Hawaii Notary Public Exam — All Questions

What is the most heavily tested duty of a Hawaii notary?

• a.Advertising
• b.Keeping a mandatory record (journal) of every official act✓
• c.Certifying passports
• d.Solemnizing marriages

Hawaii places unusual emphasis on record-keeping: a notary must keep a permanent record of every notarial act, and this journal duty is the most heavily tested topic on the Hawaii exam. Complete, contemporaneous entries are mandatory, not optional.

A Hawaii notary's record of each act must include:

• a.Only the fee
• b.Only the signer's name
• c.The date, nature of the act, parties, document, how identity was established, and the fee✓
• d.Nothing specific

Each Hawaii journal entry records the date, the nature of the act, the parties, the document, how identity was established, and the fee. Hawaii treats the record as an official record, so complete entries are required and the notary can be asked to certify copies from it.

Because a Hawaii notary keeps a permanent record of acts, the notary may be asked to:

• a.Certify a copy of a record of a notarial act✓
• b.Destroy the record after each act
• c.Keep no records at all
• d.Share records publicly online

Since Hawaii notaries maintain a permanent official record, they may be required to certify a copy of a record of a notarial act. The record must be kept secure, retained for the period required by law, and handled as the Attorney General directs when the commission ends.

When a Hawaii notary's commission ends, the record of acts must be:

• a.Thrown away
• b.Kept by the last client
• c.Retained or deposited/disposed of as the Attorney General directs✓
• d.Emailed to signers

Hawaii's record is an official record. When the commission ends, the notary must retain or surrender/dispose of it as the Attorney General directs. Failing to keep or properly handle the required record is misconduct that Hawaii takes seriously.

Every Hawaii notarial certificate must include, in addition to the signature and seal:

• a.The signer's fingerprint
• b.A certification statement and the notary's certification/identification number✓
• c.The notary's home address
• d.A photo of the document

Hawaii requires a specific certification statement on each certificate plus the notary's signature, seal, and certification/identification number assigned by the Attorney General. Tying each act to the notary's certification number is a distinctive, tested Hawaii feature.

In a Hawaii jurat, the signer:

• a.Signs at home first
• b.Only shows ID
• c.Signs before the notary and swears the contents are true✓
• d.Provides a thumbprint

A jurat requires the signer to sign in the notary's presence and swear or affirm that the contents are true. An acknowledgment only confirms voluntary execution. The notary administers the oath for the jurat and completes the certificate.

A Hawaii signer asks the notary to decide whether an acknowledgment or jurat is needed. The non-attorney notary should:

• a.Not choose for the signer; let the document/signer specify or refer to an attorney✓
• b.Choose the acknowledgment
• c.Choose the jurat
• d.Do both

Selecting the notarial act is a legal determination. A non-attorney Hawaii notary who chooses for the signer engages in unauthorized practice of law. The document or signer should specify the act; otherwise refer the signer to an attorney.

How does a Hawaii notary establish a signer's identity?

• a.By the signer's word
• b.By personal knowledge or a current government photo ID (or a credible witness where allowed)✓
• c.By a store loyalty card
• d.By a mailed ID copy

Identity is established by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence such as a current government-issued photo ID, or a credible witness where allowed. The signer must personally appear. Accurate identification is essential because each act is tied to the notary's record and certification number.

A Hawaii signer appears not to understand the document and seems pressured. The notary should:

• a.Refuse the act because willingness and awareness are in doubt✓
• b.Proceed if ID is valid
• c.Proceed and note it in the record
• d.Charge more to proceed

The notary must be satisfied the signer appears willing and aware. If the signer cannot understand the document or seems coerced, the Hawaii notary must refuse. Valid ID does not cure doubts about voluntariness or capacity.

Personal appearance before a Hawaii notary is:

• a.Optional with good ID
• b.Required only for jurats
• c.Required at the time of the act✓
• d.Never required

The signer must personally appear before the Hawaii notary at the time of the act (or by authorized audio-video for permitted remote acts). Notarizing for someone who did not appear is prohibited and is recorded incorrectly if attempted.

May a Hawaii notary notarize a document in which the notary has a beneficial interest?

• a.Yes, for the statutory fee
• b.No—a disqualifying interest bars the act✓
• c.Yes, with a witness
• d.Only electronically

A Hawaii notary may not perform an act in which the notary has a disqualifying beneficial or financial interest. Doing so is misconduct that can lead to revocation by the Attorney General, civil liability, and criminal penalties.

