Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Notary Education Course
You are required to complete this test and print out the answer sheet (will appear once you've completed and hit the "submit" button below). Please mail the answer sheet to Atlantic Bonding Company, Inc. along with your Senator endorsed application and your signed Certificate of Completion that you will also obtain from this website (see 1st page of website if not sure how to obtain your Certificate).
Name of Applicant: (Type Name )
Date: (Type Date)
1. A Notary can notarize a document with blank spaces:
a) when the customer presents the document and says it’s “okay”.
b) not ever
c) when the notary knows what the blank spaces represent
2. A Jurat is:
a) someone who sits on a jury
b) a statement made by the customer that the document is real
c) a statement set forth on the affidavit by the notary public who administered the oath showing when and before whom it was sworn
3. When a notary’s name changes, the following is true:
a) the notary’s commission is automatically revoked
b) the notary can continue to use the name under which he or she was commissioned OR can use the new name; either way the notary must notify the proper authorities
c) the notary doesn’t have to do anything until the end of his/her current commission
4. A notary public must use the following identification to identify an individual who appears before them:
a) a tax return from the prior year showing their name and address of their residence
b) a birth certificate
c) a photographic identification card and comparing signatures
5. An affidavit guarantees:
a) that the Affiant was sworn in
b) that what the affidavit says is true
c) that the Affiant personally appeared before the notary public, the Affiant was identified by the notary public and the Affiant was sworn by the notary pubic to tell the truth
6. When a notary’s office address changes to a different county, the following is true:
a) the notary purchases a new stamp with the new location and does not have to notify anyone until the end of his/her current commission
b) after advising the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Recorder of Deeds of the county of appointment within 5 days, the notary must register his/her signature with the prothonotary of the new county within 10 days
c) the notary has resigned his/her commission
7. What fees may a notary public charge for his/her services:
a) per the Fee Schedule as fixed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and they may not be exceeded by the notary
b) any amount the notary deems reasonable
c) whatever the customer is willing to pay
8. A notary public for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may perform notarial acts:
a) anywhere within the continental United States
b) anywhere within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
c) anywhere within and outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9. A notary public may use a rubber stamp as a substitute for his/her signature:
a) when the notary public is suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome
c) when the customer says it’s “okay”
10. A notary public may notarize his/her own signature:
a) when someone besides the notary is there to witness the notary’s signature
b) when there is no other notary available
c) not ever
11. An acknowledgement is:
a) a statement that the document with the acknowledgement is true
b) a statement that the notary public personally knows the person signing the document
c) that the statement made by the person who signs a document admits that he/she signed it and knew what he/she was doing at the time the document was executed
12. Under the Uniform Acknowledgement Act, who can appear before a notary public and execute an acknowledgment certifying that he/she personally witnessed an individual sign the instrument in question:
a) the friend of the person who signed the instrument
b) an attorney-at-law
c) an employee from a bank where the individual who signed the instrument has an account
13. A notary public does not have to identify an individual who appears before them:
a) when the individual brings three (3) people who know him/her
b) not ever; the notary must always identify an individual who appears before them
c) when the individual insists they are who they say they are
14. When a notary’s office address changes, the following is true:
a) the notary doesn’t have to do anything until the end of his/her current commission
b) the notary is required to notify the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Recorder of Deeds of the county of appointment within 5 days
c) the notary purchases a new stamp with the new location and does not have to notify anyone until the end of his/her current commission
15. A notary public may delegate his/her notarial authority to another person:
a) not ever
b) when he/she is on vacation and the workplace needs a notary while he/she is gone
c) when the notary is sick
16. A notary public may act as such in any transaction in which the notary public has a financial interest:
a) when the other party to the document says it’s “okay”
c) when there is no other notary public available
17. A notary public may advise persons regarding questions of law:
a) when the customer says it’s “okay”
b) when the notary knows the answer
18. Notarizations can be backdated:
c) when an attorney is the person wanting the document backdated
19. A notary register must contain the date of the notarial act, the character of the notarial act, by whom or to whom the document was executed, the date of the instrument, and the notary fee paid:
a) never
b) always
