Become a California Notary Public

State-approved online course. 200+ practice exam questions. Instructor answers on every lesson.

🏫 14+ Years State-Approved  |  👥 Thousands of Students  |  🎓 Instant Certificate  |  ✅ 60-Day Money-Back  |  🔒 Secure Checkout

START MY COURSE – $49
or 4 payments of $12.25 with Afterpay Klarna PayPal

The Exam Is the Hard Part

Every state-approved course covers the same legally required topics. That part is straightforward.

The exam is what stops people.

The California notary exam tests on specific laws, fees, and procedures.

You pay $40 to take it, and if you don’t pass:

  • $20 for the retake fee
  • Gas and drive time back to the testing center
  • Time off work, again
  • You can’t retake in the same calendar month
  • Your commission gets pushed back by weeks, minimum

That’s real money and real time lost. The retake fee alone is $20. Add the drive, the missed work, and the weeks of waiting, and one failed exam can cost you $100 or more before you ever make a dollar as a notary.

And some people fail the exam multiple times before passing.

Here’s what catches people off guard: the exam uses specific legal terminology. If your course only gives you simplified explanations and never shows you the actual language the state uses, the exam reads like a foreign language.

We teach in the state’s own language. Not to overwhelm you. The material is written clearly and it’s manageable. But you’ll see the real terminology while you study, so nothing is unfamiliar on exam day.

How It Works

1. ENROLL — $49 gets you instant access.

2. COMPLETE — Read through the lessons, finish in 6 hours (or 3 for renewals), work through 200+ practice questions. Stop and resume anytime within 60 days.

3. EXAM-READY — Download your Proof of Completion certificate instantly. Walk into the testing center knowing exactly what to expect.

What’s Included

One price. Everything below. No “essential” vs “premium” tiers. No upsells.

Core Course

  • State-approved 6-hour online course (or 3-hour refresher for renewals): Text-and-image-based lessons written in the same legal language the state uses on the exam because you need to know the state’s legal language to pass the text-based exam.
  • Course Workbook: The course workbook is available so you can follow along and take notes.
  • Notary Handbook: The official State of CA Notary Handbook.
  • Proof of Completion certificate: download it the moment you finish. Print it. Bring it to the exam. Required for exam registration.
  • Discussion forums on every lesson page: Thousands of students have already taken this course and asked questions. Chances are yours is already asked and answered right there on the lesson page. If not, post it and your instructor responds within one business day.
  • Progress tracking: stop on your phone, resume on your laptop. Your progress saves automatically.
  • Mobile-friendly: works on any device with a browser.

Exam Prep — Strategy + Practice

The state-approved 6-hour course teaches you notary law. That’s required. But knowing the law and passing a multiple-choice exam are two different skills. Our exam prep course covers both.

  • Exam Strategy Module: A dedicated 7-lesson module that walks you through exactly how to prepare for and take the California notary exam. Not a few tips stuck at the end of the course. A structured walkthrough:
    • Before the Exam: How the exam is structured, how to study efficiently, and what to do the day before (rest, what to bring, logistics).
    • During the Exam: How to manage your time, read questions carefully, and eliminate wrong answers. These are test-taking strategies specific to the California notary exam format.
  • 200+ Practice Exam Questions: Refined over 14 years of teaching California notary education. Take unlimited practice exams. Each one pulls 35 random questions. Every time you take it, you see different questions.

We sell the Exam Prep course and practice questions for $49 on its own.

Bonus Downloadable Resources

You’ll also get bonus downloadable resources in addition the the state approved course and the exam prep course. Download instantly. Print what you need. Keep them forever.

  • CA Notary Forms Pack: Acknowledgment, Jurat, and Proof of Execution forms in the exact format required by California Civil Code §§ 1189, 1195, and GC § 8202. Print copies for practice. Know exactly what each form looks like before exam day.
  • Notary Quick Reference Kit
    • Fee Schedule: Every fee you can legally charge under GC § 8211, in one clean table.
    • ID Verification Cheat Sheet: The three methods of identifying signers (ID documents, single credible witness, two credible witnesses) with exactly what to record in your journal for each one. This is the #1 most tested topic on the exam.
  • Printable Study Binder
    • Comprehensive Study Guide: 10-page guide covering every exam-tested topic: qualifications, seals, identification, journaling, notarial acts, fees, prohibited acts, and penalties. Not a bullet-point summary. Actual explanations you can study from.
    • Numbers to Know: Every fee, time period, bond amount, seal specification, and penalty — color-coded and organized. The exam tests these numbers specifically.
    • Exam Day Checklist: Exactly what to bring (and what NOT to bring) to the CPS HR testing center. Includes the items students forget most often.
    • Post-Exam Checklist: What to do after you pass. File your bond, order your seal, get your journal. An 8-step timeline so you don’t miss a deadline.
  • Notary Journal Practice Kit: A complete training journal with 5 filled-in examples showing real-world scenarios (grant deeds, jurats, powers of attorney, single and two credible witnesses). Each entry is explained field by field in the included scenario key. Plus 18 blank entries for your own practice. Covers the thumbprint rules, fee recording, and ID documentation. These are the journal topics that show up on every exam.

