The California notary exam is a closed-book, proctored sitting administered by CPS HR Consulting on behalf of the Secretary of State. Knowing its exact structure before you begin studying lets you weight your preparation to match where the questions actually fall.
How many questions are on the California notary exam?
The exam has 45 multiple-choice questions: 40 scored items and 5 unscored pilot questions mixed throughout. You will not be told which five are pilots, so treat every question as if it counts. You have 60 minutes from the start of the session and the exam is closed-book.
What score do you need to pass?
You need a scaled score of 70. California reports results as a scaled score, not a raw percentage, because the raw number correct is converted to a common scale before it is compared to the cut point. A raw “70% correct” (28 out of 40) is not the same as a scaled 70, and any raw-number-correct figure you see elsewhere is unofficial.
CPS HR reports your result after the sitting. Our practice mocks use an unofficial 80% target (36 of 45 questions correct), which is deliberately stricter than the real bar, so that clearing practice consistently gives you a genuine margin on the live exam.
What topics does the exam cover?
CPS HR weights the 40 scored items across five content areas. Misconduct and Fees is the largest block by a significant margin:
- Administrative Procedures (about 5 items): appointment by the Secretary of State, the four-year commission term, the required six-hour pre-exam course, the bond and oath, and address or name-change procedures.
- Notarial Acts and Documentation (about 12 items): acknowledgments, jurats, oaths and affirmations, the sequential journal, the notarial seal, and certificate requirements.
- Identification and Witnesses (about 4 items): satisfactory evidence of identity, accepted ID documents, credible witnesses, and subscribing witnesses.
- Immigration and Foreign-Language Rules (about 4 items): the ban on advertising as a “notario publico” or “notario,” foreign-language advertising notice requirements, and limits on providing immigration assistance.
- Misconduct and Fees (about 15 items): maximum fee caps ($15 per acknowledgment signature, $7 for administering a deposition oath), prohibited acts, conflicts of interest, grounds for discipline, and criminal liability.
All five areas draw from the same body of law: California Government Code sections 8200 to 8230, the Civil Code acknowledgment and identification provisions, and Business and Professions Code section 6126.7. The full statute text is available at sos.ca.gov/notary.
How much does the exam cost, and how do retakes work?
The exam and application fee is $40. A retake is $20. Before you can sit, you must complete a state-approved six-hour education course; at reappointment the requirement drops to a three-hour refresher.
Once you pass and receive your commission, you must file your oath of office and a $15,000 surety bond with the county clerk within 30 calendar days of the date the commission term begins. This filing window cannot be extended.
Exam format at a glance
| Delivery | Closed-book, proctored, administered by CPS HR Consulting |
| Questions | 45 multiple choice (40 scored, 5 unscored pilot) |
| Time | 60 minutes |
| Pass standard | Scaled score of 70 (not a raw percentage) |
| Exam fee | $40 (retake: $20) |
| Education | State-approved 6-hour course required before the exam |
| Bond | $15,000 surety bond, filed with the oath within 30 days |
The real study challenge is the breadth of Misconduct and Fees. At roughly 15 of the 40 scored questions, it covers dollar figures, deadlines, and specific prohibitions that reward memorization over general reasoning. That is the section that deserves the most attention.