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California Notary Public Exam · Notarial Acts and Documentation

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California Notary Public Exam Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts Summary

Importance
★★★☆☆ (3 / 5)
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About 2 of 12 Notarial Acts and Documentation questions (20%)

Certified copies a notary may and may not make, oaths and affirmations, signature by mark, and other notary powers.

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Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts: must-know points

  • A notary may certify a copy of a power of attorney, and of a journal entry when the Secretary of State or a court asks.
  • A notary may not certify copies of birth, death, or marriage records.
  • An affirmation is a solemn promise on personal honor with no reference to God.
  • A person who cannot write may sign by mark with witnesses.

Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts: 4 sample questions

Practice questionReviewedNotarial Acts and Documentation › Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts★★★☆☆

Question 1. A customer asks a California notary to certify a copy of a birth certificate. What should the notary do?

  1. ① Decline and refer the customer to the agency that keeps the record
  2. ② Certify the copy if the customer shows the original
  3. ③ Certify the copy and record it in the journal
  4. ④ Complete a jurat on the copy instead
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Answer: ① Decline and refer the customer to the agency that keeps the record

Key point: No certified copies of vital records

California notaries may not certify copies of birth, death, or marriage records. Certified copies come from official record keepers such as the state or local registrar or the county recorder.

Wrong choices

  • Certify the copy if the customer shows the original: Notaries are not allowed to certify copies of birth records, even with the original.
  • Certify the copy and record it in the journal: Recording it does not make it allowed.
  • Complete a jurat on the copy instead: A jurat is not a way to certify a vital record copy.
Practice questionReviewedNotarial Acts and Documentation › Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts★★★☆☆

Question 2. What is an affirmation?

  1. ① A solemn promise made on personal honor without reference to God
  2. ② A signed statement that does not need to be true
  3. ③ A promise made to God that a statement is true
  4. ④ A certificate showing a copy matches the original
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Answer: ① A solemn promise made on personal honor without reference to God

Key point: Affirmation = oath without God

An affirmation is a solemn promise on one's personal honor, without mentioning God. It has the same legal effect as an oath.

Wrong choices

  • A signed statement that does not need to be true: An affirmation is a promise of truth.
  • A promise made to God that a statement is true: That describes an oath, not an affirmation.
  • A certificate showing a copy matches the original: That describes a certified copy.
Practice questionReviewedNotarial Acts and Documentation › Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts★★★☆☆

Question 3. Which kind of document may a California notary certify as a true copy?

  1. ① A power of attorney
  2. ② A marriage certificate
  3. ③ A birth certificate
  4. ④ A death certificate
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Answer: ① A power of attorney

Key point: Notaries may certify POA copies

A California notary may certify a copy of a power of attorney. Notaries may not certify copies of vital records such as birth, death, or marriage certificates.

Wrong choices

  • A marriage certificate: Marriage records are certified only by official record keepers.
  • A birth certificate: Birth records are certified only by official record keepers.
  • A death certificate: Death records are certified only by official record keepers.
Practice questionReviewedNotarial Acts and Documentation › Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts★★★☆☆

Question 4. A signer cannot write and signs a document with an "X." What makes this a proper signature by mark?

  1. ① The signer's relative signs the document instead
  2. ② No witnesses are needed if the notary watches
  3. ③ Witnesses watch and sign their own names, and one writes the signer's name next to the mark
  4. ④ The notary signs the signer's name for them
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Answer: ③ Witnesses watch and sign their own names, and one writes the signer's name next to the mark

Key point: Signature by mark needs witnesses

A person who cannot write may sign with a mark, such as an X. Witnesses watch the mark being made and sign their own names, and one of them writes the person's name near the mark.

Wrong choices

  • The signer's relative signs the document instead: Another person may not sign in the signer's place.
  • No witnesses are needed if the notary watches: A signature by mark needs witnesses who sign their own names.
  • The notary signs the signer's name for them: The notary may not sign for a signer.

Test yourself.

Certified Copies, Oaths, and Other Acts: 4 questions →Notarial Acts and Documentation: 5 questions →