Missouri notary exam practice questions

New to the process? Start with how to become a notary in Missouri.

1. What is the minimum age for a Missouri notary commission?

   1. 16
   2. 21
   3. 19
   4. 18
   Show the answer

   D. 18

   RSMo 486.605.2.

   Source: RSMo § 486.605, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

2. Which residence requirement applies?

   1. Be a registered Missouri voter in the county where they live
   2. Own real property in Missouri and pay county property tax
   3. Reside in Missouri or have a regular place of work or business in Missouri
   4. Have lived in Missouri for at least 2 full years before the application date
   Show the answer

   C. Reside in Missouri or have a regular place of work or business in Missouri

   RSMo 486.605.2.

   Source: RSMo § 486.605, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

3. What bond must a Missouri notary file?

   1. $10,000
   2. $50,000
   3. $25,000
   4. $5,000
   Show the answer

   A. $10,000

   RSMo 486.615.1.

   Source: RSMo § 486.615, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

4. Who issues the notary bond?

   1. The county clerk of residence
   2. The Secretary of State
   3. A surety licensed in Missouri
   4. Any bank with a Missouri branch
   Show the answer

   C. A surety licensed in Missouri

   RSMo 486.615.1.

   Source: RSMo § 486.615, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

5. Which is a notarial act a Missouri notary may perform?

   1. Certifying a photograph
   2. Drafting a deed
   3. Issuing an apostille
   4. Signature witnessing
   Show the answer

   D. Signature witnessing

   RSMo 486.640 lists acknowledgments, oaths and affirmations, jurats, signature witnessings and copy certifications; 486.665.2 bars certifying photographs.

   Source: RSMo § 486.640, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

6. Which ID document is satisfactory evidence in Missouri?

   1. A major credit card bearing the person's signature, printed name and photo
   2. A current utility bill and a bank statement showing the person's address
   3. A current government document with a photo, signature and physical description
   4. A driver's license that expired within the past five years, if the photo matches
   Show the answer

   C. A current government document with a photo, signature and physical description

   RSMo 486.600(21)(a).

   Source: RSMo § 486.600, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

7. How many witnesses must be present when a principal signs by mark?

   1. Three witnesses, one of them a notary
   2. Two witnesses disinterested in the document
   3. None, if the notary knows the signer
   4. One witness who is not related to the signer
   Show the answer

   B. Two witnesses disinterested in the document

   RSMo 486.645.2(1).

   Source: RSMo § 486.645, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

8. In a signature by mark, the two witnesses must:

   1. Sign the notary's journal only
   2. Show the notary their bank cards
   3. Make their own marks beside the signer's mark
   4. Sign their own names beside the mark
   Show the answer

   D. Sign their own names beside the mark

   RSMo 486.645.2(2).

   Source: RSMo § 486.645, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

9. What type of journal must a Missouri notary keep for paper acts?

   1. A loose-leaf binder with removable, numbered pages
   2. Any spreadsheet saved on a computer
   3. No journal is required for paper acts
   4. A permanently bound book with numbered pages
   Show the answer

   D. A permanently bound book with numbered pages

   RSMo 486.700.1.

   Source: RSMo § 486.700, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

10. How many active permanently bound journals may a notary keep at a time?

    1. Any number
    2. Two
    3. One per employer
    4. One
    Show the answer

    D. One

    RSMo 486.700.2.

    Source: RSMo § 486.700, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

11. When must the Missouri notary seal be applied?

    1. Within 24 hours
    2. Before the signer arrives
    3. At the time of notarization
    4. When the document is recorded
    Show the answer

    C. At the time of notarization

    RSMo 486.725.1.

    Source: RSMo § 486.725, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

12. Which item must the Missouri seal include?

    1. The notary's phone number
    2. The notary's date of birth
    3. The commission identification number
    4. The county where the notary lives
    Show the answer

    C. The commission identification number

    RSMo 486.730.1.

    Source: RSMo § 486.730, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

13. What is the most a Missouri notary may charge for an acknowledgment?

    1. $15 per document
    2. $10 per document
    3. $5 per signature
    4. $2 per signature
    Show the answer

    C. $5 per signature

    RSMo 486.685.2(1).

    Source: RSMo § 486.685, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

14. What is the most a Missouri notary may charge for a jurat?

    1. $5 per signature
    2. $10 per signature
    3. $25 per document
    4. $1 per signature
    Show the answer

    A. $5 per signature

    RSMo 486.685.2(2).

    Source: RSMo § 486.685, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

15. May a notary sign and seal a certificate the notary believes is false?

    1. Only for oaths
    2. No, not under any circumstances
    3. Yes, if the signer insists on it
    4. Yes, with a note in the journal
    Show the answer

    B. No, not under any circumstances

    RSMo 486.660(1).

    Source: RSMo § 486.660, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

16. A notary signs and seals a certificate and sends it for someone else to complete later. This is:

    1. Allowed for copies
    2. Prohibited
    3. Allowed if journaled
    4. Allowed for trusted clients
    Show the answer

    B. Prohibited

    RSMo 486.660(4).

    Source: RSMo § 486.660, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

17. Which item must every Missouri notarial certificate include?

    1. The notary's bond number
    2. The venue (state and county)
    3. The notary's home address
    4. The signer's Social Security number
    Show the answer

    B. The venue (state and county)

    RSMo 486.740.1: signature, seal, venue, date and facts attested.

    Source: RSMo § 486.740, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

18. How must a separate paper certificate be attached?

    1. Any way the notary likes, as long as it is attached before the document is recorded
    2. By a method that shows evidence of detachment, at notarization, in the principal's presence
    3. Mailed separately to the principal later, with a cover letter describing the document
    4. With a paper clip, so it can be removed for copying and recording later
    Show the answer

    B. By a method that shows evidence of detachment, at notarization, in the principal's presence

    RSMo 486.745.1.

    Source: RSMo § 486.745, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

19. Who may be liable for damages caused by a notary's official misconduct?

    1. Only the signer who asked for the notarial act
    2. The notary, the surety and, in some cases, the employer
    3. No one, because notaries act as public officers
    4. Only the county clerk who administered the oath
    Show the answer

    B. The notary, the surety and, in some cases, the employer

    RSMo 486.805.

    Source: RSMo § 486.805, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

20. Before revoking a commission, the secretary must give:

    1. Notice and an opportunity to appeal
    2. Nothing beyond a mailed notice
    3. A new exam to keep the commission
    4. A refund of the commission fee
    Show the answer

    A. Notice and an opportunity to appeal

    RSMo 486.810 and 486.815.

    Source: RSMo § 486.810, as printed in the Missouri Notary Handbook (May 2025)

Unofficial practice questions written from the public sources named under each answer. They are not the state's exam, are not affiliated with the State of Missouri, and are not legal advice. Rules change, so check the commissioning office's current materials.