LA Notary Exam at a Glance

What changed for LA Notary in 2026

• Feb 1, 2026: Louisiana increased the required surety bond for non-attorney notaries, including commissioned and ex-officio notaries, from $10,000 to $50,000 effective February 1, 2026.^[6]

Focus heavily on drafting. The LA Notary exam requires you to write out legal documents by hand. Practice drafting authentic acts, mortgages, and wills until you can do it from memory, especially if you plan to work as a Notary West Monroe LA. Practice with the free LA Notary - Louisiana Notary practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).

Free LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam Study Tools

Interactive LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

According to Louisiana Secretary of State, “To pass, applicants must achieve a scaled score of 70 (of 100) on the examination.”^[1]

Worked examples: how to reason through LA Notary questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Under Louisiana law, what is the principle of liberative prescription?

1. The acquisition of ownership through continuous possession
2. The extinction of a right due to the failure to exercise it within a specified time period
3. A judicial order releasing a debtor from prison
4. A legislative act granting amnesty

Answer: B. The extinction of a right due to the failure to exercise it within a specified time period

Explanation:

Option B is correct. Liberative prescription is the loss of a right because it was not exercised within the time the law allows. Option A describes acquisitive prescription, the gaining of ownership through possession over time, which is the opposite effect. Option C confuses the idea with imprisonment for debt, which has nothing to do with prescription. Option D describes amnesty, a legislative pardon that does not depend on the passing of time. Rule to remember: acquisitive prescription gives you something, liberative prescription takes a right away from someone who waited too long. When a question mentions failure to act within a legal period, think liberative.

Example 2

Question: What could take place when partition is excluded by law?

1. A notary to make the partition in accordance with law.
2. If it had been agreed upon in the contract of no partition or by law.
3. It can by sold for example by sheriff's sale and the proceeds divided amongst owners in indivision.
4. If it had been agreed upon in the contract of no partition or by law.

Answer: C. It can by sold for example by sheriff's sale and the proceeds divided amongst owners in indivision.

Explanation:

Option C is correct. When the law excludes partition in kind, co-owners in indivision are not left stuck: the thing can be sold, for example at a sheriff's sale, and the proceeds are divided among the owners. Option A is wrong because a notary does not carry out the partition by their own authority. Options B and D are worded identically in our set and only restate that the exclusion came from a contract or from law, which does not say what happens next. Note that the short explanation stored with this question talks about servitudes and mortgages and does not match the question. Rule to remember: a bar on partition in kind does not stop a sale and division of the price.

Example 3

Question: A principal executes a power of attorney and has it recorded in the public records. To effectively revoke this mandate with respect to third parties who may rely on the public record, the principal must:

1. Simply notify the agent orally that he is fired.
2. Send a certified letter to the agent.
3. File a written revocation in the same public records where the mandate was recorded.
4. Publish a notice of revocation in the local newspaper.

Answer: C. File a written revocation in the same public records where the mandate was recorded.

Explanation:

Option C is correct. A recorded mandate gives third parties a public record to rely on, so ending the agent's authority against them requires a written revocation filed in the same public records. Option A, telling the agent orally, may end authority between principal and agent but does nothing for outsiders reading the record. Option B, a certified letter to the agent, has the same limit: it reaches only the agent. Option D, a newspaper notice, is not the recording mechanism the law relies on. Rule to remember: undo a recorded act in the record where it was recorded, and do not rely on notice to the agent alone.

How to use these practice tests

Start by reading the Secretary of State notary exam pages so you know the format, the passing score and the registration cutoff. Then work through our practice sets one subject at a time instead of mixing everything. Begin with the general civil law and civil code sets to see where you stand, then move to the topic sets: obligations and contracts, property law, mandate, donations, matrimonial regimes, successions, mortgages and security devices, and authentic acts and jurat.

After each set, reread every question you missed and write one sentence stating the rule behind the right answer. Pay attention to distinctions that questions like to test, such as effects between the parties versus effects against third parties. Use the legal terminology and practical application sets later in your preparation, once the underlying rules feel familiar.

Treat our questions as practice for reasoning, not as a preview of the real test. When an explanation here seems off or a question is unclear, check the Louisiana Civil Code or the official study material. In the last days before the exam, redo only the sets where you made the most errors, and confirm your registration is complete.

