questions. The Department of State does not publish the number of questions, the passing score or how many questions come from each part of the booklet, so these questions are not copies of the real test, and the real test may look different.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the real NY notary exam questions?
No. The Department of State does not publish its exam questions. Every question on this page is our own, written from the Notary Public License Law booklet (September 2026), which the Department of State names as the source of the exam topics. Each answer names the booklet section it comes from.
How many questions are on the NY notary exam?
The Department of State does not publish the number of questions or a passing score. Its exam notice says the test is multiple choice, allows 1 hour after the instructions and reports results only as pass or fail, with no numerical score. One county clerk page says you need at least 70 percent, but that figure does not appear on any Department of State page. See the study guide.
What does the NY notary exam cover?
The exam notice lists license law, general terms and the duties and functions of a notary public, as outlined in the Notary Public License Law booklet. The booklet covers appointment, powers and duties, restrictions and violations, the state's notary rules (including electronic notarization and recordkeeping) and a list of legal terms. This practice test has questions from each of those parts.
Can I print this practice test?
Yes. Use your browser's print command to print this page, then answer on paper with the answers closed, the way you will on exam day. Open the answers afterward to check your work.
How should I use this practice test?
Take it once without the booklet and in under an hour, then check your answers. For every miss, read the booklet section named in the explanation, then try the question again a few days later. The questions you miss show which parts of the booklet to study most.
Do I need to know the $2 fee if a fee increase is coming?
Yes. As of October 2026, Executive Law section 136 still sets $2 for an oath or affirmation and $2 for each person's acknowledgment, and the September 2026 booklet prints those fees. Bills to raise them have been introduced but have not passed. Study the fees in the booklet you are tested on.
Can I take the NY notary exam online?
No. The Department of State gives the exam in person on paper. Outside New York City you walk in at a scheduled session, and in New York City you schedule by email. Bring a $15 fee (no cash), a photo ID and two #2 pencils. See the exam schedule and locations.
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More free guides: how to become a notary in NY, the study guide, the exam schedule and locations and becoming an electronic notary.
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Last updated October 2026