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Sri Lanka Notaries Final Examination (Registrar General's Department)

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Key Facts: Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam Exam

Age 18

Minimum age on the first day of the examination

Notaries Ordinance, First Schedule, Part A, reg. 4 (checked 2026-10-19)

Merit order

Results reported to the Registrar-General in order of merit

Notaries Ordinance, First Schedule, Part A, reg. 5 (checked 2026-10-19)

2 Years

Minimum articles with an Attorney-at-Law after selection

Notaries Ordinance, First Schedule, Part A, reg. 9 (checked 2026-10-19)

50%+

Share of vacancies that may be reserved for notaries' clerks with 5+ years' service

Notaries Ordinance, First Schedule, Part A, reg. 1 (checked 2026-10-19)

District

Articled clerk places fixed for each district by ministerial order

Notaries Ordinance s. 6 (checked 2026-10-19)

The Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Examination is the competitive written examination for selecting articled clerks. The Commissioner General of Examinations conducts it for the Registrar General's Department; candidates must be at least 18, and results are ranked in order of merit. At least half of the places may be reserved for long-serving notaries' clerks, and the number of places in each district is fixed by the Minister. Selected candidates serve at least two years' articles with an Attorney-at-Law before the final examination. Papers, fees and pass marks are set in each gazette notice and are not published online.

