Before you book a seat, it helps to know exactly what the New York notary exam measures and which facts about it are genuinely official. Some commonly repeated figures turn out to be unofficial, and knowing the difference saves you from studying toward a target that DOS never actually set.
How many questions are on the New York notary exam?
The New York Department of State does not publish the number of questions on the written examination. DOS describes the test only as a multiple choice written exam covering license law, general terms, and the duties and functions of a notary public. Any specific question count you see quoted elsewhere, including the widely cited 40-question figure, is unofficial.
This app gives you 536 practice questions across six topic categories so you can drill thoroughly regardless of the real sitting length.
What is the passing score?
DOS reports every result as passed or failed only and publishes no passing percentage or numerical score. The 70 percent figure that appears in many guides is not an official DOS standard and has no known official source.
Because there is no published pass mark, this app uses an unofficial practice benchmark: pass at 28 of 40 questions in the timed mock. That gives you a clear readiness gauge without pretending to replicate the real threshold.
How long does the exam last, and what does it cost?
These two facts DOS does publish:
- Time limit: 1 hour (60 minutes). This is official.
- Examination fee: $15, payable on the day of the exam.
On top of that, the application to become commissioned carries a separate $60 application fee (non-refundable). The exam and application fees are paid at different stages.
What topics does the exam cover?
DOS states the exam covers three subject areas: license law, general terms, and matters related to the duties and functions of a notary public. This app organises practice into six topics that follow the statute directly:
- Getting and keeping your commission (7 practice questions in the mock): who may be appointed, residency and qualification rules, the written exam requirement, the four-year commission term, the oath of office, reappointment, and what ends a commission.
- General terms and definitions (6): the statutory vocabulary a notary must know, including acknowledgment, affidavit, jurat, oath and affirmation, and the definitions of a tangible and an electronic document.
- Powers and duties (7): what a notary may and may not do, administering oaths, taking affidavits and depositions, statewide jurisdiction, maximum fees, and the disqualifying-interest rules.
- Acknowledgments and proofs (6): taking acknowledgments and proofs of execution, certificate wording, satisfactory evidence of identity, proof by a subscribing witness, and the notary’s stamp.
- Electronic and remote notarization (8): registering as an electronic notary, electronic signatures and seals, remote notarization by audio-video communication under Executive Law 135-c, identity proofing, and the 10-year recording retention rule under 19 NYCRR Part 182.
- Conduct, advertising and penalties (6): professional conduct, the advertising and non-attorney disclosure rules, prohibited acts, misconduct and removal, and the criminal offences under the Penal Law.
The electronic and remote notarization section carries the most weight in practice mocks, reflecting how much the 2021 and 2023 amendments added to the law.
Who does not have to take the exam?
Two categories of applicants may be commissioned without sitting the written test:
- Current members of the New York State Bar in good standing.
- Certain court clerks of the Unified Court System who were appointed to their position through a civil service promotional examination.
Both groups still pay the $60 application fee.
Format at a glance
| Format | Multiple choice, written |
| Questions (official) | Not published by DOS |
| Pass mark (official) | Pass or fail only, no score published |
| Time limit | 1 hour (60 minutes) |
| Examination fee | $15 |
| Application fee | $60 (separate, non-refundable) |
| Commission term | 4 years |
| App practice mock | 40 questions, pass at 28 (unofficial) |
The source for all official facts is the New York Notary Public License Law (Executive Law article 6, sections 130 to 142-a) and the Notaries Public rules at 19 NYCRR Part 182, freely available from the New York Department of State.