Become a California Notary Public

State-approved online course. 200+ practice exam questions. Complete exam prep system included.

🏫 Teaching CA Notaries for 14+ Years  |  👥 Thousands of Students  |  🎓 Instant Certificate  |  ✅ 60-Day Money-Back  |  🔒 Secure Checkout

START MY COURSE – $49

Becoming a notary in California takes five steps: complete a state-approved course, pass the state exam, get fingerprinted, file your bond, and order your seal and journal. Typical total cost: $200–$400. Our $49 state-approved online course covers the education requirement, with the full exam prep system, downloadable resources, and instructor Q&A included.

For first-timers and renewing notaries, everywhere in California. Not sure which course you need? The selector below matches you in ten seconds.

The Exam Is the Hard Part

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 is a written test — the questions use the state’s own legal language, under time pressure.

The course’s lessons and practice questions are built on that exact language, so nothing on test day will be unfamiliar.

Everything Included

One price. Everything below. No tiers. No upsells.

📚 Core Course
6-hour state-approved curriculum, workbook, handbook, instant certificate

📝 Exam Prep
7-lesson strategy course, exam-cram audio, 32 study activities, 200+ practice questions

📥 Downloadable Resources
Forms pack, study binder, fee schedule, journal practice kit

See full course details →

How We Compare

Budget courses 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.

Renewing your commission? See the 3-hour renewal course →

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 above is one price. Choose your course below — 6-hour for new notaries, 3-hour for renewals.

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

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

VIEW 6-HOUR COURSE

3 Hour Course​

$49

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

VIEW 3-HOUR COURSE
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.

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.

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 with our commission status checker.

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.

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.

More questions? See the full FAQ on the course page →

Ready to Become a California Notary?

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

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