Sample Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which primary legislation regulates the licensing, duties, and professional conduct of Notaries Public in Sri Lanka?
A.The Prevention of Frauds Ordinance No. 7 of 1840
B.The Notaries Ordinance No. 1 of 1907
C.The Registration of Documents Ordinance No. 23 of 1927
D.The Civil Law Ordinance No. 5 of 1852
Explanation: The Notaries Ordinance No. 1 of 1907 is the principal statute governing notaries in Sri Lanka, outlining the rules for their appointment, duties, and penalties for misconduct. The Prevention of Frauds Ordinance governs the execution of deeds, while the Registration of Documents Ordinance regulates deed registration.
2Which legal system serves as the general common law of Sri Lanka in civil matters where no specific statutory or customary law applies?
A.English Common Law
B.Roman-Dutch Law
C.Kandyan Law
D.Thesawalamai Law
Explanation: Roman-Dutch Law is the common law of Sri Lanka, introduced during the Dutch colonial administration (1658–1796) and formally retained by the British under the Proclamation of 1799. Customary laws like Kandyan or Thesawalamai apply as special personal/local laws and override common law where applicable.
3Under Section 2 of the Prevention of Frauds Ordinance (No. 7 of 1840), which of the following transactions must be signed before a Notary Public and two witnesses to be legally valid?
A.A contract for the sale of movable goods worth over LKR 1,000
B.A partition of land, transfer of land, or mortgage of immovable property
C.An agreement to enter into a partnership for less than a year
D.A contract of employment for a clerk
Explanation: Section 2 of the Prevention of Frauds Ordinance requires transactions affecting land or immovable property — sales, transfers, mortgages, partitions and agreements creating a security or interest in land (other than a lease at will or for a period not exceeding one month) — to be in writing, signed by the executants, and attested by a Notary Public before two witnesses present at the same time. Movable-property contracts or short partnerships do not fall under this conveyancing rule.
4How many witnesses must attest a deed of transfer or mortgage when executed before a Notary Public in Sri Lanka?
A.One witness
B.Two witnesses
C.Three witnesses
D.Five witnesses
Explanation: Under Sri Lankan law, any deed (except a last will) executed before a Notary Public must be signed by the parties in the presence of the notary and at least two attesting witnesses. If a last will is executed without a notary, it requires five witnesses, but with a notary, two witnesses are sufficient.
5According to the Notaries Ordinance, on or before which day of the month must a notary transmit the duplicates of all deeds executed before him to the Land Registry?
A.The 5th day of the following month
B.The 10th day of the following month
C.The 15th day of the following month
D.The 30th day of the following month
Explanation: Under Section 31 of the Notaries Ordinance, every notary must deliver or transmit to the Registrar of Lands of the district on or before the 15th day of every month the duplicates of all deeds (with protocols) executed before him during the preceding month.
6What is the primary effect of registering an instrument affecting land under the Registration of Documents Ordinance No. 23 of 1927?
A.It automatically cures any substantive defects in the title of the land
B.It grants priority to the registered instrument over any unregistered or later-registered instruments
C.It exempts the transaction from land taxes and stamp duties
D.It transfers the legal title of the land to the state
Explanation: Registration under the Registration of Documents Ordinance grants priority to an instrument over unregistered or subsequently registered deeds affecting the same land. It does not validate an invalid deed or cure title defects; it simply regulates priority between competing claims.
7Customary law known as 'Thesawalamai' applies to which specific category of persons and property in Sri Lanka?
A.All Tamil citizens residing anywhere in Sri Lanka
B.Malabarian (Tamil) inhabitants of the Jaffna Province, and lands situated in the Jaffna Province
C.Kandyan Sinhalese in matters of inheritance and marriage
D.Muslim residents in the Eastern Province
Explanation: Thesawalamai is both a personal law applying to Tamil inhabitants of the Jaffna Province (Malabari Tamils) and a local law applying to all lands situated in the Jaffna Province, regardless of the owner's ethnicity.
8Which historic British proclamation preserved the application of Roman-Dutch Law in the Maritime Provinces of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)?
A.The Charter of Justice of 1801
B.The Proclamation of 1799
C.The Kandyan Convention of 1815
D.The Colebrooke-Cameron Reforms of 1833
Explanation: Following the British capture of Maritime Ceylon, Governor Frederick North issued the Proclamation of 1799, which declared that the administration of justice should be secure under the laws that subsisted under the Dutch (Roman-Dutch Law), unless altered by competent authority.
9Under Kandyan Law, what are the two main forms of marriage that determine a woman's right to inherit her ancestral property?
A.Diga and Binna
B.Nika and Mut'ah
C.Usufruct and Fideicommissum
D.Monogamous and Polygamous
Explanation: Kandyan Law recognizes two marriage forms: 'Diga' (where the bride goes to live in the husband's house and forfeits her paternal inheritance rights) and 'Binna' (where the husband goes to live in the bride's family house, and she retains her inheritance rights).
10Which government official is responsible for licensing notaries, maintaining protocol registers, and overseeing land registries in Sri Lanka?
A.The Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
B.The Minister of Justice
C.The Registrar General of Documents
D.The Commissioner General of Examinations
Explanation: The Registrar General of Documents (heading the Registrar General's Department) is the administrative head responsible for licensing notaries public, maintaining notarial protocol archives, and managing the land registries across the districts of Sri Lanka.

About the Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam Exam

The Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Examination is the competitive examination for selecting articled clerks (notary apprentices) under the First Schedule to the Notaries Ordinance. The Commissioner General of Examinations conducts it and reports the results to the Registrar-General in order of merit; the Registrar-General then selects candidates and licenses them to enter articles with an Attorney-at-Law for at least two years before the final examination for notaries. These independent practice questions cover Sri Lankan legal history and legal systems, the Notaries Ordinance and the Registration of Documents Ordinance, language skills in English, Sinhala and Tamil, and general aptitude; the official papers are not published online.

Exam sponsor: Registrar General's Department (examination conducted by the Commissioner General of Examinations). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Competitive written examination for the selection of articled clerks (First Schedule, Part A, Notaries Ordinance). The papers and subjects are set in the gazette notice for each examination and are not published elsewhere online.

Time Limit

Not published

Passing Score

Not published; the Commissioner General of Examinations reports results to the Registrar-General in order of merit, and the Registrar-General selects the required number of candidates after inquiries into character and suitability

Exam / Certification Fees

Not published

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: not-published. Selection depends on the number of articled clerk places fixed for each district and on merit order Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

35%

General Knowledge and Sri Lanka Legal History

Legal systems of Sri Lanka (Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, Thesawalamai, Muslim, Common Law), Notaries and Registration of Documents Ordinances, Constitution, and court structures.