One More Thing

  • $50 off Signing Agent Academy at NotaryTrainingSchool.com. A 4-course business program for notaries who want to work loan signings. You’re under no obligation. But if you decide to take your notary career further, you’ve got $50 waiting.

Built for the Exam. Not Just the Requirement.

Here’s what we’ve built over 14 years:

The language matches the exam.

The state exam uses specific legal terminology. Our lessons are written in that same language. Not to make it harder. The material is clear and organized. But when you sit down for the exam, the wording won’t throw you off. You’ve been reading it for 6 hours already. And you’ll probably look around the exam room and see students panic when they read the first question. But when you read that first question you’ll be confident that you’ve got this. You’ve seen it all already.

Practice questions that actually reflect the exam.

Our question bank has been refined through feedback from thousands of students. When laws change, the questions change. When students report a confusing topic, we add questions for it.

A growing archive of answers on every lesson.

Each lesson page has its own discussion forum. Thousands of students have come through before you. Most questions are already asked and answered. If yours isn’t, your instructor responds within one business day.

Built for California.

We teach California notary law. That’s it. Every lesson, every question, every workbook page is built for the California exam.

How We Compare

Budget courses ($5-35) cover the state-required material and nothing else. No practice questions, no per-lesson support, no refund after you finish. They’re focused on being the cheapest. If the minimum requirement is all you need, they’ll do the job.

Mid-range courses ($49-89) add some extras but not consistently. Some include practice questions. Some charge extra. Support is usually email-only, if it exists at all. Discussion forums are rare. You’re paying more but not necessarily getting more.

NNA ($199) is the industry default. Notary course, one practice exam, flashcards, and a study guide. Support is a sales call center, not instructors on your lessons. Notary training is one business of many for a national organization that sells supplies, insurance, and memberships across all fifty states.

CalNotaryClass ($49) gives you exam tips and practice, per-lesson discussion forums with instructor responses and thousands of archived answers, email and phone support, a course workbook, exam prep, and downloadable resources. We’ve been teaching California notary law for 14 years. 

What Our Students Say

  • I scored 100%

    I just got my exam results back and I scored 100%! Great class. Clear information and good practice tests. I highly recommend.
    Erin Nelsen

  • Passed on the first attempt.

    Your practice exam is amazing! I took it not less than 20 times. It built my confidence a lot before taking the actual exam. I passed the exam on the first attempt.
    Hemant Bhatt

  • I knew I was going to pass.

    I passed the notary exam! The lessons and the practice exams helped me build my confidence even to the point of walking into the exam room. I knew I was going to pass the test.
    Jeanette Hernandez

  • Easy to follow.

    Fun learning! I found that the program is easy to follow and allows for a lot of practice. I feel confident to take the test this weekend.
    Elisa S.

Trusted by Returning Notaries

A notary commission lasts 4 years in California. When it’s time to renew, thousands of our students come back.

They don’t come back because we’re the cheapest. They come back because the lessons and practice questions worked, the instructor answered their questions, and they passed.

Repeat business from people who’ve actually taken the exam. That’s the metric we care about.

Everything Included — $49

$49. That’s it. The NNA charges $199 for the same mandatory requirement. We charge $49 for the course, the exam prep, the practice questions, and every downloadable resource above.

Choose Your Course

Not sure which one? If you’re new to notary work or your commission has expired, choose the 6-hour course. If you’re renewing and your commission is still active, the 3-hour course is for you if you can pass the exam before the expiration date.

Renewing your notary commission and cutting it close? Our exclusive online tool will help you decide which course to get.

6 Hour Course​

$49
or 4 payments of $12.25 with Afterpay Klarna PayPal

Choose this course if you are new or if your commission has expired.​​

GET STARTED

3 Hour Course​

$49
or 4 payments of $12.25 with Afterpay Klarna PayPal

Choose this course if you are renewing your non-expired commission.​

GET STARTED

💳 Can’t pay all at once? Split $49 into multiple payments.

 No interest. No catch. Choose PayPal Buy Now Pay Later, Klarna, or Afterpay at checkout.

Cartoon man with clipboard, pen, and documents.

✅ 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Go through the entire course. Read every lesson. Take every practice exam. Download your certificate.

If it’s not what you needed, email us. You get a full refund within 60 days. No conditions. No “you started it so the guarantee is void” clause.

We can offer this because the course works. thousands of students and 14 years of refinements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Here are the ones we hear most.

Getting Started

Yes. We are listed on the California Secretary of State’s website as an approved vendor under our name, CalNotaryClass.com. You can verify this directly on the SOS site.

In-person seminars exist (NNA offers them for $199, same price as their online course). You drive to a location, sit in a room for 6+ hours, and usually can take the exam the same day. Some people like the structure.

But doing it all in one day is tough. We’ve had students come to us for training after they failed the exam following an in-person class. Six hours of lecture and then a test is a lot to absorb before you’ve had time to practice.

