Finally passed my Tennessee notary exam after two attempts — here's what helped — Forums

priya.testOP

May 27, 2026

So I just got my approval letter last week and honestly I'm still a little shocked. I failed the first time back in February — scored a 74 when you need a 75 — and it was crushing because I'd spent maybe four hours studying and figured it'd be easy. Spoiler: it's not as easy as people make it sound.

The second time around I actually sat down with a proper TN notary study guide and worked through the Tennessee Notary Public Handbook cover to cover. The questions about acknowledgments vs. jurats tripped me up a lot, and so did the stuff on notarial certificates and what happens when you make an error in your journal. I also used a TN notary practice test online a few days before my retake just to get comfortable with the format and timing.

For anyone just starting out — don't underestimate the fee schedules, the rules around remote online notarization, and the grounds for commission denial. Those showed up way more than I expected. Happy to answer questions if anyone's in the same boat I was.

emily_w

May 28, 2026

Congrats! I passed mine last fall and yeah the jurat vs. acknowledgment distinction is where a lot of people get tripped up. I'd also add — know your journal requirements cold. What entries are mandatory, how long you keep it, what happens if it's lost or stolen. That stuff seems boring but it came up multiple times on mine. Spent about six hours total studying and felt pretty comfortable going in.

Jordan L.

May 28, 2026

I'm taking mine next month and this thread is making me nervous lol. I've been focusing mostly on the general notary duties stuff but haven't really dug into remote online notarization yet. Is that a big chunk of the exam? I figured since most people aren't doing RON it wouldn't be heavily tested, but maybe I'm wrong. Also — did you use any specific exam tips resource or just the handbook?

Jessica L.

May 28, 2026

RON is definitely on there — don't skip it. Maybe 3-4 questions from what I remember. The handbook has a whole section. Also read the part on prohibited acts twice. Good luck, you've got this.

Finally passed my Tennessee notary exam after two attempts — here's what helped

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