Ohio Notary Public Exam — All Questions

What Ohio law modernized the notary program and authorized online notarization?

• a.The Ohio Notary Repeal Act
• b.The Notary Public Modernization Act (SB 263)✓
• c.The Ohio Seal Act
• d.The Uniform Commercial Code

Ohio's Notary Public Modernization Act (Senate Bill 263, effective 2019) restructured the notary program—adding education, testing, background checks, statewide commissions, and authorization for online notarization. It is the framework the Ohio exam is built on.

In an Ohio jurat, the signer must:

• a.Sign at home beforehand
• b.Provide a thumbprint
• c.Sign in the notary's presence and swear the contents are true✓
• d.Only show ID

A jurat (verification on oath or affirmation) requires the signer to sign in the notary's presence and take an oath or affirmation that the statement is true. An acknowledgment, by contrast, only confirms voluntary execution and may be signed beforehand.

Which act may an Ohio notary perform?

• a.Administer an oath or affirmation✓
• b.Grant a marriage license
• c.Certify a birth certificate as a state record
• d.Issue a court subpoena

Ohio notaries take acknowledgments, administer oaths/affirmations, take jurats, and witness signatures. They do not issue marriage or birth records or court process. Knowing the scope of notarial authority is a core exam topic.

An Ohio signer asks the notary which certificate to use. The non-attorney notary should:

• a.Pick the acknowledgment
• b.Pick the jurat
• c.Not choose for the signer; let the document or signer specify, or refer to an attorney✓
• d.Perform both acts

Choosing the notarial act/certificate is a legal determination. A non-attorney Ohio notary who selects it for the signer commits the unauthorized practice of law. The document or signer must specify the act; otherwise the signer should consult an attorney.

How does an Ohio notary establish satisfactory evidence of identity?

• a.By the signer's statement alone
• b.By a current government photo ID or a credible witness✓
• c.By a library card
• d.By a mailed photocopy of ID

Identity is established by personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence—usually a current government-issued photo ID, or the oath of a credible witness who knows the signer and is known to or identified to the notary. The signer must personally appear.

An Ohio signer cannot explain a document and seems pressured by a companion. The notary should:

• a.Refuse, because willingness and awareness are in doubt✓
• b.Proceed because ID is valid
• c.Proceed and note the pressure
• d.Charge a higher fee

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

Personal appearance before an Ohio notary is required:

• a.Only for jurats
• b.Only for real-property documents
• c.At the time of the notarial act (in person or, for online acts, by live audio-video)✓
• d.Never, if ID is provided

The signer must personally appear at the time of the act—physically for traditional acts, or by real-time audio-video for authorized online notarizations. A notary cannot notarize for someone who did not appear.

For which Ohio notarizations is keeping a journal and audio-video recording mandatory?

• a.Traditional acknowledgments
• b.Oaths of office✓
• c.Online notarizations
• d.None

Ohio requires online notaries to keep a journal of online acts and retain the audio-video recording (generally at least ten years). For traditional acts, journaling is a strong best practice but the online-act recording/journal is mandatory.

What should an Ohio journal entry include?

• a.The signer's credit score
• b.The notary's salary
• c.The date/time, type of act, document type, signer's name and how identified, and fee✓
• d.Nothing

A useful (and, for online acts, required) journal entry records the date and time, the type of act, the document type, the signer's name and how identity was verified, and the fee. Complete records protect the notary and the public.

How long must an Ohio online notary generally retain the audio-video recording?

• a.At least ten years✓
• b.30 days
• c.One year
• d.Until the commission ends

Ohio online-act recordings and journals must generally be retained for at least ten years (per the Secretary of State's rules) and kept securely under the notary's control, to be produced if lawfully requested.

May an Ohio notary notarize a contract in which the notary is a beneficiary?

• a.Yes, for the $5 fee
• b.No—the notary has a direct beneficial interest and must decline✓
• c.Yes, with a witness
• d.Only online

A notary may not notarize a document in which the notary has a direct beneficial or financial interest. As a beneficiary of the contract, the Ohio notary is disqualified and must decline; proceeding is misconduct that can void the act and lead to discipline.

