The Pennsylvania Notary Exam: What to Expect

Under 57 Pa.C.S. Section 322(a) and 4 Pa. Code Section 167.15, the exam applies to every applicant who does not hold a current, unexpired Pennsylvania commission on the day the Department receives the application. That covers first-time applicants and former notaries whose commission has lapsed, even by one day. Notaries who file a renewal while still commissioned skip the exam, although they still need continuing education.

The exam is built on the same core curriculum the approved education course teaches: the statutes, regulations, procedures and ethics of notarial acts, including the duties of the office and electronic notarization. So the 3-hour course you took before applying is the starting point for your preparation, not a separate subject.

The order is strict. You submit the application, the $42 fee and your education certificate to the Department of State. Once the Department approves you, Pearson VUE (not the Department) emails an approval-to-test notice with scheduling instructions. Pearson VUE's Pennsylvania page asks candidates to allow up to four weeks for application review, and the bulletin tells new applicants to allow four to six weeks.

Make sure the name on your application matches your government ID exactly. Changes made with the Department are not passed to Pearson VUE automatically, so if you fix a typo or change your email, tell the Department so it can forward the update. The $65 fee is paid to Pearson VUE when you finish booking, or through a voucher.

According to the candidate bulletin, the exam has 30 multiple-choice items: 25 that count and 5 unscored pretest items mixed in without labels. Each item offers three answer choices. You get 60 minutes, and the clock starts once you accept the non-disclosure agreement. An unanswered item is marked wrong, so guess rather than skip. You can flag items for review and return to them before you submit.

Scores are reported on a scaled range of 0 to 100, with 75 needed to pass (4 Pa. Code Section 167.15(d)). A scaled score is not the number or percentage you answered correctly. You get a preliminary result on screen, and numeric scores are given only to failing candidates. Nothing personal is allowed in the testing room, including books, notes and phones, so treat it as a closed-book exam.

The bulletin's content outline assigns the 25 scored items to three areas. The heavy weighting toward performing notarial acts tells you where to spend most of your study time.

You can test at a Pearson VUE center (the bulletin lists sites from Erie and Pittsburgh to Scranton, Harrisburg and Philadelphia) or online through OnVUE. The Department allows only one attempt by OnVUE. If that attempt fails or is revoked, every later attempt must be at a physical center.

At a center, arrive 30 minutes early; arriving more than 15 minutes late can cost you the seat and the fee. Bring two current forms of signature-bearing ID, one of them a government-issued photo ID, and the names must match your application. Reschedule a center appointment at least 48 hours ahead, or cancel an OnVUE session any time before it starts, to keep your fee. OnVUE requires photos of your ID, your workspace and your face, and a proctor watches through your webcam; there are no unscheduled breaks.

Your authorization lasts six months. Inside that window you may retake as often as needed, but no more than once in any 24-hour period (4 Pa. Code Section 167.15(c)(2)), and you book the retake online after waiting 24 hours. A passing result stays valid for one year from the exam date. If six months pass without a pass, you must retake the basic education course and file a new application.

Passing does not make you a notary on the spot. The Department processes the appointment, which the bulletin says takes about 30 days, and then the 45-day clock for your bond, oath, signature registration and county recording begins.

Start with your course materials and read 4 Pa. Code Chapter 167 alongside them, paying special attention to the rules effective March 28, 2026: the $25,000 bond, the commission number on the stamp, the ban on personal identifying information in the journal, itemized receipts, and the list of acts that lead to discipline. Those updates are recent, so older study guides may be wrong about them.

Because 18 of 25 scored items cover performing notarial acts, practice spotting the difference between an acknowledgment, a verification on oath or affirmation, and witnessing a signature, and know which ID is acceptable. NotaryPrepHQ offers exam practice for Pennsylvania built from the state's notary law and regulations, with topic drills that explain each answer and timed practice exams with a readiness score. Timing yourself matters because 30 items in 60 minutes is comfortable only if you do not stall on a few.