The Arizona Notary Public Exam

A.R.S. 41-270(A) lets the Secretary of State require a new applicant, a renewing notary or a notary with a suspended commission to pass an exam administered by the Secretary of State or an approved entity, and says the exam must be based on a course of study covering the laws, rules, procedures and ethics of notarial acts. A.R.S. 41-269(B)(6) makes passing that exam a qualification whenever the Secretary of State requires it. Exam fees go into the notary education fund under 41-332.

The Secretary of State says the exam is meant to protect the public from fraud and reinforce trust in notarizations.

The Secretary of State's current exam notice gives these details:

You schedule, reschedule and cancel through Pearson VUE's Arizona Notary page, and the Secretary of State instructs applicants to register there and obtain a Candidate ID number before filling out the notary application. Pearson asks you to create your web account with your legal name exactly as it appears on your government ID, because that name appears on your results and on reports to the licensing agency. Appointments can be booked up to one calendar day before the test date, subject to availability. Pearson's customer support line is 888-405-5776.

If you need a testing accommodation, the Secretary of State's page directs you to submit the request with supporting documentation ahead of the exam; follow the instructions currently posted there, since the page gives both a Pearson contact and a Secretary of State email for this.

The Secretary of State warns that remote rules are strict and suggests a test center if you are unsure you can meet them. The notice lists a printed admission letter to show the readiness agent, an original valid government photo ID, a secure internet connection, the required proctoring software installed in advance, a scan of your room and a clear desk. Company-issued computers are not allowed, and phones, earbuds and other electronics must be removed or disconnected. A session ended for noncompliance means rescheduling and paying the fee again.

According to the Secretary of State's current notice, you may take the exam three times, and after a third failure you must wait 30 days before scheduling again. The reference manual's exam page carries older language describing a different testing company, a different fee, a 30-day wait after each failure, a one-year wait after three failures, and a passing score valid for 90 days. Because these conflict, ask the Secretary of State which retake policy and score validity period apply before you plan around either one.

After you pass, the rest of the process follows the application steps: the signed web application, the original notarized bond and the $43 filing fee go to the Secretary of State together, and the manual estimates four to six weeks of processing. Renewing notaries may file up to two months before their commission ends, so book the exam early enough to fit inside that window without a gap in your commission.

The manual also notes that notaries under suspension or discipline take a different exam administered by the Secretary of State.

Since the questions come straight from the reference manual, know its layout: the application process and bond rules, commission duties, notarial duties such as identification and the journal, notarial acts and certificate wording, the statutes and administrative rules, and the sample certificates. Open book does not mean easy. With 45 questions in 60 minutes you have about 80 seconds per question, which leaves little time to search.

Within the manual, several topics reward extra review: the identification documents allowed under 41-255, including the extra options for real estate transactions; the journal entry elements and the six-month repeat-signer rule in 41-319; the $10 fee cap and the duty to post fees; the spouse conflict rule in 41-252(B); stamp size and content; and the 10-day and 30-day reporting deadlines with their penalties.

Pay attention to recent changes. Senate Bill 1479, effective September 12, 2026, added a journal thumbprint requirement for deeds, deeds of trust, other real property documents and powers of attorney (A.R.S. 41-254(C)), a rule you need in practice even if your exam form predates it.

The best preparation is to read the manual once end to end, then answer questions until you know where each topic lives. NotaryPrepHQ's Arizona bank is written from the state's notary statutes and manual, with a diagnostic, drills that explain every answer and timed practice exams that produce a readiness score. It is practice material only, carries a 30-day money-back guarantee, and cannot promise a pass.