A non-attorney Hawaii notary is asked to prepare a legal contract and give advice on it. This is:

• a.A normal notarial service
• b.Required
• c.The unauthorized practice of law and prohibited✓
• d.Allowed for a higher fee

Preparing legal documents or giving legal advice is the unauthorized practice of law for a non-attorney notary. The Hawaii notary may complete the notarial certificate and administer oaths but must not counsel the signer on legal matters.

What passing score does the Hawaii notary exam require?

• a.80%✓
• b.70%
• c.60%
• d.100%

The Hawaii notary exam requires a score of 80% to pass. It is a closed-book, proctored, in-person written exam; the state does not publish a fixed question count or time limit. Applicants must also meet residency and character requirements.

Which set of fees is associated with becoming a Hawaii notary?

• a.$40 exam only
• b.$10 exam, $20 application, and $100 upon commissioning✓
• c.$65 exam only
• d.No fees

Hawaii's statutory fees include a $10 exam fee, a $20 application fee, and a $100 fee paid upon commissioning. The notary must also file a bond and take the oath of office before acting. Verify the current amounts with the Attorney General.

Before acting, a Hawaii notary must file a bond and:

• a.Nothing else
• b.Buy real property
• c.Take the oath of office and be issued a certification/identification number✓
• d.Serve as an apprentice

A Hawaii notary must file a surety bond and take the oath of office before acting, and is issued a certification/identification number that must appear on notarial certificates. Keeping the bond and filings current keeps the commission valid.

Under HRS §456-17, the Hawaii notary fee per act is capped at approximately:

• a.$2
• b.$5✓
• c.$15
• d.No limit

Hawaii caps the notarial fee at a modest statutory amount (about $5 per act/signature under HRS §456-17). A notary may charge less but not more, and the fee should be recorded in the mandatory record of acts. Verify the current maximum.

Where should a Hawaii notary record the fee charged for an act?

• a.In the mandatory record (journal) of acts✓
• b.Nowhere
• c.On the signer's ID
• d.On a public website

Because Hawaii requires a record of every act, the fee is part of that official record. Recording the fee alongside the date, act type, parties, and identification method keeps the mandatory record complete and accurate.

A distinctive element on a Hawaii notary's seal is:

• a.The signer's photo
• b.The notary's certification/identification number✓
• c.The county sheriff's name
• d.The document's title

A Hawaii notary seal shows the notary's name, 'Notary Public,' 'State of Hawaii,' and the certification/identification number assigned by the Attorney General. That certification number, tying each act to the specific notary, is a distinctive Hawaii feature.

If a Hawaii notary's seal is lost or stolen, the notary should:

• a.Notify the Attorney General✓
• b.Do nothing
• c.Keep using a backup
• d.Notify only the signer

A lost or stolen seal should be reported to the Hawaii Attorney General to prevent fraudulent use. The seal must be kept secure, used only by the commissioned notary, and disposed of so it cannot be misused when the commission ends.

When Hawaii authorizes a remote notarization, the notary must still:

• a.Skip identity checks
• b.Verify identity by the required process and retain the audio-video recording✓
• c.Avoid keeping records
• d.Ignore the certification number

Even for authorized remote acts, the Hawaii notary must verify identity through the required process (credential analysis and identity proofing or personal knowledge), retain the audio-video recording, and still meet the certificate and certification-number requirements. Record-keeping continues to apply.

Hawaii's strict record-keeping duty, for electronic and remote acts, means the notary must:

• a.Keep no records
• b.Delete recordings
• c.Keep the required record and retain any required audio-video recording✓
• d.Share recordings publicly

Hawaii's mandatory record-keeping extends to electronic and remote acts, including retention of any required audio-video recording. Because Hawaii emphasizes records so heavily, e-notary recordkeeping is central. Confirm current AG rules on remote acts.

A Hawaii notary completes a certificate for a signer who never appeared, and does not record the act. This is:

• a.Serious misconduct—false certificate and failure to keep the required record✓
• b.Acceptable for acknowledgments
• c.Fine if ID was emailed
• d.Allowed if the fee is waived

Notarizing without personal appearance is a false certificate, and failing to record the act violates Hawaii's mandatory record-keeping duty. Both are serious misconduct that can lead to revocation, civil liability, and criminal penalties.