The Louisiana Notary Public Examination

R.S. 35:191.1 directs the Secretary of State to set uniform statewide standards for the exam, including how it is administered and graded, its format and content, and a review procedure for failed exams. The Secretary works with the LSU Office of Testing and Evaluation Services, which handles the pre-assessment and disability accommodation requests. The statute calls for the exam at least twice a year, and the Secretary's current exam page states that all sittings are held at LSU in Baton Rouge. Upcoming dates appear in the schedule on that page.

According to the Secretary, the exam is delivered by computer in one four-hour sitting. It has two kinds of items: general-knowledge questions on notarial law and procedure, and scenario-based questions that ask you to apply the law to a practical situation. To pass you need a scaled score of 70 out of 100. The Secretary does not publish a fixed item count on the exam page, so be wary of any source that claims one.

Every item is based on The Louisiana Notary Public Examination Official Study Guide 2026, titled Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice. The Secretary warns that earlier editions may contain material that no longer reflects accurate practice.

You may bring the 2026 official study guide into the exam, which makes this an open-book test with exactly one permitted book. Any other reference material is treated as cheating and is grounds for dismissal. The Secretary's rules for the book are specific:

The path to a seat runs in order: an approved Application to Qualify ($35), the online pre-assessment ($30, no passing score required), then exam registration ($100 per attempt under R.S. 35:191.1(B)). Qualification and the pre-assessment must be finished 37 days before the exam, and exam registration closes 30 days before it. LSU needs about seven days to report pre-assessment scores. The study guide itself costs $100 from the Secretary.

There is no statutory cap on attempts. The Secretary's exam page says applicants may sit the exam whenever it is given and as many times as they wish, regardless of their pre-assessment result. A commissioned notary who takes the exam only to earn statewide jurisdiction under R.S. 35:191(P) loses nothing by failing; the existing commission is unaffected.

The Secretary's pre-assessment notes explain that notarial work in Louisiana is rooted in the Civil Code, the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Revised Statutes, and that the study guide is written at a matching reading level. Expect material on the notary's own office under Title 35, the requirements for authentic acts and acts under private signature, and the substantive rules behind the instruments notaries prepare, including sales and other conveyances of property, mortgages, matrimonial agreements, successions, and testaments. Read the guide's table of contents as your outline and weight your study toward the chapters with the most practical drafting.

Although the study guide sits open on your desk, scenario questions move quickly, and knowing the core rules of Title 35 cold saves time for the harder drafting items. These are the statutory points that shape a notary's daily practice:

Because the book comes with you, success depends less on memorizing and more on knowing exactly where things are and applying them under time pressure. Work through the guide once for comprehension, then a second time building your tab system around the topics you look up most. Practice scenario questions against a clock so four hours feels like enough.

Many candidates add a structured course or study group, as the Secretary suggests; paid exam-prep providers must appear on the Secretary's registry.

Candidates who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act may request accommodations for each test date separately. Medical documentation from a physician, updated within six months, must reach LSU's testing office at least three weeks before the exam, and accommodated testing is held only on Saturdays. After the exam, all items are statistically analyzed, and item comment forms are available at the test administration on request.