Getting Started
How long does it take to finish the course?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026About 2.5 hours of video across 28 lessons, plus the drills and 222 questions. Most students spread it over one to three weeks of evenings, following the spaced-repetition schedule the study-guide lesson recommends. Compressed? The whole course plus the cram review fits into a weekend, and the cram review plus the drive-to-exam MP3 fit into...
Can a non-resident become a New York notary?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Yes — through the office path. You must either reside in New York or maintain an office or place of business in the state. A non-resident with a Manhattan office qualifies through that office, and the office’s county becomes the county of qualification — it appears on every notarial certificate and never changes, even if...
Do attorneys and court clerks have to take the exam?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Attorneys admitted to practice in New York State may be appointed notaries without taking the written exam, and so may court clerks of the Unified Court System who were appointed after taking the civil-service promotional exam in the court-clerk series. The exemption is from the exam only: both still submit the application, take the oath...
What is the License Law booklet, and why does everyone say to read it twice?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026It’s the free, 22-page “Notary Public License Law” booklet published by the Department of State (current edition: March 2026) — and the exam’s literal question source. The Department’s own exam information says the topics are “as outlined” in that booklet, weighted roughly 60% License Law, 25% general terms and definitions, 15% duties and functions. Download...
How does the walk-in exam work?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026At every site except New York City, no appointment is needed: the Department of State publishes a schedule of exam dates and you show up — seats are first-come, first-served. The current schedule lists 14 sites statewide, from Albany and Buffalo to Hauppauge and White Plains, most running sessions two to four times a month....
Is a prep course required to become a New York notary?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026No. New York requires two things: passing the state’s written exam and completing the commission application. The state publishes the exam’s entire question source — the free “Notary Public License Law” booklet — and sells no prep course of its own. A course buys structure, drilling, diagnostics, and (with us) a guarantee. Plenty of disciplined people...