If you’d rather study at your own pace, take practice exams, and walk in prepared, online makes more sense. Same state-approved education. Same certificate. $150 less.

Plus you can start at 9 PM in your pajamas, stop when you’re tired, and pick up tomorrow.

Take the 6-hour course if you’re brand new or your commission has expired. Take the 3-hour refresher if you’re a renewing notary whose commission has not yet expired. If you’re not sure, check your commission status on the Secretary of State’s website. The state recommends taking your exam at least 6 months before your commission expires. Exams are offered once per month in most counties, and less often in some. You must complete your course and pass the exam before your commission expires to be eligible to use the 3-hour course.

Instantly. The moment your payment processes, you have full access to the course.

Yes. Progress saves automatically. Close the browser, come back tomorrow, pick up where you left off.

Money & Value

Every state-approved course covers the same legally required material: 3 or 6 hours, mandated and audited by the state. What changes is what you get on top.

Some providers charge $79 or more and still don’t include practice questions, per-lesson instructor support, or a guarantee that applies after you finish the course. We include all three at $49.

If the state requirement is all you need, cheaper options will cover it. If you want to walk into the exam prepared, $49 gets you everything. No tiers, no upsells, no paying extra for the parts that actually help you pass.

No. Every state-approved course is 3 or 6 hours by law. The state actually audits approved courses. A state auditor takes the course to verify it meets the minimum required time. There’s no way to offer a shorter option.

The difference between providers is what you get on top of those required hours: practice questions, support, and guarantee.

Add the following items:

  • This course: $49
  • State exam and application fee: $40 (paid to CPS HR at the exam, by check or money order)
  • Live Scan fingerprinting: $40–70 (varies by county)
  • Surety bond: $30–50 ($15,000 bond)
  • Supplies (seal, journal): varies by vendor

Total is typically under $250. See our detailed cost breakdown →

We don’t know. Neither does any other course provider.

The California Secretary of State tracks which vendor a student trained with and whether they passed. They do not release those numbers to vendors or the public. Any provider claiming a specific pass rate is using a self-selected survey with a tiny response rate, or they made it up.

We tried surveying our own students. The response rate wasn’t statistically significant. So instead of publishing a number we can’t stand behind, we focus on what we can control: a thorough course, 200+ practice questions, and instructor support on every lesson.

If you don’t pass on your first attempt, reach out and we’ll help you prepare for the retake. The state charges $20 for retakes. No one can actually “guarantee” that you’ll pas the exam. After all a student might register for a course and never go take the exam. And others might think just buying a course guarantees success without putting in the study time. But we’re here to help and give you access to the content again if you do need a retake.

As a sidenote: students rarely tell us they failed. Maybe once or twice per year. If we used that to estimate a pass rate (see the question above) we’d be at 99.99%. I wonder if that’s how the other companies do it.

Email us within 60 days of purchase. Full refund. No questions. Well we might ask you how we can improve because we always want to do better. This applies even if you completed the entire course and downloaded your certificate. Most providers void the guarantee once you finish. We don’t.

We issue your Proof of Completion certificate instantly. You download it and print it.

Some providers advertise “e-filing” as a feature. We’re not sure what they mean by that. Some of them are run by traffic schools, where electronic filing actually means something. For the notary exam, it doesn’t.  CPS HR Consulting, the organization that runs the state exam, requires you to bring a physical, printed copy of your certificate to the testing center. It must be attached to your application with a 2″x2″ passport photo.

Trust & Support

Because the state exam is text-based.

The exam uses specific legal language and terminology. If your course only gives you simplified video explanations, the written exam questions can read like a different language. We teach in the same format you’ll be tested in.

If you can read this page and fill out a checkout form, you can complete this course. Progress saves automatically. If you get stuck on a lesson, ask a question right there on the lesson page.

Discussion forums on every lesson page. Thousands of students have been through before you, so most questions are already asked and answered right there. If yours isn’t, your instructor responds within one business day. You can also reach us by email and phone.

Two reasons.

  1. Laws change. California notary laws and how state administrators interpret them change regularly. 60-day access means you’re studying current material, not a version from a year or two ago.
  2. Completion rates. Online course completion rates across the industry run 5 to 15%. A defined window pushes you to actually finish, take the exam, and get commissioned.

If you need more time, contact us.

Eligibility

You must be 18 or older, a legal resident of California, and pass a background check. You do not need a high school diploma. Full requirements →

Next Steps

  1. Complete this online training course.
  2. Pass the state exam (administered by CPS HR Consulting).
  3. Submit your application, get fingerprinted, file your bond, and receive your commission.

We cover all of these steps in detail during the course. Overview of the process →

State exam: Through CPS HR Consulting, the only organization approved by the state. Offered at locations throughout California. You can search the schedule using our tool (It’s much easier than using the official site).

LiveScan: Find providers on the CA Department of Justice website.

Passport photo: Walgreens, CVS, or any post office. Must be 2″x2″ color.

We have a supply recommendation site at Notary Style.

Ready to Become a California Notary?

$49. Everything included. 60-day money-back guarantee. Instant access.

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