NY Notary Exam Schedule & Walk-In Locations 2026

Checked: July 11, 2026. The facts below reflect the current New York Department of State walk-in exam schedule (the July-December 2026 edition) and site list. Exact sitting dates live in a DOS PDF that changes a few times a year, so I point you to the live one rather than printing dates that go stale.

You’ve got a free morning, and you’ve found a DOS page that mentions a walk-in written exam. Now you’re staring at a linked PDF, trying to work out one thing: can you just show up? You can. That’s the whole model, and it’s why there’s no “book your slot” button to hunt for.

This page pulls the useful parts out of the state’s paperwork and puts them in one place, so you don’t burn a trip on a guess. And if what you’re really after is the dates themselves, our exam schedule tracker lists every site’s current sittings and can drop them straight onto your calendar.

Quick answer

• It’s a walk-in exam. No appointment, no pre-registration, and seats are first-come, first-served.
• It costs $15, paid by check or money order to the Department of State, or by MasterCard or Visa. Cash isn’t accepted, and the $15 is nonrefundable.
• As of the current DOS list, there are 13 walk-in locations across the state, including the NYC site at 123 William Street, 2nd Floor.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time. Late arrivals aren’t admitted.
• The actual dates sit in a DOS schedule PDF that the state reissues periodically, so check the current one before you travel.

That’s the version most people need. If you want the day-of detail, keep going.

How the walk-in exam works

There’s no appointment and no online form to reserve a seat. You show up at a scheduled sitting, and seats are handed out first-come, first-served with none held for you in advance. DOS only offers the exam as an in-person walk-in sitting; there’s no online or remote-proctored option to sign up for.

Once you’re seated, it’s a multiple-choice test covering the License Law (the DOS booklet of notary statutes) plus the general duties of a notary, and you get one hour to finish. Arrive after the exam has started and you won’t be let in, so the 15-minute buffer isn’t a suggestion.

For the full path this exam sits inside, from application to commission, see our guide on how to become a notary in NY.

The 13 current walk-in locations

As of the current DOS “Written Exam Sites” list, the walk-in exam is offered in these 13 sites: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Carmel, Franklin Square, Hauppauge, New York City (123 William Street, 2nd Floor), Plattsburgh, Pomona, Rochester, Sanborn, North Syracuse, and Utica.

Grouped roughly by region:

• NYC, Long Island, and lower Hudson: New York City, Franklin Square, Hauppauge, Pomona, Carmel
• Capital Region and North Country: Albany, Plattsburgh, Utica
• Central and Western New York: Binghamton, North Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Sanborn

One honest caveat no screenshot can give you: DOS warns the schedule and site list can change without notice, so treat this list as current-as-checked and confirm against the live DOS sites page before you drive anywhere.

New York City (123 William Street)

The NYC walk-in exam is held at 123 William Street, 2nd Floor, in Manhattan. That’s the address most people come here for, so build the trip around it: put it in your phone, and once you’re in the building, find where the line forms before the doors open. People who’ve sat the Manhattan exam say the thing to fear is the walk-in crush, and the advice that keeps coming back is to get there early. Since seats are first-come with no published cap, a popular NYC morning is closer to standby than to a reserved seat.

What it costs and how to pay

The written exam fee is $15. You can pay by check or money order made out to the Department of State, or by MasterCard or Visa. Cash is not accepted at any site, which is the single thing that trips up first-timers who show up with a twenty. The $15 is nonrefundable, and a bounced check adds a $20 returned-check fee.

Two more things you have to bring, because the room won’t supply them: a photo ID and two #2 pencils. Pencils aren’t provided, and you can’t have study materials with you at your seat.

Keep the $15 exam fee separate in your head from the $60 application fee. The application fee comes later, when you file to get commissioned, and it’s not something you pay on exam day. You also don’t fill out or bring the notarized Oath of Office to the exam. That form belongs to the online commission application you file after you pass, so nobody’s going to ask you for it in the room. For a full breakdown of what the exam covers and everything to bring, see what the exam covers and what to bring.

Languages and room rules

The exam is offered in several languages beyond English. If you want to sit it in another language, tell a proctor when you check in rather than assuming the paper in front of you is the only version.

The room itself is strict about what comes in with you. Phones, books, bags, and food aren’t allowed at your seat, and study materials of any kind are out. There’s usually no on-site storage for the things you can’t bring in, so travel light. Don’t drive in with a bag you’ll have nowhere to leave.

How early to arrive

The official instruction is to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time. Treat that as the bare minimum, then beat it. Space isn’t guaranteed and there’s no published seat cap, and once the exam starts, latecomers aren’t admitted.

