Please note that the 2024 edition of the Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice (Notary Study Guide) will be used to prepare for the January 11th 2025 exam only.
The exam will be offered at LSU Baton Rouge and LSU Alexandria only. All other exam administrations in 2025 will use the 2025 edition of the notary study guide.
New Examination Applicants
Once the Application to Qualify has been approved by the Secretary of State’s Office, the applicant must register for and take the online Notary Exam Pre-Assessment. After receiving a score for the pre-assessment, the applicant can register to take the state notary exam by filling out the Examination Registration. The deadline to register for the state notary exam is 30 days prior to the exam. The applicant must both qualify and complete the pre-assessment at least 37 days prior to the exam.
Notary Pre-Assessment
The secretary of state, in conjunction with LSU Office of Testing and Evaluation Services (LSU OTES), has
made available a test that will aid the applicant in the decision to take the Louisiana Notary Public
Examination. Act 610 of the 2014 Regular Session made this test mandatory for non-attorney applicants.
This pre-assessment is designed to help an applicant make an informed decision about pursuing a notary commission in Louisiana. The work of Louisiana notaries is deeply rooted in Louisiana law--particularly
the Louisiana Civil Code, the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Like these
codes and statutes, the official study guide is written at a reading level that corresponds to Level B on
this assessment. Our research shows that the closer to Level A one scores, the greater one’s likelihood of
success on the exam. When considering what a pre-assessment score may suggest about one’s prospects
for passing the state notary exam, one should note that each level is based on averages and thus
provides only a general estimate of an applicant’s reading comprehension ability. Again, the score on the
pre-assessment is provided with the intent of assisting an applicant in making an informed decision about
pursuing a Louisiana notary commission. Regardless of the score or indicated reading level, applicants
are not prohibited from taking the state notary exam any time it is administered and as many times as
they wish to take the exam. Once an Application to Qualify has been approved, the applicant can login and register for the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment.
Note: The pre-assessment deadline is one week prior to the exam registration deadline.
Commissioned Notary Examination Applicants
Act 793 of 2006 Regular Session
•Provides for statewide jurisdiction for notaries who have taken and passed the state notary exam.
•Provides for any regularly commissioned notary public who was commissioned before the state exam was instituted to qualify for statewide jurisdiction by taking and passing the state exam.
To register for the examination, the applicant completes an Examination Registration Form and sends it
to the Secretary of State’s Office before the examination registration deadline, along with the $100
examination registration fee.
Failure to pass the examination shall have no effect on the status of the commission of the notary.
Examination Schedule
Pursuant to Act 145 of the 2018 Regular Louisiana Legislative Session, the state notary exam will be administered by the secretary of state not less than twice per year. The next administration of the examination is listed on the top of this page.
The Secretary of State’s Office must receive the Notary Examination Registration and the $100 examination fee 30 days prior to the date of the examination. Registration for the Notary Exam Pre-Assessment will be closed 37 days prior to the date of the examination.
Examination Format and Item Sources for the 2024 Examinations
The examination is administered in one five-hour sitting. Applicants will read scenarios that are typical of notarial practice in Louisiana. Each scenario is accompanied by a library of documents referenced in the scenario. Applicants respond to multiple-choice items drawn from the content of the scenarios and based on information in the official study guide for the Louisiana Notary Public Examination—Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice—published by the Secretary of State. The examination measures an applicant’s critical and practical understanding of Louisiana notarial law and practice, including specific notarial acts and related instruments. In brief, it measures the applicant’s ability to comprehend and apply the information in the study guide.
Applicants are permitted to bring the 2024 edition of Fundamentals of Louisiana Notarial Law and Practice into the testing room and reference it during the examination. Note the substantive information in earlier editions are no longer applicable to informed and accurate practice. Using any reference materials other than the 2024 edition of the study guide is considered an act of cheating and constitutes grounds for dismissal from the test.
To pass the examination, the applicant must correctly answer at least 75% of the items. Post-test statistical analysis of exam items, however, may provide a basis for adjusting the passing score.
Important Examination Day Information
If applicants elect to use the study guide during the examination, the pages may be marked up, highlighted or annotated. Attachments and inserts are not allowed, but pages may be tabbed. Examples of attachments and inserts are: (1) loose paper or similar material stored within the study guide, and (2) paper or similar material attached to any sheet of the study guide with staples, adhesive, etc.
Applicants are allowed to tab pages of the study guide, but these tabs must meet strict requirements. Tabs must be self-adhesive and must permanently attach to the edge of a page. Only one tab is allowed per page. Tabs must be no longer than two inches in length and must be of the clear plastic type (view an image). Labels may be inserted into the plastic of the tab to detail page content. Non-permanent, repositionable, or removable tabs are not allowed. Post-its, “sticky” tabs, “gummy” tabs, and sheet protectors are also not allowed.
Eating, drinking, and the use of tobacco or reading materials are not permitted in the testing room. The use of timers, cell phones, smart watches, pagers or electronic devices of any kind is strictly prohibited. Any such device must be turned off and not accessed until after testing concludes. If an applicant’s phone or other communication device is activated (rings, vibrates, or its alarm goes off) or if an applicant uses such a device at any time during the test, including the break, the applicant will be dismissed and his or her answer documents will not be scored. No refund of testing fees will be issued. Any applicant exhibiting disruptive behavior may be dismissed.
Americans with Disabilities
Special accommodations requests may be approved for candidates who meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Supporting documentation from an attending physician or medical specialist is required. A request for a special accommodation must be submitted for each test date. A candidate who has acquired prior approval for a particular test date that has passed may not rely on that approval, but must re-apply for each separate test date for which the accommodation is requested. All medical documentation supporting the request must be received in the LSU Office of Testing and Evaluation Services (OTES) at least three weeks before the date of examination.
The documentation, which must be presented on letterhead stationary from the doctor, must specifically describe the accommodation request for the examinee. The medical documentation must be updated by the attending physician within the previous six months. The information should be emailed to OTES or faxed to 225.578.1162, and should include the applicant's email address, applicant ID number, and telephone number. LSU OTES will evaluate all requests duly submitted by the three-week deadline and inform the candidate of the decision via email. A candidate approved for an accommodation must bring the approval letter to the assigned test site on the day of the examination in order to receive the accommodation. Candidates who have not been approved for a particular test date may not receive the requested accommodation.
Procedures for Review
La. R.S. 35:191.1 (A)(3) makes a provision for review of examinations.
All items presented on the test are subjected to post-test statistical analysis that may provide a basis for adjustments to the passing score. Additionally, at the test administration, applicants may request a form on which they may challenge the validity of any item as written.