Obtaining Commission
16%of exam
Performing Notarial Acts
72%of exam
Commission Management
12%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- PA Notary
- Owner
- PA Department of State
- Vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Items
- 30 total
- Scored
- 25 scored
- Pretest
- 5 unscored
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Pass
- Scaled 75
- Exam fee
- $65
- App fee
- $42
- Bond
- $25,000
- Term
- 4 years
- Education
- 3 hours
- New outline
- May 15, 2026
Exam Numbers
30 total, 25 scored, 75 passes
30 total25 scored60 minutesScaled 75
Bond vs E&O
Bond
- Required
- Protects customer
- $25,000
E&O
- Optional
- Protects notary
- Insurance policy
Public vs you
Exam Facts
- Total items
- 30 multiple-choice
- Scored items
- 25 scored
- Pretest items
- 5 unscored
- Answer choices
- Three options
- Time limit
- 60 minutes
- Passing score
- Scaled 75
- Fail report
- Numeric only
- Retake wait
- 24 hours
Domain Shift
After May 15: 4, 18, 3
Commission 4Acts 18Compliance 3
Content Weights
- Commission
- 4 scored
- Performing acts
- 18 scored
- Compliance
- 3 scored
- Pre-May 15
- 4, 15, 6
- May 15+
- 4, 18, 3
- Biggest domain
- Performing acts
- Smallest domain
- Compliance
Eligibility
- Age
- 18 or older
- Status
- Citizen or LPR
- Location
- Live or work PA
- English
- Read and write
- Education
- 3 approved hours
- Timing
- Within 6 months
- Character
- Honesty and competence
- Discipline
- No disqualifying sanctions
Commission Path
- Application
- $42 fee
- Review
- 4 to 6 weeks
- Testing
- After approval
- Bond
- $25,000 surety
- Oath
- Recorder of deeds
- Recordings
- Bond, oath, commission
- Signature
- Register locally
- Deadline
- 45 days
Screen Four
Appear, identify, comprehend, willingly sign
AppearIdentifyComprehendWilling
Acknowledgment vs Verification
Acknowledgment
- Signature admitted
- No oath
- Prior signature OK
Verification
- Statement sworn
- Oath required
- Signature verified
Willingness vs truth
Act Picker
- Signature acknowledged→Acknowledgment(No oath)
- Statement sworn→Verification(Oath needed)
- Oral promise→Oath/Affirmation(No record)
- Signing observed→Signature witness(Watch sign)
- Copy accuracy→Copy cert(Compare record)
- Negotiable dishonor→Protest(Commercial paper)
Notarial Acts
- Acknowledgment
- Signature acknowledged
- Oath
- Truth promise
- Affirmation
- Secular promise
- Verification
- Sworn statement
- Signature witness
- Signing observed
- Copy cert
- Accurate copy
- Deposition cert
- True transcript
- Protest
- Negotiable instrument
Journal Six
Date, record, customer, ID, fee
Date/timeRecordCustomerIDFee
Oath vs Affirmation
Oath
- Religious promise
- Truth duty
- Perjury risk
Affirmation
- Secular promise
- Same force
- Signer choice
Religious vs secular
Identity Picker
- Known through dealings→Personal knowledge(Reasonable certainty)
- Current passport→Accept ID(Unexpired)
- Current driver license→Accept ID(Unexpired)
- Other government ID→Check photo/signature(Current required)
- No satisfactory ID→Credible witness(Known witness)
- Still uncertain→Ask more proof(Notary discretion)
Act Signals
- Acknowledged
- Acknowledgment clue
- Sworn
- Oath required
- Affirmed
- Secular oath
- Verified
- Verification act
- Witnessed
- Watch signing
- True copy
- Copy certification
- Dishonor
- Protest clue
- No document
- Oath possible
ID vs Witness
ID
- Credential-based
- Current document
- Notary reviews
Witness
- Person-based
- Known witness
- Witness swears
Document vs person
Refusal Picker
- Signer absent→Refuse(Appearance required)
- No identity proof→Refuse(ID missing)
- Signer coerced→Refuse(No willingness)
- Signer confused→Refuse(No comprehension)
- Document incomplete→Refuse(Blanks remain)
- Certificate insufficient→Fix first(Before stamp)
Identity Evidence
- Personal knowledge
- Reasonable certainty
- Passport
- Current, unexpired
- Driver license
- Current, unexpired
- Nondriver ID
- Current, unexpired
- Other government ID
- Current plus photo
- Signature ID
- Current plus signature
- Credible witness
- Known to notary
- Extra proof
- Notary may require
Journal vs Certificate
Journal
- Public record
- Chronological
- Notary keeps
Certificate
- Act evidence
- Attached record
- Notary stamps
Record vs evidence
Signer Screening
- Appearance
- Physical or remote
- Identity
- Satisfactory evidence
- Comprehension
- Understands transaction
