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Notary Public Self-Test Question
Each of the following questions deals with an important aspect of acting as a notary public within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In order to test your familiarity with the duties and responsibilities of acting as a notary public, it is recommended that you take the self administered examination.
Click on the response, true or false for the answer to each question.
- A notary public commissioned by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may perform notarial acts anywhere in the United States.
 
- A notary public commissioned by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may perform notarial acts anywhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- A notary public may use a rubber stamp as a substitute for his/her signature.
- A notary public may notarize his/her own signature.
- A notary public can delegate his/her notarial authority to another person.
- A notary public may not act as such in any transaction involving a person who is related to the notary public.
- A notary public may act as such in any transaction in which the notary public is financially interested.
- A notary public may not act as such in any transaction in which the notary public has a direct interest.
- A notary public may advise persons regarding questions of law.
- A notary public need not require an individual to personally appear before them when executing an affidavit where the notary public is personally familiar with the signature of the individual.
- A jurat is a statement set forth on the affidavit by the notary public who administered the oath showing when, where and before whom it was sworn.
- The notarization of an affidavit guarantees that (1) the affiant personally appeared before the notary public (2) that the affiant was identified by the notary public and (3) the affiant was sworn by the notary public to tell the truth.
- The fees for performing notarizations are fixed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with the approval of the Office of Attorney General, and may not be exceeded by the notary public.
- An acknowledgment is a statement made by a person who signs a document admitting he/she signed it and knew what he/she was doing at the time the document was executed.
- The date set forth on the acknowledgment may be different from the date set forth on the document to which it refers but in no instance may it be earlier than the date of the document.
- Under the Uniform Acknowledgment Act, an attorney-at-law can appear before a notary public and execute an acknowledgment certifying that he personally witnessed an individual sign the instrument in question.
- With the limited exception of documents presented to the recorder of deeds for filing, a notarization should always set forth the notary public's signature, title, the notary public's rubber stamp seal, and the date of the notarization.
- The date of the notarization will always be the date the notarization was made. Notarizations cannot be backdated.
- The Notary Public Law, as amended, requires every notary public to keep a notary register of all official acts.
- A notary register must contain (1) the date of the notarial act (2) the character of the notarial act (3) by whom or to whom the document was executed (4) the date of the instrument and (5) the notary fee paid.
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth can revoke the commission of any notary public who collects fees due to a state agency from a customer and then issues a bad personal check to the agency on the customer’s behalf.
- Within forty-five (45) days of the date of his/her appointment, an applicant for a notary public commission must be bonded by a surety, take the bond to the recorder of deeds of the county where an office is located and take his/her oath to be sworn in as a notary public.
- A notary public is required to have a bond.
- A notary public must identify an individual who appears before him/her.
- A notary public has the option of determining the identity of an individual appearing before him/her through satisfactory evidence, which is defined as reliance on the presentation of a current, government-issued identification card bearing a photograph, signature or physical description and serial or identification number.
- The official signature of each notary public shall be registered with the prothonotary’s office of the county where the notary public maintains his/her office.
- Where the name of the notary public is changed by decree of court or otherwise, a notary public may continue to perform official acts in the name in which he/she was commissioned until the expiration of his/her term, but he/she shall, within thirty (30) days after entry of such decree or after such name change, notify the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the recorder of deeds of the county in which he/she maintains an office, of such change of name.
- Where the address of a notary public changes within the Commonwealth, notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the recorder of deeds of the county of the original appointment by the notary public within thirty (30) days of such change.
- A notary public vacates his office by residing outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- A notary public seal is a rubber stamp which includes (1) the words "Notarial Seal," (2) the name and surname of the notary public, (3) the words "Notary Public," (4) the name of the municipality and county in which the notary public maintains an office, (5) the date the notary public’s commission expires and (6) a plain border.
- The maximum size of the notary stamp seal is set by statute.
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth 's disciplinary options under the Notary Public Law are limited to the rejection of any application or the revocation of the commission of any notary public for good cause.
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Modified Date: 12/16/2009 09:13 AM
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