Notary Learning Center

I’ve taken the Notary Learning Center’s training and education twice. (my fault) Both times I left the testing really feeling like a failed and was excited when I passed. I live in North county and the 1^st time it was convenient and in San Marcos. The 2^nd time I had to go to Hotel Circle because they don’t do North county on a weekend.
Make sure when you received your Commission certificate that you file your bond ASAP. The first time I ordered all my supplies and stamps and waited for them to come in. You don’t need the stamp to file your bond. I didn’t file in time. The 2^nd time I got my happy hiney down to the recorders office in San Marcos!
I had the same trainer both times and am glad he was engaging and didn’t make me fall asleep!
I do want to take the Loan Signing class even though I’ve been in the industry for several years. I was frustrated when I called and the gal that answered the phone wasn’t helpful, was too busy and wanted me to look online. I called back later since I couldn’t find a class in North county online and whelp, I was still frustrated and not happy. If it hadn’t been for her rudeness my rating would be a 5. ;-)
That’s all… Thank you!

Did the Roseville, CA class. Awesome instructor and passed first time. Got my supplies through them as well and they are great. Really happy I went to them.

I went to the 6 hour class in San Diego, Hotel Circle. The instructor was really engaging and knew what he was talking about which made me feel at ease. My only gripe is he was too relaxed about some portions of the book. He barely touched on some subjects and made it seem like the exam was just «whatever». That was a huge eye opener. I took notes, color coded my book and all. Studied, took the practice tests, but because he seemed real relaxed about some parts, I didn’t study those too much. The test was VERY strict and definitely touched on the stuff he didn’t go into detail with. I feel like they try to trick you with the test, and I know that the tests change monthly so he didn’t know what was or wasn’t on the test, but for first time notaries, it should have been taken more seriously. I failed my first exam by 2 questions. I decided to not do the «reseat fee» to retake the course, instead I just studied on my own and I passed the 2^nd time.

Just took my my notary class today. This is the second time in 8 years that I have used Notary Learning Center. Both times I had Harris as an instructor. Prior to that, I used National Notary Assocn. In addition to being less expensive, I preferred NLC over NNA. Harris is a great instructor. This is dry material, but he held my interest. He did a pretty good job of controlling the class. In between sections, he’d ask if we had any questions before proceeding. Nevertheless we had 2 – 3 students who kept interrupting with questions that, had they waited, would have been answered a minute later in the course materials. There always seems to be at least one person in class who believes everyone is interested in hearing their particular notary stories or who has a question about how they should handle certain scenarios. These people cut into instruction time and kill the rhythm and sequence of material being presented. After numerous and sometimes pointless interruptions by a few knuckleheads, Harris asked everyone to write down and hold questions until he asked if we had any questions; otherwise we’d never finish the material before the proctors arrived. Bravo. You were more patient than I, Harris.

If you want to sign up for a notary course, I’d recommend finding whatever is most convenient to your location. If it’s through the National Notary Assoc (NNA), awesome, if it’s Notary Learning Center (NLC), so be it. I took my original notary class with NNA and my renewal four years later with NLC. I also received my signing agent certification after a class with NLC.
There is a reason a lot of companies like using NNA certified signing agents. I think overall they offer a better class for their new notaries and SA’s. I felt better prepared going in for the exam. Also, when we did our NLC SA class, the class ran almost twice as long as it was scheduled for. NOT COOL! We were there an hour and a half longer than we expected to be — that’s not really fair. If you can’t teach the course material in the given amount of time, the class needs to be scheduled during the day for a longer period of time, or you need to review how you use your time during the class.
NLC has a generally less responsive customer service system as well. Their competitor makes it easy to contact, and they remedy and respond to any problems. Being a notary is a lot of fun for me — I love meeting new people, plus it’s very important for my job because I work in a law firm that often needs notarizations.
I’d recommend this certification to anyone interested because it’s not a lot of initial expense to become one. And honestly, regardless of who you take your course through, I’d recommend thinking more seriously about getting your supplies and a membership with NLC’s biggest competitor. Several years later and I’m still most happy with their products and service.

First time taking a Notary seminar and exam and this made the process SO easy. I am a law student who has also taken the bar exam and am awaiting my results so if you’re an attorney thinking of becoming a notary public, this is a good option for you. The test wasn’t a piece of cake but if you pay attention in class and take the time to study during lunch and the 1 hour or so break before the examiner comes, you’ll be fine.
REGISTRATION: Sign up online and buy the correct package. There is one for new notaries where it gives you the journal, stamp, insurance etc. and pays for 2 passport photos and livescan fingerprinting plus the class. You need all of these things to become a Notary Public, so you might as well pay for them all now.
SEMINAR: They have a lot of different dates to choose from and locations in both Buena Park, Costa Mesa etc. so it’s pretty convenient. You will need to carve out an entire day (8am-​5pm) to get everything done.
I had the seminar in Buena Park at a hotel and it did start on time. Get there early to get a good seat and begin the process of taking the pictures and being fingerprinted so you don’t have to worry about doing it while the teacher is lecturing. The class is about 12 – 15 people and is completely mixed between age, gender and race. Although it says the class is 6 hours, it’s really not a full 6 hours of lecture. There are some break time and self-​study times so you’re not listening to a guy lecture for a full 6 hours.
They give you a booklet from the secretary of state as well as the handouts and information book to learn everything. The teacher goes over all you need to know including samples, examples, and scenarios to help you remember what to do.
Being a Notary Public isn’t hard — you’re only verifying signatures of people but there is a lot of information you need to learn for the test. The teacher also gives you time to do these checkpoint quizzes and study during the lunch break and before the examiner comes. You get an hour for lunch so I suggest bringing your own lunch and studying during the lunch break.
The teacher is also good at pointing out what you should memorize. For us, it was to focus on the penalty section including specifics of how much you have to pay if you’re found guilty etc.
WHAT TO BRING: Pay attention to their what to bring email and on the website. You need pencils to take the exam in, a $ 40 CHECK for the secretary of state, ID and I think there are some other things.
Don’t bother bringing your laptop because all notes can be taken in the book they give you. A highlighter would be helpful.
They say to bring a printed application but they also give some out for those that forgot. The teacher walks through how to fill it out and some stuff is important, especially if you’re employer is the one who is making you get certified.
EXAM: The lady who administers the exam comes in right after class is over and checks your ID, takes your money and then you take the exam. It’s 30 questions and you can leave whenever you want. I took about 40 minutes to take the entire thing and missed 3 questions total. You can miss 7 and still pass. Some of the questions are hard, some are easy… just try not to think too much when you’re taking it to throw yourself off.
When you’re done you turn it in and wait for an mail from CPS HR to set up an account and then they’ll email you your results about 15 – 20 days after you take the exam. Then, you have to wait for your background check to pass and the secretary of state will send you your certificate and I believe that is when you purchase your insurance (it’s a bond, but you only pay like $ 50 or something for the full coverage) and then get your materials.
Your license is good for 4 years before you have to renew. The 6 hour class is for people who are not renewing or people who are renewing but want the extra info so you don’t have to take the 6 hour class when you renew.
Overall — using the notary learning center made the entire process completely streamlined and I got everything done on the same day in the same place and didn’t have to stress one bit.
Oh, and I passed on the first try so that has to count for something!

Just finished the 6 hour course offered through the notary learning center; i registered here
and it was all a super easy process. It was nice to be able to register, pay and handle everything (including picture, finger prints and supply order) all in one place. Also, my instructor, Richard, was informative and provided a ton of real situational notary experiences. I highly recommend using this company/​service if you’re interested in becoming a notary public in California