PA Notary Exam 2026–2027 Practice Questions & Verified Answers Complete Study Guide

PA Notary Exam 2026–2027 | Practice Questions &
Verified Answers Complete Study Guide
1. When does the notary need to print their name?: Whentheirsignatureisillegible
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2. What is a notary prohibited from writing in their journal?: Personal information, such as
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complete Driver's License numbers, complete ID card numbers, complete Social Security numbers and complete account
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numbers
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3. Education needs to be completed within months of applying for appoint- r r r r r r r r r r




ment or reappointment: 6
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4. What is the amount of the required surety bond?: $10,000
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5. You must be at least
r years old to be eligible for a notary commission in the
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state of Pennsylvania: 18
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6. True or False: You must live or work in this state to be eligible for a notary
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commission in the state of Pennsylvania: True
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7. There is a day deadline between the date you are appointed and when you
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must have your bond, oath of office, and commission recorded in the office of the
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recorder of deeds in the county in which your maintain your office of record.: 45
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8. You have r months after you are authorized to sit for the notary exam to pass r r r r r r r r r r r r r




thetest.:6months
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9. When your notary application is approved but you have not taken the oath of
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office,youareconsidered::anappointee
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10. Afteryourappointmentyouwilltakeyouroathofoffice.Yourbond,oath of
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office,andnotarycommission mustberecordedinthe office ofthe
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: recorderofdeeds r r r




11. True or False? If you hold a current notary commission and are elected to the
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Pennsylvania State Senate you can continue to perform your notarial duties until
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your commission expires: False
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12. is a plea by which a defendant accepts a r r r r r r r r




conviction as though a guilty plea has been entered but does not admit guilt.: Nolo
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contendere
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13. TrueorFalse?Youareonlypermittedtotakethenotaryexamtwicewithout
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passing.:False
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14. Your official signature has to be registered in the
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office of the county where you maintain your office of record.: prothontary's
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,15. When you renew your four-year notary public commission, one of the r r r r r r r r r r




rrequirementswillbecompleting a:: notarypubliccontinuingeducationcoursewhichhasbeen r r r r r r r r r r r r




approvedbytheDepartment
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16. To be eligible for appointment and commission as a notary public an appli-cant
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must have completed
r r hours of approved notary education.: three r r r r r r r




hours
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17. TrueorFalse?Whenyouleaveyouremployerwhereyouservedasanotary public
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your employer should keep your notarial journal.: false
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18. True or False? You cannot perform a notarial act with respect to a record in which
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you or your spouse has a direct or pecuniary (monetary) interest.: True
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19. If your legal name changes you have
r days to notify the department: 30
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20. A r is a statement indicating the type of notarial act r r r r r r r r




performed: notarialcertificate
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21. TrueorFalse?Afteryoureceiveyourcommission,youcanperformnotarial acts
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in any county within the state of Pennsylvania.: True
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22. True or False? You set the amount of the fees you will charge for notarial acts.:
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False.Thedepartmentregulatesthemaximumfeesanotarymaychargeforanynotarialact.However,you may charge
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reasonable administrative fees for services like copying and postage
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23. You are not permitted to charge a fee for notarizing the supporting affidavit
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required in
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24. True or False? You are required to charge the fees the department defines for
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notarial acts.: False. The department regulates the maximum fee a notary may charge for any notarial act.
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However, you may waive your right to charge any fee orset your fees to lower amounts than those set by the department.
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25. Your notarial seal must be a rubber stamp containing the words r r r r r r r r r r




" " along with the words :: CommonwealthofPennsylvania r r r r r r r r




26. If your commission expires, you resign your commission or your commis-
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sionisrevokedwhatshouldyoudowithyourjournal(s)?:deliverthemtothecounty recorder
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of deeds' oflce. Within 30 days you should deliver your journals to the recorder of deeds' oflce in the county where you
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maintain your oflce of record
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27. The maximum fee that can be charged for Certifying or attesting a copy or
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deposition as set by the department is:: $5
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,28. Your notarial stamp must have a maximum height of r and a r r r r r r r r r




maximum width of three and ½ inches.: oneinch.Yournotarialstampmusthaveamaximum height of
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one inch and maximum width of 3 ½ inches with a plain border
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29. If your official stamp is lost or stolen you must notify the department within
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days.: 10 r




