The California Notary Exam’s questions are primarily of multiple-choice types (MCQ). There are a total of 45 questions that you have to complete within 60 minutes. The questions are basically from different notarial acts, notarial malpractices, bonds, maintenance of commission, or some unusual states that the notary public may face. Note that each question bears a different weightage. 

Now, if you want to opt for the California Notary exam, you need to know who is a Notary and the criteria to become a Notary Public. 

Notary Public: 

Notary, often known as a Notary Public, is a qualified and highly experienced lawyer whose job is to give an oath to a person, declare legal documents, etc with proper fees. There may be some course of fee previously fixed by the government rules. A notary public can only be designated by the Central Govt. or the State Govt.

Necessary Criteria: 

Here are some essential criteria to be eligible for California notary public: 

Must have to be a resident of California. The candidate must have to be 18 years old or above that. Must have the required educational qualification approved by the Secretary of State. Must pass the written examination. Must have a clear background without any complaint.  

How To Prepare For The Exam:

There are several ways to prepare for the California Notary Exam. 

One of the many effective sources is the handbook published by the government of California. It consists of all the related information that the candidate needs to know as a notary public.  Along with the handbook, the candidate should do a bit of research regarding the laws and regulations. Also, they may prefer some real-life examples from the newspapers or different law websites to get a strong understanding that may not be possible just by reading a book.  Now, if they want to get more out of studying their own, they can go for many courses that are available both offline and online. These courses can guide them step by step.  Also, there are many online mock tests to improve themselves. Through this, they can know the areas where they should work a bit more to pass the exam.  

Now, here are some important points to remember about the California Notary Exam:

The candidate needs $40 to apply for the examination. Candidates who appeared for the exam previously and failed will need to pay $20 instead of $40.  The applicants are required to complete 6 hours of course organized by the government of California before appearing in the exam.  The examinees need to bring their photo id proof, a passport size color photo, and the certificate of completion of the 6 hours course to the exam hall.  The exam is proctored for 60 minutes and the CPS HR persons will be there to watch the examinees. That means during the time of examination a candidate can not violate any rules. Otherwise, his/her candidature may fail. It may take about 15 to 25 business days to get the result out. The result will be emailed to the id given by the candidate.  A candidate is required to score a minimum of 70% to pass the examination. If the candidate fails to score the cut-off marks, the CPS HR will send them a mail containing a re-take voucher through which they can again appear for the exam.  You can take the test online if there is any problem to reach the center but you need to apply separately for that.

Conclusion:

Many people ask about the difficulty level of the exam. One thing they should remember is that if the preparation is good enough, it will be very easy to score the required points. Just go through the necessary points discussed here and prepare well. After all, everything depends upon your preparation and confidence in yourself. 

How much is the salary of a notary public in California?

According to a study, the average salary of the notary public is $59000.  It is one of the main reasons to become a notary in California.

What is the amount a notary can ask for a signature in California?

Per signature, a notary public can ask for up to $15. You must have the legal documents along with you. 

Can I ask a notary public to come to my house for notarization work?

Yes, a notary public can be asked to visit the client’s house under some particular conditions. They are called Mobile Notary Public. They may even ask for extra charges including traveling charges.