NNA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Questions and Answers

Question 1

A non-attorney Notary is asked by a signer, "Should I get an acknowledgment or a jurat on this power of attorney?" Which of the following is the Notary's most ethical and responsible course of action?

Accepted Answer

Advise the signer to contact the receiving agency or an attorney for guidance.

Answer

Choose the jurat because a power of attorney is a sworn statement.

Answer

Select the acknowledgment because it is the most common type of notarization.

Answer

Refuse the notarization because the signer is asking for legal advice.

Question 2

A Notary works for a real estate company and is asked to notarize the signatures of their boss on a sales contract. The Notary's compensation is a fixed hourly wage and they receive no commission or bonus related to the sale. According to the Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility, which statement is true?

Accepted Answer

The Notary may notarize the signature because they have no direct financial interest in the specific transaction beyond their regular salary.

Answer

The Notary must refuse because notarizing for an employer always constitutes a conflict of interest.

Answer

The Notary can only proceed if another employee is present as a witness.

Answer

The Notary must first get written permission from the state's commissioning official.

Question 3

Which of the following actions is a fundamental ethical duty required to uphold the Notary's role as an impartial witness?

Accepted Answer

Screening the signer for willingness and awareness of the transaction.

Answer

Refusing to notarize if the Notary has a strong personal disagreement with the content of a lawful document.

Answer

Charging a higher fee for a complex document that takes more time to review.

Answer

Keeping a photocopy of every document notarized for personal protection.

Question 4

A Notary who is not an attorney advertises their services in a Spanish-language newspaper. To comply with NNA guidelines and the laws of many states, which of the following is a critical requirement for the advertisement?

Accepted Answer

It must not use the term 'Notario Publico' and must include a disclaimer that the Notary is not an attorney.

Answer

It must state that the Notary is a certified legal document preparer.

Answer

It must include the Notary's commission expiration date.

Answer

It must list the fees for every type of notarial act allowed by the state.

Question 5

According to Guiding Principle IX of the Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility, which of the following is a breach of the Notary's duty to respect signer privacy?

Accepted Answer

Selling a list of clients' names and addresses obtained from the journal to a marketing company.

Answer

Recording the signer's address in the Notary journal as required by state law.

Answer

Allowing a signer to see previous entries in the journal while they sign their own entry.

Answer

Disclosing details of a notarization when compelled by a subpoena or court order.

Question 6

A signer brings an elderly relative to a Notary to have a signature notarized on a document that transfers property. The relative appears confused, and the person who brought them is answering all the Notary's questions for them. What is the Notary's most responsible action?

Accepted Answer

Ask the accompanying person to leave the room to speak with the signer privately to assess their awareness.

Answer

Notarize the document since the accompanying person seems to understand the transaction.

Answer

Suggest adding a different notarial certificate to make the document more official.

Answer

Proceed with the notarization but make a note in the journal about the signer's confusion.