Cram sheet
Arizona Notary Exam Cram Sheet
Use this as a last pass, then take a timed practice exam. It is a checklist of rules checked in statute. It is not the SOS manual, and these are not official exam questions.
Eligibility, bond, ID, fee statute, stamp, spouse conflict, RON, and the deed thumbprint were read on azleg.gov on 2026-09-29. The $10 ceilings were read the same day on the Cornell reprint of R2-12-1102. The SOS exam page did not load, so the 45-question practice format is labeled as this site’s setting, not as a figure re-read from SOS on that date.
Practice format on this site
About 80 seconds per item if you split an hour evenly. One free Full 45 in this browser can include Pro questions. Pro is a separate one-time 60-day purchase, not a subscription: the standard price is $22.21, and new members may pay $19.99 during the first 72 hours after registration. Pro unlocks all 196 practice questions, including the 143 that are Pro-only, and later full exams.
- 45 practice questions, 60 minutes, 80% to mark a practice pass (36 correct).
- A.R.S. § 41-270 does not state those three numbers. Confirm them on the live SOS page before the official exam.
- Quick 10 shows the explanation immediately. Full 45 hides explanations until you submit.
Commission and bond
Working in Arizona is not the same as claiming Arizona as your primary residence on your tax returns.
- 18 or older, U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident, Arizona tax resident who claims Arizona as the primary residence, and able to read and write English.
- Pass the exam if the SOS requires it, and keep an SOS-approved manual.
- Oath, then a $5,000 surety bond, before the commission is issued. Term: four years.
- An employer who pays does not own the commission or the stamp.
Official source: A.R.S. § 41-269 — Commission as notary public; assurance · A.R.S. § 41-269
Identity, acts, fees, conflicts
If a credential is not one of those unexpired documents, it is not satisfactory evidence under § 41-255(B)(1). Do not invent a journal note that upgrades it.
- The signer appears in person, or through a § 41-263 remote session.
- Satisfactory ID under § 41-255(B) includes an unexpired U.S. passport, state driver license or nonoperating ID, military ID, or another unexpired U.S., state, or tribal ID with a signature or a photo and physical description.
- An acknowledgment is not a verification on oath or affirmation. § 41-253(B) requires you to determine that the individual made that verification and that the record is complete.
- Fees: no charge up to $10 for the reprinted acknowledgment, jurat, oath, and per-page copy fees. Say the fee first. Travel is separate under § 41-316(B).
- Do not notarize a record you or your spouse is a party to, or in which either of you has a direct beneficial interest. That act is voidable.
- Do not put the official stamp over any signature on the record.
- Deeds and powers of attorney: right thumbprint in the journal, with the statutory alternatives, unless the remote-act exception in § 41-254(D)(3) applies.
Official source: A.R.S. § 41-255 — Identification of individual · A.R.S. § 41-255
Remote acts in one pass
Simultaneous sight and sound is the start of the definition, not the whole test.
- Notary in Arizona. SOS notice before the first remote act, naming the technologies.
- Identity by personal knowledge, a credible witness, or at least two types of identity proofing.
- Audiovisual recording, normally at least five years. Seven years, plus the ID credential number in the journal, if you are using the thumbprint exception for a covered deed or power of attorney.
- Certificate states that communication technology was used.
Related reading
Study material on this site is independently written for exam practice. Fees, passing scores, and procedures can change. Always verify against the Arizona Secretary of State before you apply or notarize.