Washington State notary exam — how many questions and what's the pass score?
I'm applying for my Washington State notary commission and just realized there's an exam requirement I wasn't expecting. The Secretary of State website mentions a test but doesn't give a ton of detail about the format. Anyone who's gone through the WA notary exam recently — what should I actually expect?
I've been reading through the Washington Notary Public Guidebook and it's about 60 pages. The sections on acknowledgments, jurats, and oaths are clear enough, but the prohibited acts section has a lot of nuance and I'm not sure how heavily it's tested. I've been putting in about 45 minutes a day for the past two weeks.
My main concern is the electronic notarization section since WA allows remote online notarization and I'm not sure if that's fair game on the standard exam or only tested for RON-specific applicants. Any insight from people who've taken it recently would really help.
The prohibited acts section comes up more than you'd expect — probably 5 or 6 questions in my version. Things like notarizing your own signature or notarizing for someone you can't communicate with. Know those cold.
It's 30 questions and you need 80% to pass, so you can miss at most 6. The questions are multiple choice and pretty straightforward if you've read the guidebook carefully. Nothing obscure or trick-question style from what I remember.
RON content did show up even though I was applying for a standard commission, just a couple questions. Knowing the basic definition and that WA requires an approved platform is enough — you don't need the deep technical details.
So I failed my first try and honestly it caught me off guard because I figured it'd be common sense stuff. It's not hard exactly, but a chunk of the questions come straight from the actual notary laws and the specific rules about journals, fees you're allowed to charge, and what you can and can't do as a notary. I went in cold the first time and just kind of winged it off general knowledge. Big mistake.
Second time around I actually read through the official notary guide and made myself memorize the exact fee limits and the rules on personal appearance and ID. That's where they get you. I also did a few practice tests until I stopped second guessing every answer, and that made a huge difference with the timing. Passed easily the second attempt. My advice is don't treat it like a formality, sit down and study the actual statute stuff for an evening or two and you'll be fine.
Honestly I almost didn't even bother finishing my application because of this. When I found out about the exam I assumed it'd be some impossible thing and I was ready to just give up, plus everyone online makes it sound scarier than it is. The actual test isn't that bad once you stop psyching yourself out. For me it was around 30 questions and you need 80% to pass, so you can miss a handful and still be fine. I failed my first practice run hard and figured notary work just wasn't for me, but I kept grinding and ended up passing on the real thing with room to spare.
One thing that tripped me up more than I expected was the stuff on wa notary/questions/electronic and remote online notarization, because the rules there aren't as obvious as the basic in person stuff. Don't skip that section thinking it won't show up. If you're feeling discouraged, just push through and do the practice questions until they stop surprising you. I was the most skeptical person in the room and I still got through it, so you've got this.
Honestly I went in way too confident the first time and bombed it. I didn't realize how much of it leans on the stuff beyond the basic "what's a notary" definition. The exam itself isn't huge but it's not a gimme either, and a few of the questions tripped me up on the newer rules around electronic stuff that I just hadn't studied. Second time around I actually slowed down and read the official guidance instead of skimming, and I drilled the areas I'd ignored, especially this section on wa notary/questions/electronic and remote online notarization which had shown up more than I expected on attempt one.
So my advice is don't treat it like a formality. Read every question fully because a couple are worded to trip you up. I crammed the night before the first time and it didn't work. The second time I spread it over like four or five days, did practice questions until I stopped second guessing myself, and walked out feeling fine. You've got this, just respect it a little more than I did at first.
Failed it the first time, not gonna lie. I went in thinking it'd be straightforward since it's only 30 questions, but the passing score is 70% and some of those questions are really specific about Washington state law stuff I hadn't studied at all. I was fuzzy on the notarial acts and the exact rules around acknowledgments versus jurats.
Second time I actually read through the RCW chapter on notaries and the Secretary of State's notary guide cover to cover instead of just skimming. That made a big difference. The questions aren't trying to trick you, but you've got to know the specifics, not just the general idea. Give yourself more time than you think you need and don't rush through it.
Just passed mine last month so I can actually help here. It's 30 questions and you need a 70% to pass, so 21 correct. Honestly it wasn't as hard as I expected, but the electronic notarization stuff tripped me up more than anything else. I spent most of my prep time drilling on traditional notary duties and almost ignored the remote online stuff, which was a mistake.
The thing that made the difference for me was going back and actually practicing the tech-specific questions. This set helped a lot: wa notary/questions/electronic and remote online notarization 3. If you're short on time, I'd start there because those questions showed up more than I expected on the real exam.