The Exam
Is the exam offered in other languages?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Yes. Alongside English, the exam is offered in Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Chinese — six alternatives in all. Tell the proctor at check-in which language you want. The booklet and the law are the same in every language, so the preparation is identical: the numbers and the definitions don’t translate into softer requirements....
When do results arrive, and how long is the pass slip good?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Results come by mail — officially two to three weeks, though test-takers report it sometimes runs longer; if week three passes without a letter, that’s normal, not a bad sign. A passing result is valid for two years: within that window you submit your $60 application, or the pass slips away and you retake the...
Can I retake the exam? What does it cost?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Yes, without limit. You may retake “on another date and time of your choice,” in the Department of State’s words — no waiting period, no cap, $15 each sitting. Failing once is common enough that working notaries talk openly about second- and third-attempt passes. The smart retake uses the diagnostic data the state won’t give...
Is the exam really closed book? What are the rules?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Yes — completely. No booklet, no notes, no reference materials, no dictionaries. Phones must be powered off, smartwatches and calculators stay home, and anyone using notes, helping, or being helped is dismissed. It’s why preparation method decides outcomes: every fee, definition, statute number, and form wording has to live in memory. That’s precisely what our...
How many questions is the exam, how much time, and what’s passing?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Per our course materials and consistent test-taker reports: 40 multiple-choice questions in one hour, closed book, with a passing score of 70% — 28 correct out of 40, so you can miss 12. Results are reported as pass or fail only; no numerical score is given, either way. Test-takers consistently report finishing in 15–30 minutes,...
How do I pay the $15 exam fee? (Cash is not accepted.)
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Check or money order made payable to the Department of State, or MasterCard or Visa. The current statewide schedule states it plainly: cash will not be accepted at any site — that’s the single most common reason people get turned away at the door. The fee is nonrefundable, a returned check costs $20, and the...
What should I bring to the exam?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026Three things, and that’s all: a current government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state non-driver ID, passport, military ID, IDNYC, and similar — current and photo-bearing, or you don’t get in); your $15 exam fee in an accepted form (next article); and two #2 pencils — the schedule states plainly that pencils are not provided. Leave...
Where and when are the exams given?
Last Updated: October 4, 2026At Department of State exam centers across the state, on a published schedule — currently 14 sites, from Albany, Binghamton, and Buffalo to Hauppauge, Utica, and White Plains, most running sessions two to four times a month on weekday mornings. Except in New York City, the exam is walk-in: no pre-registration, seats first-come, first-served. New...