35%

Language Proficiency (Sinhala/Tamil/English)

Grammar, legal vocabulary, translation of notarial and conveyancing terms, spelling, correct usage, and comprehension in official languages.

30%

General Intelligence and Aptitude

Numerical reasoning, logical puzzles, work-time, speed-distance, percentages, coding-decoding, relationships, and data interpretation.

Preparing for the Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Not published; the Commissioner General of Examinations reports results to the Registrar-General in order of merit, and the Registrar-General selects the required number of candidates after inquiries into character and suitability
  • Assessment: Competitive written examination for the selection of articled clerks (First Schedule, Part A, Notaries Ordinance). The papers and subjects are set in the gazette notice for each examination and are not published elsewhere online.
  • Time limit: Not published
  • Exam / certification fees: Not published Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
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Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Exam: Suggested Study Strategy

1Study the Notaries Ordinance (No. 1 of 1907, Chapter 107, as amended in 2022 and 2024) and the Registration of Documents Ordinance in detail: registration procedures, notary duties and protocols.
2Master the five legal systems of Sri Lanka (Roman-Dutch Law, English Common Law, Kandyan Law, Thesawalamai Law, Muslim Law) and how they apply to property and succession.
3Build conveyancing vocabulary: practice translating terms like Deed of Gift, Last Will, Caveat, Attestation, and Power of Attorney between English, Sinhala, and Tamil.
4Solve logical reasoning and arithmetic problems regularly, focusing on speed and accuracy in work-time, percentages, simple interest, and sequences.
5Review the court hierarchy of Sri Lanka under the 1978 Constitution, particularly the civil jurisdiction of District Courts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sri Lanka Notary's Preliminary Examination?

It is the competitive examination for selecting articled clerks (notary apprentices) under the First Schedule to the Notaries Ordinance. The Commissioner General of Examinations conducts it and sends the results to the Registrar-General in order of merit. The Registrar-General inquires into the character and suitability of the leading candidates and selects the required number, who then enter articles with an Attorney-at-Law for at least two years before sitting the final examination for notaries.

Who is eligible to take the Preliminary Notary Exam?

Under the First Schedule to the Notaries Ordinance, a candidate must be at least 18 years old on the date the examination begins and must apply to the Registrar-General in Form A1, in the candidate's own handwriting, with two certificates of character (one not more than three months old) and proof of age. Notaries' clerks claiming a reserved place must also send certificates of their service. Any educational requirement is set in the gazette notice for each examination.

What subjects are tested in the exam?

The subjects and papers are set in the gazette notice for each examination and are not published elsewhere online. These practice questions cover areas commonly prepared for: Sri Lankan legal history and legal systems, the Notaries and Registration of Documents Ordinances, language skills in Sinhala, Tamil and English, and general aptitude.

What is the passing mark for the Notary Preliminary Exam?

No passing mark is published online. The Commissioner General of Examinations reports results to the Registrar-General in order of merit, and selection depends on the number of articled clerk places fixed for each district. The Registrar-General may reserve at least half of the places for notaries' clerks with five or more years of continuous service if they obtain qualifying marks.

How long is the apprenticeship after passing the exam?

Selected candidates must nominate an Attorney-at-Law within three months, obtain a licence from the Registrar-General, and enter articles within six months of that licence. Articles last at least two years. If the attorney is not a notary practising in the candidate's language, one of the two years is served in the office of such a notary. Clerks send quarterly certificates of service to the Registrar-General.

What is the fee for the Notary Preliminary Exam?

The examination fee is set in the gazette notice for each examination and is not published elsewhere online. After qualifying, a notary pays a licence fee to the Registrar General's Department (Rs 3,000 is the fee the department lists for first-time attorney-at-law notaries) and must deposit Rs 10,000 as security with the High Court before practising.