I just passed the Illinois Notary Exam last week and wanted to share what helped since I didn't find much specific prep info when I was looking. The exam is 30 questions and you need to score at least 80% — so 24 correct. It's multiple choice and fairly straightforward if you've done any prep at all, but go in cold and you could definitely get tripped up on the details.
I spent about 8 hours total studying over 4 days. The Illinois Notary Public Handbook is the main resource and the most important thing to read cover to cover. I focused heavily on journal requirements, prohibited acts, and the rules around electronic notarizations since those have changed in recent years. The exam had at least 5-6 questions touching on RON — Remote Online Notarization — rules specifically.
I also worked through an Illinois Notary Test practice set to get familiar with how questions are worded. Some answer choices are close enough that you need to know the exact statute language, not just a general idea. Pay special attention to rules about notarizing documents for family members and what constitutes improper notarization — both came up.
I failed on my first attempt by 1 question — got 23 of 30. The second time I did a slower, more deliberate read of the handbook and paid attention to the shall versus may language in the statutes. That precision matters more than you'd think on this exam.
The RON questions surprised me too. I wasn't expecting that much focus on remote notarization since I mostly do in-person work. Illinois rolled out their RON framework a few years ago and they definitely want you to know the identity verification requirements specifically.
Good timing on this post — I'm taking mine in two weeks. Is there anything on the exam about fee limits? I've seen conflicting info about whether Illinois caps what notaries can charge and whether that's actually tested.
Yes, fee limits are tested. Illinois caps notarial acts at $1.00 per signature for most acts. It's a simple rule but the kind of thing you'd forget if you didn't specifically study it. Also the journal requirement — Illinois requires a journal for all notarial acts now, not just some, and that distinction has come up in multiple exam discussions I've seen.