What is the amount of the official surety bond every California notary public must file?
Based on: administrative_procedures
Notary public exam · California · 2026
Notary Exam Prep: California 2026
Over 1,000 study items written from the actual law (the California Government Code and Civil Code), with every question cited to the exact statute it comes from.
Download on theApp Store Coming soon toGoogle Play
1,000+ Study items
45 Mock exam
80% To pass
100% Offline
The exam
What the California notary exam involves
California requires every notary public applicant to pass a closed-book, proctored examination administered by CPS HR Consulting on behalf of the Secretary of State. Before you can sit the exam you must complete a state-approved six-hour education course, and the exam is based on California notary law: the Government Code, the Civil Code provisions on acknowledgments and identification, and related statutes.
How many questions are on the California notary exam?
The exam has 45 multiple-choice questions: 40 scored items plus 5 unscored pilot questions mixed in. You have 60 minutes to complete it, and it is closed-book.
What is the passing score for the California notary exam?
You must earn a scaled score of at least 70. This is a scaled score reported by CPS HR, and it is NOT a raw 70% and not a simple number-correct out of 40, because your raw score is converted to a common scale across different exam forms. Treat any "you need X out of 40" figure you see elsewhere as unofficial. Our practice mocks use an unofficial 80% target, which is deliberately stricter than the real bar.
How much does the California notary exam cost, and can I retake it?
The exam and application fee is $40, and a retake is $20. You must also complete the required six-hour course and, once commissioned, file a $15,000 surety bond.
- 30-day filing clock: once your commission term begins, your oath of office and $15,000 bond must be filed with the county clerk within 30 calendar days, and this period cannot be extended.
- Education: a state-approved six-hour course is required before a first appointment; a three-hour refresher applies at reappointment.
What topics does the California notary exam cover?
CPS HR weights the 40 scored items across five areas: Administrative Procedures (5), Notarial Acts & Documentation (12), Identification & Subscribing Witness (4), Immigration & Foreign Language (4), and Misconduct & Fees (15, the largest share). All of it flows from California's notary statutes: appointment, the bond and oath, the sequential journal and seal, acknowledgments and jurats, satisfactory evidence of identity and credible or subscribing witnesses, the "notario publico" advertising ban, maximum fees, prohibited acts and penalties. This app's five study categories mirror those exam areas, and its mocks emphasise the same areas using a practice distribution scaled to the 45-item sitting.
Features
A complete study system, on one device
01 / PRACTICE
Practice by category
569 original questions across the five real exam areas (administrative procedures, notarial acts, identification & witnesses, immigration & foreign-language rules, and misconduct & fees), every one cited to the Government or Civil Code section it comes from.
02 / MOCK
Timed mock exams
Full 45-question, 60-minute sittings that emphasise the official CPS HR content areas, with Misconduct & Fees the largest share, using a practice distribution scaled to the 45-item sitting, drawn fresh from the bank each time against a strict practice pass target.
03 / FLASHCARDS
513 flashcards
Every fee cap, deadline, dollar figure and rule as a quick-fire card: the $15,000 bond, the $15 acknowledgment fee, the 30-day filing window, the four-year term, the $10,000 credible-witness penalty and hundreds more.
What's inside
What to look for in an exam-prep app
| Based on the official public source | Yes, California Notary Public law: Government Code Chapter 3 (§§ 8200–8230), Civil Code acknowledgment, identification and proof provisions (§§ 1180–1198), and Business and Professions Code § 6126.7 |
|---|---|
| Timed mock exam | 45 questions, 60 min |
| Pass rule applied | 80% to pass |
| Answer explanations mapped to the source | Yes |
| Weak-area review | Yes |
| Flashcards (spaced repetition) | Yes |
| Works fully offline, no account | Yes |
| Ads | None |
| Payment | One-time purchase |
| Last content review | 2026-06-17 |
In the app
Calm, focused study, nothing else
Sample questions
Try 10 real practice questions
Tap an answer to see why it is right, mapped to the official source, exactly as in the app.
What is the maximum fee a California notary may charge for taking an acknowledgment, per signature?
Based on: misconduct_fees
May a non-attorney California notary advertise their services in Spanish using the phrase "notario publico"?
Based on: immigration_language
What must a notary record in the sequential journal for each official act?
Based on: notarial_acts
A notary's power to protest bills and notes is limited to which two events?
Based on: notarial_acts
When is an inmate identification card issued by a sheriff's department acceptable as satisfactory evidence of identity?
Based on: identification
A consular identification document is acceptable as identification only when it is issued by which source?
Based on: identification
What is the minimum age a person must be at the time of appointment as a California notary public?
Based on: administrative_procedures
In connection with taking a deposition, what additional amount may a notary charge for administering the oath to the witness?
Based on: misconduct_fees
Within what period must a civil action for an unlawful "notario publico" translation be commenced after the cause of action accrues?
Based on: immigration_language
Source & accuracy
Where the questions come from, and when we last checked
Built from California Notary Public law: Government Code Chapter 3 (§§ 8200–8230), Civil Code acknowledgment, identification and proof provisions (§§ 1180–1198), and Business and Professions Code § 6126.7 (Current California statutes (Government Code, Civil Code and Business and Professions Code)), the official public source, used under Public domain (enacted California statute text, edicts of government). View the official source .
Last checked against the source: 2026-06-17.
- Study items
- 1,000+
- Questions
- 569
- Flashcards
- 513
- Mock exam
- 45
- Pass mark
- 80%
All questions are original and written from the public source. No official exam questions are copied.
Content audit trail
- 2026-06-17 Reviewed the question bank against the current statute text and confirmed the fee caps, the $15,000 bond, the 30-day filing rule and the scaled-score pass mark.
- 2026-06-13 Initial public release, built only from the enacted California statute text.
FAQ
Common questions
How many questions are on the California notary exam?
45 multiple-choice questions (40 scored plus 5 unscored pilot items) with a 60-minute time limit. The exam is closed-book and proctored by CPS HR Consulting for the Secretary of State.
What is the passing score for the California notary exam?
A scaled score of 70. This is a scaled score reported by CPS HR, not a raw 70% or a fixed number correct out of 40, so percentage figures you see elsewhere are unofficial.
How much does the California notary exam cost?
$40 for the exam and application, and $20 for a retake. You must also complete a state-approved six-hour course beforehand and file a $15,000 surety bond once commissioned.
Do I have to take a course before the California notary exam?
Yes. A state-approved six-hour education course is required before a first appointment (a three-hour refresher applies at reappointment), and you must present proof of completion to sit the exam.
Does this app work offline?
Yes. All 569 questions and 513 flashcards are stored on your device. No account, no login, and no internet connection needed after download.
Is this the official California notary exam app?
No. This is an independent study aid built from the public text of California law (Government Code §§ 8200–8230 and the Civil Code acknowledgment provisions). It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the California Secretary of State or CPS HR Consulting, and the practice pass mark it uses is an unofficial study target.
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Download on theApp Store Coming soon toGoogle Play