Becoming a notary public in North Carolina means passing a state-approved written examination under the Notary Public Act (N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 10B), then taking an oath of office before your county Register of Deeds. Here is what the process looks like, start to commissioned notary.
What is the North Carolina notary public exam?
The North Carolina notary public exam is a Secretary-approved written examination that all new applicants must pass before being commissioned. It is delivered by community colleges and other approved providers rather than by the state directly, so the format (question count, time limit) can vary by provider. What the Notary Public Act fixes in statute is the passing standard: at least 80% correct (G.S. 10B-8(a)).
The exam tests notarial law, procedures and ethics under Chapter 10B, the same material covered in the required pre-course. Members of the North Carolina State Bar who hold a current licence are exempt from the course requirement but still must apply for a commission.
Who needs to become a notary in North Carolina?
A North Carolina notary is a public officer authorised to perform notarial acts: acknowledging documents, administering oaths and affirmations, taking verifications or proofs, and, for those who register as electronic notaries, conducting remote electronic notarisations. Anyone who regularly witnesses, certifies or authenticates documents in fields such as law, real estate, finance, healthcare or local government benefits from holding a commission.
What is the required course before the exam?
Before sitting the exam, applicants must complete a Secretary-approved course of at least six hours, taken within the three months before submitting the application. The course covers the Notary Public Act in General Statutes Chapter 10B: the same ground the exam tests. Most approved providers offer the course online or in person at a community college.
What topics are on the North Carolina notary exam?
By statute (G.S. 10B-8(c)), the exam covers notarial laws, procedures and ethics. In practice that maps to five areas of Chapter 10B:
- Getting and keeping your commission: qualifications, the six-hour course, the written exam, the five-year term, the oath of office, and how to update your name, address or county with the Secretary.
- Performing notarial acts: your powers and their limits, the personal-appearance requirement, how to identify signers, acknowledgments, oaths, affirmations, verifications and the fees you may charge.
- Certificates, signature and seal: what a notarial certificate must contain, signing by hand in ink, and the rules governing your official seal (including that the seal is your personal property, not your employer’s).
- Electronic and remote notarisation: registering with the Secretary as an electronic notary, using an electronic signature and seal, and conducting remote electronic notarial acts.
- Ethics, misconduct and penalties: prohibited acts, conflicts of interest, the sanctions the Secretary may impose (warning, restriction, suspension or revocation) and the criminal penalties for misconduct under the Act.
What is the pass mark?
80% correct, set by G.S. 10B-8(a). That bar applies regardless of which approved provider administers your exam. In this app’s 30-question practice mock, 80% means 24 correct.
What happens after you pass?
After passing, you submit an application to the North Carolina Secretary of State with a $50 non-refundable application fee. Once commissioned, you must appear before your county Register of Deeds and take the oath of office within 45 days. Any notarial acts performed before the oath are invalid. Your commission then runs for five years, at which point you recommission by completing another approved course and exam.
How does the app help you prepare?
The app contains 435 practice questions drawn from the public text of the North Carolina Notary Public Act, every one cited to the specific Chapter 10B section it tests. The five study categories map directly to the exam topics above. Timed practice mocks hold you to the same 80% standard, using a 30-question format. There are also 612 flashcards covering the key fees, deadlines and definitions the exam tests most, from the $10 acknowledgment fee cap to the 45-day oath window.
This app is an independent study aid, not affiliated with or endorsed by the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. Official information and a list of approved course providers are at sosnc.gov/divisions/notary.