Eliminate Exam Anxieties
PAN believes the more you know, the less anxiety you'll feel when taking the notary examination (if you are a first-time notary or a renewing notary who had a lapse in your commission).
Approved to take the exam
You will receive an E-mail to take the exam once your notary application, fee and education certificate have been received and approved by the Department of State. This process typically takes up to three weeks for new notary applicants.
Scheduling your notary exam
The notary exam is given at a Pearson VUE computer-based testing facility. Once you receive your approval E-mail, you will need to schedule your exam by using the Pearson VUE Web reservation site at www.pearsonvue.com. PAN members who have already taken the exam have said scheduling the exam is very easy.
The exam fee is $65 and is payable to Pearson VUE via credit card, debit card or electronic check. Personal checks are not accepted. This exam fee is paid online at the end of the exam scheduling process. It is not part of PAN's membership. This fee goes directly to Pearson VUE.
Exam day
On your scheduled exam day, arrive at the test center 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your exam, you may be refused admission and exam fees may be forfeited.
You will need to show two forms of current identification, such as:
Some of the Pearson VUE testing facilities have palm vein scanning as a security method for entry into the testing site. Palm vein recognition technology examines the unique patterns in your palm veins using a safe, near-infrared light source. This offers a form of positive identification that is more accurate than older identity verification technologies, such as digital fingerprinting.
The exam
The notary exam consists of 30 multiple-choice questions. If you do not know the answer to a question, you can click "Flag for Review" to make the question and go back to answer it or change your answer. Unanswered questions will be marked as incorrect. You have 60 minutes to complete the exam.
Once you have completed the exam, preliminary results will be provided, i.e., passing or failing score. If youfail the exam, you must wait 24 hours before making another exam reservation through the Pearson VUE Web reservation site. You will also have to pay the $65 fee again.
If you have successfully passed the exam and fulfilled all other requirements, you will receive yourNotice to Appointee letter from the Department of State that contains the beginning and ending dates of your notary commission.
Approved to take the exam
You will receive an E-mail to take the exam once your notary application, fee and education certificate have been received and approved by the Department of State. This process typically takes up to three weeks for new notary applicants.
Scheduling your notary exam
The notary exam is given at a Pearson VUE computer-based testing facility. Once you receive your approval E-mail, you will need to schedule your exam by using the Pearson VUE Web reservation site at www.pearsonvue.com. PAN members who have already taken the exam have said scheduling the exam is very easy.
The exam fee is $65 and is payable to Pearson VUE via credit card, debit card or electronic check. Personal checks are not accepted. This exam fee is paid online at the end of the exam scheduling process. It is not part of PAN's membership. This fee goes directly to Pearson VUE.
Exam day
On your scheduled exam day, arrive at the test center 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for your exam, you may be refused admission and exam fees may be forfeited.
You will need to show two forms of current identification, such as:
- Driver's license
- Passport or passport card
- Military ID
- Military ID for spouses and dependents
- Green card or permanent resident Visa
- Current learner's permit
- Current U.S. Department of State driver's license
Some of the Pearson VUE testing facilities have palm vein scanning as a security method for entry into the testing site. Palm vein recognition technology examines the unique patterns in your palm veins using a safe, near-infrared light source. This offers a form of positive identification that is more accurate than older identity verification technologies, such as digital fingerprinting.
The exam
The notary exam consists of 30 multiple-choice questions. If you do not know the answer to a question, you can click "Flag for Review" to make the question and go back to answer it or change your answer. Unanswered questions will be marked as incorrect. You have 60 minutes to complete the exam.
Once you have completed the exam, preliminary results will be provided, i.e., passing or failing score. If youfail the exam, you must wait 24 hours before making another exam reservation through the Pearson VUE Web reservation site. You will also have to pay the $65 fee again.
If you have successfully passed the exam and fulfilled all other requirements, you will receive yourNotice to Appointee letter from the Department of State that contains the beginning and ending dates of your notary commission.