Expect to invest between $500 and $800 to become a LA Notary, covering all fees, study materials, and initial bonding requirements.

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Pros and Cons at a Glance

Sample LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam Practice Questions

Try these questions from our free LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.

1. A client asks a Louisiana notary to prepare an olographic testament. What should the notary advise?

   • A. The notary must write the testament for the client
   • B. The testator must write the entire testament by hand, date it, and sign it -- the notary cannot prepare it
   • C. The notary should type the testament and have it notarized
   • D. Two witnesses are required for an olographic testament

   Answer: B. The testator must write the entire testament by hand, date it, and sign it -- the notary cannot prepare it

   An olographic testament must be entirely in the testator's handwriting; a notary-prepared document would not qualify.

2. Mr. Boudreaux needs to execute a donation of immovable property to his son, an act which Louisiana law requires to be in authentic form. He signs the act before a notary and two witnesses in Lafayette. His son, who is in New Orleans, signs the same document the next day before a different notary and two different witnesses. Which of the following is true regarding the status of the act?

   • A. The act is invalid because all parties, witnesses, and the notary did not sign at the same time and place.
   • B. The act is an Act Under Private Signature Duly Acknowledged but not an Authentic Act.
   • C. The act qualifies as an Authentic Act provided all signature and witness requirements were met at each location.
   • D. The act is null because the same two witnesses did not witness both signatures.

   Answer: C. The act qualifies as an Authentic Act provided all signature and witness requirements were met at each location.

   Louisiana Civil Code Article 1833(B) explicitly states that a writing does not need to be executed at one time or place, or before the same notary public or in the presence of the same witnesses, to be an authentic act. As long as each party executes the document before a notary and two witnesses, the requirements are met.

3. A document is presented to a Louisiana Notary for a jurat. Which action is mandatory for the notary to perform?

   • A. Verify that the signer has willingly signed the document.
   • B. Allow the signer to sign the document before appearing in person.
   • C. Administer an oath or affirmation to the signer.
   • D. Confirm the signer's understanding of the document's legal consequences.

   Answer: C. Administer an oath or affirmation to the signer.

   The primary purpose of a jurat is for the signer to swear or affirm that the contents of a document are true. Therefore, the notary must administer an oath or affirmation. The signer must sign the document in the notary's presence for a jurat.

4. A Louisiana notary receives a request to notarize a document for a person who does not speak English. What should the notary do?

   • A. Refuse to notarize the document
   • B. Ensure a qualified interpreter is present and that the person understands the document's contents before proceeding
   • C. Notarize it without any special accommodations
   • D. Have the person sign a waiver of understanding

   Answer: B. Ensure a qualified interpreter is present and that the person understands the document's contents before proceeding

   The notary must ensure the party understands the document, which may require a qualified interpreter.

Take the full LA Notary - Louisiana Notary Exam practice test

Sources & last verified

1. Louisiana Secretary of State — passing score, delivery (official source). “To pass, applicants must achieve a scaled score of 70 (of 100) on the examination.” Verified Oct 20, 2026 · source checked Oct 20, 2026.
2. Louisiana Secretary of State — retake policy, validity (official source). “as many times as they wish to take the exam.” Verified Oct 16, 2026 · source checked Oct 16, 2026.
3. Louisiana Secretary of State — validity, renewal (official source). “Notaries in Louisiana are commissioned for life pursuant to Attorney General Opinion 1940-42.” Verified Oct 20, 2026 · source checked Oct 20, 2026.
4. lsu.edu — score release (official source). “Scores are usually emailed four to six weeks after the exam date.” Verified Oct 19, 2026 · source checked Oct 19, 2026.
5. Louisiana Secretary of State — registration deadline (official source). “The deadline to get your Application to Qualify, Notary Exam Pre-Assessment and Examination Registration completed is 30 days prior to the exam.” Verified Oct 20, 2026 · source checked Oct 20, 2026.
6. Louisiana Secretary of State — other (official source). “are now required to maintain a $50,000 surety bond, an increase from the previous $10,000 requirement. The law took effect on Feb. 1, 2026.” Verified Oct 20, 2026 · source checked Oct 20, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.