A non-attorney Ohio notary advertises as a 'notario publico.' This is:

• a.Encouraged for marketing
• b.Required
• c.Restricted, because it implies the ability to give legal services✓
• d.Only allowed online

Ohio restricts a non-attorney notary from using 'notario' or 'notario publico,' which in some countries implies attorney-level authority. Such advertising, and giving legal advice or preparing legal documents, is prohibited unauthorized practice of law.

How long is an Ohio notary commission valid?

• a.Five years✓
• b.Four years
• c.Two years
• d.Ten years

An Ohio notary commission issued under the Modernization Act is valid for five years and is statewide. New non-attorney applicants complete education, pass the 80% exam, and clear a background check; attorneys follow a separate exempt track.

What must a new non-attorney Ohio applicant complete before testing?

• a.A one-year apprenticeship
• b.A 3-hour education course✓
• c.A $10,000 bond
• d.A law degree

New non-attorney Ohio applicants must complete a 3-hour education course before taking the exam, pass at 80% (24 of 30), and submit a criminal background check. Ohio attorneys are exempt from the course and exam.

Is a surety bond required for a traditional Ohio notary commission?

• a.Yes, $10,000
• b.Yes, $25,000
• c.No statewide bond is required for a traditional commission✓
• d.Yes, $100,000

Ohio does not require a statewide surety bond for a traditional notary commission, unlike states such as California or Pennsylvania. Applicants instead complete education, testing, and a background check, then file with the Secretary of State.

What is the maximum fee for a traditional in-person notarial act in Ohio?

• a.$2
• b.$5✓
• c.$15
• d.No limit

Ohio caps the fee for a traditional in-person notarial act at $5 per act. A notary may charge less but not more. Online notarizations have a separate, higher maximum to reflect added technology and verification steps.

Why does Ohio allow a higher maximum fee for online notarizations?

• a.To reflect the added technology, identity-proofing, and recording steps✓
• b.Because online notaries are attorneys
• c.Because there is no cap online
• d.To discourage online acts

Online notarization involves credential analysis, identity proofing, audio-video technology, and recording retention. Ohio therefore sets a higher maximum fee (e.g., up to $25 per online act by statute/rule) than the $5 traditional cap. Verify the current figure.

Which element must an Ohio notary stamp include?

• a.The signer's photo
• b.The notary's home address
• c.The notary's name, 'Notary Public,' 'State of Ohio,' and commission expiration date✓
• d.The county sheriff's seal

The Ohio stamp must show the notary's name as commissioned, 'Notary Public,' 'State of Ohio,' and the commission expiration date, and be photographically reproducible. Ohio commissions under the Modernization Act are statewide, so the stamp identifies the state, not a single county.

If an Ohio notary's stamp is lost or stolen, the notary should:

• a.Notify the Secretary of State✓
• b.Do nothing
• c.Keep using a copy
• d.Notify only the buyer of the stamp

A lost or stolen stamp should be reported to the Ohio Secretary of State to guard against fraudulent use. The stamp must be kept secure, used only by the notary, and destroyed or safeguarded when the commission ends.

Before performing online notarizations in Ohio, a notary must:

• a.Do nothing extra
• b.Hold a traditional commission, obtain online-notary authorization, and use an approved provider✓
• c.Give up traditional notarization
• d.Become an attorney

An Ohio notary must first hold a traditional commission, then apply for separate online-notary authorization, complete any required training, and use an approved online provider with audio-video technology, identity proofing, and a tamper-evident electronic seal.

An Ohio online notarization uses which identity method in addition to credential analysis?

• a.A mailed ID
• b.No identity check
• c.Identity proofing (knowledge-based authentication) or personal knowledge✓
• d.A social media login

Ohio online notarization relies on credential analysis of the ID plus identity proofing (such as knowledge-based authentication) or the notary's personal knowledge of the signer, all over real-time audio-video, with the act recorded and retained.

An Ohio notary notarizes a signature for a person who did not appear, based on a phone call. This is:

• a.Misconduct that can lead to revocation and liability✓
• b.Acceptable for acknowledgments
• c.Fine if ID was emailed
• d.Allowed under the Modernization Act

Notarizing without personal appearance is serious misconduct in Ohio. It can lead to commission revocation, civil liability, and criminal charges. Personal appearance—in person or by authorized live audio-video for online acts—is mandatory.