Notary Practice Test

Notary Identification & Signers Practice Questions

Identification & Signers makes up 10 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest Notary practice test. Here are 10 of the 40 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Practice draws on model notary concepts. Model laws are not a substitute for your state’s enacted rules, official handbook or exam requirements.

1. 1. A coworker hands you a deed signed by her husband, who is at home, and asks you to notarize his signature. You should:

   • A.Notarize it because she can vouch for his signature
   • B.Refuse unless the husband appears before you
   • C.Call the husband to confirm that he signed
   • D.Notarize it if she brings his driver's license

   Answer: B. The signer himself must personally appear before the notary; a spouse cannot appear for him. A phone call or his ID in someone else's hands does not satisfy personal appearance.

2. 2. Your boss emails you a signed contract and asks you to notarize it today because you know his signature well. What should you do?

   • A.Notarize it because you recognize the signature
   • B.Notarize it and note your familiarity in the journal
   • C.Compare it with a signature on file, then notarize
   • D.Require him to appear in person first

   Answer: D. Recognizing a signature never substitutes for personal appearance, and an employer cannot order a notary to skip it. Noting familiarity in the journal does not cure the missing appearance.

3. 3. A signer offers to appear by smartphone video call for a traditional paper acknowledgment. The notary should:

   • A.Decline, since physical presence is required
   • B.Proceed if the signer holds an ID up to the camera
   • C.Proceed if a witness is in the room with the signer
   • D.Proceed and record the call in the journal

   Answer: A. A traditional notarization requires the signer to be physically before the notary; an ordinary video call does not count. Only remote online notarization on a state-approved platform, where authorized, allows audio-video appearance (varies by state).

4. 4. For a traditional notarization, personal appearance means the signer is:

   • A.Known to someone working in the notary's office
   • B.Present when the document was first drafted
   • C.Physically before the notary during the act
   • D.Reachable by telephone during the notarization

   Answer: C. Personal appearance means the signer is face to face with the notary at the time of the notarial act. Being on the phone or known to an office colleague does not meet the requirement.

5. 5. A close friend brings in a consent form her elderly father signed at home and promises he will phone you to confirm. You should:

   • A.Notarize it if the friend signs as a witness
   • B.Notarize it with a note that the signer was absent
   • C.Refuse until the father appears in person
   • D.Notarize it once the father telephones you

   Answer: C. The father is the signer and must personally appear; a phone confirmation is not appearance, even for a close friend. Notarizing with a note of absence would still be a false certificate.

6. 6. Which statement about remote online notarization is accurate?

   • A.It is allowed only where state law authorizes it
   • B.A recorded telephone call is an acceptable substitute
   • C.Any video call satisfies personal appearance nationwide
   • D.It removes the need to identify the signer

   Answer: A. Remote online notarization is permitted only where state law authorizes it, using an approved audio-video platform with identity proofing; rules vary by state. It does not make every video or phone call count, and identity must still be verified.

7. 7. A courier brings ten loan packages already signed by borrowers who are not present and asks you to complete the acknowledgments. You should:

   • A.Notarize them and have the courier sign the journal
   • B.Notarize them because the courier is bonded
   • C.Notarize them if the signatures match ID copies
   • D.Refuse, because the borrowers did not appear

   Answer: D. Each borrower must personally appear before the notary; a courier's bond or photocopied IDs do not substitute. Notarizing without appearance is a common basis for criminal and civil liability.

8. 8. A signer appears with a document she signed last week and asks for an acknowledgment. Regarding the existing signature, you should:

   • A.Require her to sign the document again in front of you
   • B.Have her acknowledge it as her own before you
   • C.Refuse because it was not signed before you
   • D.Ask a witness to confirm when she signed

   Answer: B. For an acknowledgment the document may be signed beforehand; the signer must appear, be identified, and acknowledge the signature as hers. Re-signing is required for a jurat, not an acknowledgment.

9. 9. Which of the following is generally acceptable as satisfactory evidence of a signer's identity?

   • A.A major credit card bearing a signature
   • B.A current state-issued driver's license
   • C.A Social Security card
   • D.A certified copy of a birth certificate

   Answer: B. A current government-issued photo ID with a signature and physical description, such as a driver's license, is acceptable. Social Security cards and birth certificates lack a photo and description, so they are not acceptable.

10. 10. A signer has no photo ID but offers her Social Security card and a utility bill showing her address. The notary should:

    • A.Accept the two documents together as proof
    • B.Accept them if the names match exactly
    • C.Accept them and list both in the journal
    • D.Decline both and use another method

    Answer: D. Neither document is government-issued photo identification, and combining two unacceptable documents does not make them acceptable. The notary can turn to personal knowledge or credible witnesses where allowed.