NNA New York Notary Course Review: Is the $35 Course Worth It?

The National Notary Association (NNA) is the biggest name in American notary work: the national membership organization that also publishes training for states across the country, including New York. It is usually the first brand you’ve heard of that shows up when you search for a NY notary class. And at $35 on promo (regularly $69), it is the price every other New York provider gets measured against.

So the question is whether it’s worth it. Disclosure first, plainly: we publish a competing New York exam-prep course. What follows is facts only, from the NNA’s own published pages as of September 2026, and then a straight verdict. At this price, the honest answer is “yes, for some buyers.”

What the $35 buys

As of September 2026, the published New York training package:

• An online, self-paced New York notary course
• A 120-question practice bank feeding unlimited randomized 40-question practice exams, the same length as the real exam
• Flash cards
• A “Day-of-Exam Study Aid”: the NNA’s own marketing says it covers about 40% of the exam’s content; that is their published claim, not a figure we can independently verify
• No pass guarantee: the published policy is returns only, not a free-repeat or pass guarantee

Why it’s $35: the context

The NNA’s core business is memberships, notary supplies, bonds, and errors-and-omissions insurance. Training is the front of the funnel, and the pricing behaves like it: the course is offered as an entry point, and you should expect to be offered packages (supplies, insurance, membership) during and after purchase.

None of this is hidden; it is how national training-and-supplies organizations work, and there is nothing wrong with it. But it explains the price. A $35 course from a national supplies-and-insurance business is a customer-acquisition price, and a New York-only provider with one product cannot match it for the same economics. Judge the $35 for what it includes, not against what a dedicated course costs to build.

What’s good here

• It is the cheapest credible paid option. Verified New York prices run from $25 to $95 (full cost comparison here), and the $25 floor is a bare-bones product with no practice tests mentioned. At $35, the NNA is the cheapest option that includes a real practice bank from an organization with a long track record.
• Brand and staying power. A national association that has operated for decades, with a support organization behind the product. If something goes wrong, there is a company to call. That is not true of every provider in this small market.
• The practice engine mirrors the real exam. Randomized 40-question attempts match the state exam’s format: 40 multiple-choice questions in one hour, closed book. We cover what that hour is like in NY notary exam-day logistics.

What’s thin

• Bank size. 120 questions against 200 to 253 at the dedicated New York providers. This exam is closed-book and tests exact dollar amounts and definitions that differ by one word: the $0.75 protest base, “executor” versus “administrator,” the oath that ends “correct and true.” Bank depth is what drills that exactness. The exam’s question source is the state’s free 22-page booklet, which we walk section by section here.
• No guarantee. Several New York providers include one at $69 to $77: a free repeat or a pass guarantee. At $35 you carry the retake risk yourself. The risk is small (a retake costs $15 and unlimited attempts are allowed), but it is a real difference in what the price includes.
• A national catalog, not a New York-only build. The NNA trains notaries across all fifty states; New York is one course in a large catalog. You get broad institutional polish and less single-state obsession. That is a reasonable trade at $35, worth knowing anyway.
• Study tools, not diagnostics. Flash cards and randomized exams are practice, and useful practice. What the package does not publish is topic-level reporting: a breakdown showing which area (fees, definitions, compliance) is actually losing you points.

Verdict: is the NNA New York course worth $35?

Yes, for the right buyer, and we mean that. If you want the cheapest credible option, from a national name, with a practice bank sized like a supplement rather than a spine, $35 is fair, and the promo price undercuts every dedicated New York provider.

It is the wrong $35 if you want a large bank drilled to New York’s current booklet edition, a guarantee, or diagnostics that tell you where you’re weak. The dedicated providers at $69 to $77 include those things, and the free lane is wider than people expect: the state’s own booklet is free, NY Notary Hub publishes a free 120+ question practice bank with no signup, and our free diagnostic scores you by topic.

The order we would actually suggest: establish your baseline before spending anything. Take a free diagnostic, see where you stand, and then decide whether $35 or $69+ is the right spend for the gaps it shows.

Start with our free NY notary practice test: 20 questions from a verified bank, scored instantly, broken down by topic, with the booklet page cited for every answer.

NNA New York notary course: FAQ

How much is the NNA New York notary course?

$35 on promo as of September 2026, regularly $69. It is the cheapest verified New York option that includes a real question bank.

Does the NNA course guarantee you’ll pass?

No. The published policy is returns/refunds only. New York providers that do publish guarantees include the NYS Notary Public Association (free repeat), Notary Public Central (pass or next class free), and ours (pass guarantee).

Is the NNA part of New York State?

No. The NNA is a private national association, not a state agency, and claims no state endorsement. New York’s notary exam is administered by the Department of State, and the exam’s question source is DOS’s free booklet.

How many practice questions does it include?

A 120-question bank, delivered as unlimited randomized 40-question practice exams, plus flash cards. For comparison, dedicated New York providers publish banks of 200 to 253 questions.

Is the $35 all I pay to become a New York notary?

No, and this is true of every course in this market. The course fee covers training only. The state separately charges $15 per exam sitting and $60 for the commission application after you pass, plus optional supplies afterwards. No provider’s course price includes those.

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*NyNotaryExamPrep.com is an independent exam-prep publisher and, as disclosed above, a competing provider. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the National Notary Association or the New York State Department of State. All details reflect the NNA’s own published pages as of September 2026 and can change; verify current terms before enrolling.*