- Willingness
- No coercion
- Named signer
- Matches certificate
- Complete document
- No blanks
- Certificate
- Present or sufficient
- Fees
- Disclose before act
Journal Entries
- Order
- Chronological
- Timing
- Contemporaneous
- Date/time
- Required entry
- Record
- Description required
- Act type
- Required entry
- Customer
- Name and address
- ID method
- Describe evidence
- Fee
- Amount charged
Stamp Order
Commonwealth, seal, name, county, expires, number
CommonwealthSealNameCountyExpiresNumber
Stamp vs Commission
Stamp
- Authenticates acts
- Secure device
- Disable when expired
Commission
- Grants authority
- Four years
- State appointment
Device vs authority
Compliance Picker
- New commission issued→Record locally(45 days)
- Name/address changes→Notify DOS(30 days)
- Stamp lost→Notify DOS(Promptly)
- Journal lost→Notify DOS(Promptly)
- Commission ends→Deliver journal(30 days)
- Fee charged→Receipt(Itemized)
Journal Control
- Paper journal
- Bound, numbered pages
- Electronic journal
- Tamper-evident format
- Separate journals
- Paper and electronic
- PII limit
- No full ID numbers
- Inspection
- In notary presence
- Certified copy
- Within 15 days
- Lost journal
- Notify promptly
- Termination
- Deliver within 30 days
Electronic vs Remote
Electronic
- Electronic record
- Tamper-evident
- May be in-person
Remote
- Remote individual
- Communication technology
- Act 97
Record vs appearance
Stamp Rules
- Type
- Rubber stamp
- Top line
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Seal words
- Notary Seal
- Name
- Commission name
- Office county
- Office location
- Expiration
- Commission expires
- Commission number
- Seven digits
- Maximum size
- 1 by 3.5 inches
Notary Fee vs Admin Fee
Notary fee
- Regulated cap
- Separately stated
- Receipt required
Admin fee
- Reasonable customary
- Copy/travel
- Itemized separately
Capped vs customary
Fee Schedule
- First acknowledgment
- $5 max
- Extra acknowledgment
- $2 max
- Oath
- $5 max
- Verification
- $5 max
- Witnessing
- $5 max
- Copy cert
- $5 max
- Protest
- $3 per page
- Electronic/RON
- $20 add-on max
Inspection vs Certified Copy
Inspection
- View journal
- Notary present
- Oral request OK
Certified copy
- Specific entry
- 15 days
- Oral request OK
View vs receive
Remote Electronic
- Electronic acts
- Tamper-evident technology
- Remote acts
- Communication technology
- Before first act
- Notify Department
- Technology
- Identify provider
- Approval
- Department standards
- Phone-only
- Not appearance
- PA notary
- Located in PA
- RON status
- Permanent under Act 97
Change Reporting
- Name change
- Report 30 days
- Office address
- Report 30 days
- Home address
- Report 30 days
- Email change
- Report 30 days
- Provider change
- Report 30 days
- Resignation
- Report 30 days
- New county
- Register 30 days
- Bond cancellation
- Surety gives 30 days
Discipline
- Noncompliance
- Ground for sanction
- False application
- Ground for sanction
- Fraud conviction
- Ground for sanction
- Duty failure
- Ground for sanction
- False advertising
- Ground for sanction
- Other-state sanction
- Ground for sanction
- No bond
- Ground for sanction
- Penalty
- $1,000 per act
Common Traps
Scaled Not Raw
75 scaled score ≠ Not percent correct
Current Commission Matters
No lapse, no exam ≠ One-day lapse, exam
Acknowledgment Not Verification
Signature admitted ≠ Statement sworn
Phone Not Appearance
Personal appearance ≠ No phone-only act
Journal Not Employer Property
Notary property ≠ Never surrender to employer
Stamp Not Shared
Notary use only ≠ No delegation
Fees Not Hidden
Disclose before act ≠ Receipt when charged
PII Not Journal
No full ID numbers ≠ Terminal digits OK
PA Authority Only
All PA counties ≠ Not outside Pennsylvania
RON Not Automatic
Notify Department first ≠ Approved technology required
Last Minute
- 1.30 items, 25 scored
- 2.Pass = scaled 75
- 3.Exam fee = $65
- 4.Education within 6 months
- 5.Bond = $25,000
- 6.Commission term = 4 years
- 7.Record commission within 45 days
- 8.May 15 weights: 4/18/3
- 9.Appearance before every act
- 10.Acknowledgment: no oath
- 11.Verification: oath plus signature
- 12.Journal entry is contemporaneous
- 13.Stamp includes commission number
- 14.Fee receipt when charged
- 15.Changes reported within 30 days
- 16.RON requires prior Department notice
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