What to expect when taking the NYS Notary State Exam!
At 123 William Street:
When I took the 2 train and got off at Fulton Street (William St. exit), I saw a line of people for the Notary Exam. SHOW UP EARLY! There were a lot of people there. I showed up about 8:30 a.m., unexpectedly. They let you in the building at approximately 9:00 a.m. ~ish. Once in the building, you line up again for the elevator to the 19th floor.
On the 19th Floor:
You're ushered from the elevator to find the exam room. They tell you that you're to line up along the chairs and you can't select where you want to sit.
After being seated:
Take out UNEXPIRED state ID or passport. NO EXCEPTIONS. Someone came in with work ID and had to leave, no exam. They ask how you're going to pay? Check payments are to be made out to: The Department of State or DOS. Or they give you a Credit Card Form to fill. $15.00 is the fee.
Then you get the fingerprinting. It's non-stainable ink!! O_O' They fingerprint you on a document that you fill out with your address on it. You keep all these items (payment and address/fingerprint form) till the end of the exam. You keep all your belongings under your seat.
You are given a number 2 pencil. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO USE ANY OTHER PENCIL! NO PENS! You fill out your info on the answer sheet and then they send down the exam question booklet! DO NOT WRITE ON THE QUESTION BOOKLET!! ONLY THE ANSWER SHEET TO BE WRITTEN ON!
During the exam:
You are allowed 1 hour. You get 40 multiple questions. ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED. You need a 70% to pass but you do not receive a numerical grade, only a pass or fail. The questions are pretty simple. I found a lot of questions were the same questions from the practice questions I studied from (provide link soon).
Once finished the exam:
You can NOT just get up and leave. CAN NOT! You have to raise your hand and wait till a proctor signals you to leave. When you're signaled to go, take everything with you and prepare to leave when handing in your answer sheet and exam question booklet. DO NOT FORGET TO RETURN THE NUMBER 2 PENCIL GIVEN TO YOU!!
After the exam:
Go have some bubble tea! ^_^ I finished the exam in less than an hour. The total process (line waiting and examination) was about 1 hr and perhaps 15 minutes. You won't know your test results until 10 days (2 weeks) later.
If you pass: <--- my assumption for now (8/1).
You'll receive notice that you passed and the Application that you must send to the Secretary of State with the application fee of $60.00. After you've received your commission card, then you can order your Notary Public stamp and create your Notary Public journal for all the notarizing you'd be doing.
How'd I study:
I bought a NYS notary book to study from. But all I did was copy all the test questions and study from that! O_O' But since the book is a bit outdated, you'd have to study it with the updated NYS notary laws from the DOS. Links below are very helpful in studying the exam.
Good luck if you're going to go for it! ^_^
NYS Department of State Notary Public License Law
Alfred E. Piombino's Notary Public Handbook: A Guide for New York Sample Examinations
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