c) when the notary charges more than the fee as set forth by the Secretary of the Commonwealth for the notarization
20. A notary public must have one of the following:
a) a telephone
b) a $10,000.00 bond
c) a computer
21. The official signature of the notary public shall be registered with:
a) directory assistance
b) the prothonotary’s office of the county where the notary public maintains his/her office
c) only with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania via the application submitted for appointment/ re-appointment
22. The Bond of Notary Public must be taken to the Recorder of Deeds of the county where their office is located and take their oath to be sworn in as a notary public within ____ from the date their appointment commences:
a) thirty days
b) forty-five days
c) sixty days
23. The maximum size of and the content on the notary seal (a rubber stamp) is set forth by:
a) the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
b) the manufacturer who makes the stamp for you
c) statute
24. A notary should sign their name on the notarized document:
a) differently every time so as to hinder the opportunity of someone else copying their signature
b) exactly as it appears on their notary commission
c) using a nickname
25. A notary is permitted to notify the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Recorder of Deeds office of a change of address or vacating their office by moving out of the Commonwealth or leaving employment in the Commonwealth:
a) by certified mail only
b) e-mail
c) by overnight courier only
26. Persons with the following cannot qualify to be a notary public:
a) a residence outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
b) a voter registration card outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
c) conviction of a felony or a lesser offense incompatible with the duties of a notary public, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a felony or lesser offense during the five years prior to the notary application; and the applicant cannot have had a prior notary commission revoked by the Commonwealth or any other state during the five years prior to the notary application
27. A notary is not required to use an electronic seal for the notarization, acknowledgment or verification of electronic records and signatures as long as the following information is attached to or logically associated with the electronic signature or electronic record being notarized, acknowledged or verified:
a) the notary’s commission expiration date
b) the full name of the notary, along with the words “Notary Public”, the name of the municipality and the county in which the notary maintains an office, and the notary’s commission expiration date
c) the full name of the notary
28. The official “seal” of the notary public is:
a) a rubber stamp only
b) a rubber stamp and an embossing seal
c) an embossing seal only
29. Civil penalties:
a) are not applicable to a notary public
b) may be imposed at a maximum of $50.00 for each offense
c) may be imposed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth for good cause not to exceed five hundred dollars for each act or omission which constitutes a violation of the Notary Public Law
30. The Notary Register:
a) is left available for anyone to use at their discretion
b) is the exclusive property of the notary and may not be used by any other person or surrendered to any employer upon termination of employment
c) should be left with the employer who paid for it upon termination of the notary’s employment
31. Education Courses (in addition to the one required at time of application):
a) may be waived
b) may be ordered, for good cause, by the Secretary of the Commonwealth for an act or omission which constitutes a violation of the Notary Public Laws
c) only for persons who have not graduated high school
32. Applications for “re-appointment”:
a) must be filed one month prior to the commission expiration date and the notary does not have to meet any other eligibility requirements for a notary public commission
b) must be filed two months prior to the commission expiration date and the applicant must continue to meet all eligibility requirements for a notary public commission
c) can be done over the telephone
33. Every application for appointment as a notary public must:
a) accompany a non-refundable filing fee of $40.00 made payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, bear endorsement of the Senator in the district in which the applicant resides or if the applicant is a non-resident, in the district where the applicant is employed; electronic notary applications are no longer accepted by the Secretary of the Commonwealth
b) be sent electronically to the Secretary of the Commonwealth
c) be mailed overnight to the Secretary of the Commonwealth
34. The notary’s seal:
a) can be used by anyone who needs it
b) is the exclusive property of the notary to whom it is issued and the notary shall be responsible for the custody and control of the seal
c) should be left with the employer who paid for it upon the termination of the notary’s employment
35. When are electronic notarizations permitted under Section 5101, of the Electronic Transactions Act 73 P.S. § 2260.5101:
a) when the notary has use of a computer
b) when the Department publishes a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin that Section 307 of the Electronic Transactions Act no longer conflicts with the Notary Public Law. Electronic notarization will be authorized 30 days following publication of the notice subject to adherence to approved electronic notarization standards
c) when a customer requests one