For a quiet upstate sitting, 15 minutes is usually plenty. A busy NYC morning is a different animal: treat it like standby and give yourself real margin.

How many questions, and what’s the passing score?

Here’s where almost every other page will tell you something the state never actually printed. You’ll see “40 questions, 70% to pass, four versions” stated as hard fact all over the internet. That figure comes from test-takers and notary associations, not from DOS. The Department of State publishes no official question count and no official passing score, on its exam page or its FAQ. When even experienced notaries disagree about the number, that’s usually a sign the state never published one to agree on. I keep a running list of what DOS actually confirms versus what the internet repeats on the NY notary exam facts page.

What DOS actually confirms: multiple choice, License Law plus a notary’s duties, one hour. For the full breakdown of the exam itself, see what the exam covers.

What exam day actually feels like

The trap is assuming it’s easy. On the notary forums, people who’ve done this for years say the same thing: even attorneys fail the first round, because they treat it as a formality and skip studying. It’s a memorization test. The questions that sink people are the obscure bits, like which class of felony (A, B, C, D, or E) a particular notarial infraction falls under.

When you’re done, you’re told only pass or fail. You won’t get a numerical score, and you won’t be told which questions you missed.

If the weather turns or a site closes

Because the schedule and site list can change, DOS tells you to check its website for the current schedule before you travel. When a sitting gets cancelled, usually for weather, the state posts the update on its official channels. You’re specifically told not to call the individual exam centers, so don’t waste the morning ringing the building.

After you pass: results and timing

Results reach you only as a mailed pass/fail notice. There’s no numerical score, and DOS won’t give results over the phone. Because it comes by mail, you can’t notarize the same day you pass. You file your commission application once the notice arrives, and DOS sets no fixed turnaround for the slip, so don’t panic if it takes longer than you expected.

A passing notice is valid for two years, and you have to file your commission application within that window or the result expires. Once you file, the application fee is $60, and a New York notary commission runs for four years, with reappointment available within 90 days of expiration. For the full picture on turnaround, see how long results take.

Who skips the exam entirely

Worth knowing before you plan a trip: not everyone has to test. New York State Bar members and qualifying Unified Court System court clerks can be appointed notary public without taking the exam, though they still owe the application fee. If that’s you, the walk-in schedule doesn’t apply, and you can go straight to filing.

When are the actual exam dates?

I won’t print specific dates here, and you should be suspicious of any page that does. DOS publishes the schedule as a disposable PDF that it reissues several times a year, and once a new edition goes up, the old file starts returning an error. A stale PDF can outrank the live one, which is exactly how people end up standing outside a building on a day nothing is scheduled.

So the safe move is to always open the current schedule straight from the DOS page rather than trusting a screenshot or a cached link someone shared.

Before you show up

The schedule is only half the question. The other half is whether you’re ready, because a wasted walk-in slot costs you a morning and $15 you don’t get back. I built the practice test for exactly this moment: a free, 15-question gut-check that tells you if you’re ready before you commit the trip.

Take the free practice test before you head to your site. If it shows gaps, the full study plan closes them fast.

FAQ

Do I need to register for the NY notary exam? No. It’s a walk-in exam with no pre-registration, and seats are first-come, first-served.

How much does the exam cost and how do I pay? $15, by check or money order to the Department of State, or by MasterCard or Visa. Cash isn’t accepted, and the fee is nonrefundable.

How many walk-in locations are there? As of the current DOS list, 13: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Carmel, Franklin Square, Hauppauge, New York City (123 William Street, 2nd Floor), Plattsburgh, Pomona, Rochester, Sanborn, North Syracuse, and Utica.

Where is the New York City exam held? At 123 William Street, 2nd Floor, in Manhattan. Get there early, because seats are first-come with no published cap.

How early should I arrive? At least 15 minutes before the start time, and earlier for busy NYC sittings. Latecomers aren’t admitted.

Do I bring the Oath of Office to the exam? No. The notarized Oath of Office is part of the commission application you file online after you pass, not something you complete or hand in on exam day.

Is there an online version of the exam? No. DOS administers it in person at scheduled walk-in sittings only.

How many questions are on it, and what’s the passing score? The state publishes neither a question count nor a passing score. The widely repeated “40 questions, 70%” comes from test-takers and associations, not DOS.

When will I get my results? You get a mailed pass/fail notice, with no numerical score and no results by phone. DOS sets no fixed turnaround, so plan for it to arrive by mail rather than the same day.