30. True or False? The information in your notarial journal is private and cannot be
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rshared.: FALSE.Yournotarialjournalisactuallypublicrecord.Youmustgivecertifiedcopiesofanypages of the journal to a
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customer that asks for it within 10 days of the request. You must also provide certified copies in responsetosubpoenasand
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investigations
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31. True or false? You are required to record the time of day of the notarial act in your
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notarial journal.: TRUE
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32. If a notarial act relates to a statement made in or a signature executed on a record,
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the individual making the statement or executing the signature shall appear
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personally before the notarial officer. This requirement is called:: Per-sonal Appearance
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33. RULONAspecifiestwotiersofgovernment-issuedidentificationdocuments to r r r r r r r r




be used to establish identity:: asignature
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34. AnExceptiontothepersonalappearancerequirementis::therearenoexceptions
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35. The identity of your customer must be ascertained by personal knowledge or::
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satisfactory evidence
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36. True or False? A notary public may maintain a separate journal for tangible
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records and for electronic records.: true
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37. Ifyourcustomerisnotpersonallyknowntoyou andisunabletoprovide
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satisfactory evidence in the form of an acceptable identification you can verify
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theiridentitybyrelyingonanindividualwhoispersonallyknowntoyouand
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personally known to your customer. This third party, called a
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must be in your presence along with your customer to make a verification on
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oath or affirmation confirming the identity of your customer.: crediblewitness
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38. A notarial certificate must be executed at the same time of the notarial act is
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performed and
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39. The maximum fee that can be charged (per page) for noting a protest of a
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negotiable instrument as set by the Department is:: $3
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, 40. When performing a notarial act on 'nomination petitions' or 'nomination r r r r r r r r r




papers'withremainingemptylinesforsignaturesyoushould: drawalineorXthrough those
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lines
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41. Yourjournal,whetherinaphysicalformorelectronic,mustcontainthe
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followingidentificationinformationinanyorder:Yournameasitappearson your
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commission,
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dressofrecord,instructionsforsendingthejournaltotherecorderofdeeds inthe
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eventofyourdeath,themeaningofanyuncommon abbreviations
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or symbols you use in your notarial journal and your signature.: yourcommission number
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42. When performing an oath or affirmation you should record all of the follow-ing in
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your journal EXCEPT:: the credit card number your customer used for payment
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43. What is the minimum you are allowed to charge for witnessing or attesting a
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signature?: $0 - nothing. You have the right to waive your fees for notary services. The rates the department has set are the
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maximum fees allowed. $5 is the maximum you can charge for witnessing or attesting a signature
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44. Entriesin yournotarialjournal mustbe recordedin: chronologicalorderbydate r r r r r r r r r r r r




45. You may perform a notarial act on a document that is a translation of a
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document that is in a language that you do not understand only if the person
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performing the translation: signs a verification on oath or aflrmation. The notarized translation and
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verification on oath or aflrmation must be attached to the document
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46. The notarial act r takes place when your customer r r r r r r




declares or promises in your presence that the statements they give are true or
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that they will perform an act or duty faithfully & truthfully.: OathorAflrmation. Typically this isa
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spokendeclaration butmaybeinwritingandsignedbyyour customers. Ifitisinwriting,itshould be signed in your presence
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47. When a negotiable instrument such as a check or money order is provided r r r r r r r r r r r r




for payment and the payment is then denied (also known as "dishonored") the holder
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of the payment may ask you to issue a
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to as a "certificate of dishonor".: protest
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48. True or False? You can issue a certified copy of a birth certificate as long as you
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haveanembossedoriginal.:False
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