Notary Practice Test

Notary Notarial Acts & Certificates Practice Questions

Notarial Acts & Certificates makes up 14 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest Notary practice test. Here are 10 of the 56 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 signer brings a deed she signed at home yesterday and asks for an acknowledgment. The notary should:

   • A.Refuse because the deed was signed outside the notary's presence
   • B.Identify her and confirm she signed it willingly
   • C.Administer an oath on the truth of the deed
   • D.Require her to sign the deed again in front of the notary

   Answer: B. An acknowledgment does not require signing in the notary's presence; the signer must personally appear, be identified, and declare the signature was made willingly. Re-signing in front of the notary is a jurat requirement, not an acknowledgment requirement.

2. 2. An acknowledgment certificate primarily certifies which of the following facts:

   • A.The document is legally valid and enforceable
   • B.The signer signed in the notary's presence under oath
   • C.The statements in the document are true and accurate
   • D.The signer appeared, was identified, and declared signing willingly

   Answer: D. An acknowledgment certifies personal appearance, identification and the signer's declaration that the signature was made willingly. The notary never vouches for the truth or legality of the contents, and signing under oath in the notary's presence describes a jurat.

3. 3. A man appears with a signed grant deed but will not say he signed it voluntarily. He says he was pressured. The notary should:

   • A.Decline to complete the acknowledgment
   • B.Ask his spouse to acknowledge it instead
   • C.Complete it because his ID is valid
   • D.Complete it and note his complaint in the journal

   Answer: A. The heart of an acknowledgment is the signer's declaration that the signature was made willingly, so the notary must refuse if the signer will not make it or appears coerced. Valid identification alone does not satisfy the willingness requirement.

4. 4. For an acknowledgment, when must the signer personally appear before the notary?

   • A.Only when the document is first signed
   • B.Only if the document will be recorded
   • C.At the time of the notarization
   • D.Within 30 days after signing

   Answer: C. The signer must personally appear at the time the notary performs the acknowledgment, even if the document was signed earlier. There is no grace period, and personal appearance is required for every document, recordable or not.

5. 5. An attorney-in-fact signs a deed for her elderly father under a power of attorney and requests an acknowledgment. Whose identity must the notary verify?

   • A.Both the father and the attorney-in-fact
   • B.The lawyer who drafted the power of attorney
   • C.The attorney-in-fact who appears
   • D.The father who granted the power

   Answer: C. The notary identifies the person who actually appears and signs, here the attorney-in-fact signing in a representative capacity. The principal does not appear and is not identified, and the notary does not verify the power of attorney itself.

6. 6. A corporate vice president signs a contract on behalf of her company and requests an acknowledgment. The notary treats as the signer:

   • A.The vice president, in her corporate capacity
   • B.The corporation's registered agent
   • C.The company president, who must also appear
   • D.The corporation's board of directors

   Answer: A. A corporate officer who signs for a company is the person who appears, is identified and acknowledges, acting in a representative capacity. Nothing requires the board, the registered agent or another officer to appear.

7. 7. A trustee asks the notary to confirm in the certificate that the trust is valid and that he has authority to sign. The notary should:

   • A.Certify authority once the trustee shows the trust
   • B.Review the trust document and confirm his authority
   • C.Require a letter from the trust's attorney
   • D.Explain that notaries do not verify authority

   Answer: D. The notary identifies the individual signer; a claim of representative capacity is the signer's own statement and the notary does not judge whether a trust or authority is valid. Reviewing the trust and vouching for it would go beyond the notary's ministerial role and could be unauthorized practice of law.

8. 8. A title company employee tells the notary to decide whether the buyer's document needs an acknowledgment or a jurat. Who should make that choice?

   • A.The notary's employer
   • B.The signer, often guided by the recipient
   • C.The notary, based on the document type
   • D.The county recorder after filing

   Answer: B. Choosing the notarial act is a legal decision that belongs to the signer, who may follow instructions from the receiving agency or an attorney. A notary who is not an attorney may describe the acts but may not choose one.

9. 9. Which statement about an acknowledgment is accurate under general notary practice?

   • A.The notary must personally watch the document being signed
   • B.The signature may be made before the signer appears
   • C.The notary vouches for the document's contents
   • D.The signer must swear the contents are true

   Answer: B. A document may be signed before an acknowledgment, as long as the signer personally appears and acknowledges the signature. An oath on the contents and signing in the notary's presence are features of a jurat.

10. 10. A husband brings a deed signed by himself and his wife. The wife is at work and cannot come. The notary may:

    • A.Acknowledge both after confirming with her by phone
    • B.Acknowledge hers if it matches her ID copy
    • C.Acknowledge both signatures if he vouches for her
    • D.Acknowledge only the husband's signature

    Answer: D. Every signer must personally appear, so the notary can acknowledge only the husband's signature; the wife must appear before a notary herself. A phone call, a vouching spouse, or a copy of her ID does not replace her personal appearance.