21 Conducting the Signing Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A contracting company permits direct borrower contact, so a signing agent calls the borrowers the evening before a residential loan signing. Which item belongs in that confirmation call?

   • A.Confirm the exact date the loan proceeds will be disbursed into the borrower's account
   • B.Confirm which paragraphs of the security instrument the borrower would like explained at the table
   • C.Confirm the address, the start time, and that all signers will have unexpired photo ID✓ Answer
   • D.Confirmar con el prestatario la tasa de interés y el pago mensual que fijó el prestamista

   The confirmation call exists to make sure the appointment can actually be completed: every required signer and witness present, with acceptable identification, at a known place and time. Loan terms, interpretation of documents and disbursement dates are the lender's or closing agent's to discuss, not the signing agent's.

   Source: NNA Notary Signing Agent Code of Conduct, Appointment ConfirmationReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A contracting company's written instructions state that the signing agent must not contact the borrower directly. The agent needs a gate code to reach the borrower's community. What should the agent do?

   • A.Arrive early and wait at the gate until a resident opens it for the appointment
   • B.Ask the contracting company for the gate code and any other access details✓ Answer
   • C.Text the borrower the evening before, because a text message is not direct contact
   • D.Call the borrower once, since a gate code is logistics rather than a term of the loan

   Some companies reserve all borrower contact to themselves, and the restriction covers any channel, including text. The agent still needs the logistical information, so the correct route is to obtain it through the party that hired him rather than to work around the instruction.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Appointment Confirmation, including contracting-company restrictions on borrower contactReport a problem with this question

3. 3. Why does the professional standard direct a signing agent to review the loan package before the appointment rather than for the first time at the signing table?

   • A.So the agent can mark the paragraphs that will need to be explained to the borrower on arrival
   • B.So the agent knows which documents must be signed, dated, initialed and notarized✓ Answer
   • C.So the agent can verify that the loan terms match what the borrower was quoted at application
   • D.So the agent can remove any document that appears unnecessary before printing the package

   The pre-appointment review is a mechanical inventory: who signs, what gets dated or initialed, and which documents carry notarial certificates. It is not an audit of the loan and not preparation to explain the documents, both of which fall outside the signing agent's role.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Review of DocumentsReport a problem with this question

4. 4. While reviewing a package the afternoon before a signing, the agent finds that the Closing Disclosure is not in the file. What is the correct step?

   • A.Proceed with the signing and let the title company mail the disclosure afterward
   • B.Ask the borrower at the table to supply the copy the lender mailed to them earlier
   • C.Contact the closing agent before the appointment so the missing disclosure is supplied✓ Answer
   • D.Take the package as printed and note the missing disclosure on the shipping summary

   A missing or incomplete Note, security instrument or closing statement is reported to the closing agent before the appointment, precisely so the gap can be filled while there is still time to print. Discovering it at the table wastes the trip and may force a second signing.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Notification of Missing DocumentsReport a problem with this question

5. 5. Heavy traffic will make a signing agent roughly 40 minutes late for a 6:00 p.m. appointment, and the agent realizes this at 5:00 p.m. What does the professional standard require?

   • A.Notify the borrower and the contracting company at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time✓ Answer
   • B.Notify the borrower on arrival, since the delay was caused by conditions outside the agent's control
   • C.Notify the contracting company only, and let it decide whether to warn the borrower
   • D.Notify the lender's representative, who is responsible for rescheduling the appointment

   Tardiness is the one situation where the standard requires notice to both the signer and the contracting company, and it sets the 30-minute advance mark given in this scenario. Cancellations and reschedules, by contrast, are routed through the contracting company rather than negotiated with the signer.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, TardinessReport a problem with this question

6. 6. A signing agent receives a closing package by email while away from home and must print it before an evening appointment. Which course of action meets the standard for handling closing documents?

   • A.Send the file to a print shop clerk who prints it while the agent waits at the counter
   • B.Download the package over the café's open network and print it at home afterward
   • C.Forward the file to a family member at home to print so it is ready on arrival
   • D.Download and print the package himself over a network he controls and can secure✓ Answer

   Two separate duties combine here: the agent personally downloads and prints the package and may not delegate that task, and the retrieval must not travel over a public or unsecured network. The package is full of the borrower's non-public personal information, which is why both handling and transmission are controlled.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, printing of documents; use of unsecured networksReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A signing agent arrives, is invited in, and sits down with two borrowers. Before any document is signed, what does the professional standard require regarding identification?

   • A.Show the borrowers a government-issued photo ID identifying the agent, and inspect theirs✓ Answer
   • B.Record the borrowers' ID numbers first and show identification if the borrowers ask
   • C.Show the borrowers the commission certificate issued by the state to prove authority
   • D.Give the borrowers a business card and the contracting company's file number for the signing

   Identification runs in both directions at a loan signing: the agent presents a government-issued photo ID of his own before any document is signed, and separately satisfies himself of the borrowers' identity. A stranger is being let into the home with the family's financial records, so proving who the agent is comes first.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Identifying CredentialsReport a problem with this question

8. 8. At the table the borrower explains that his wife, who also signs the Deed of Trust, is out of town, and he offers to take her documents to her tomorrow. What should the signing agent do?

   • A.Have the husband sign his portions now and leave the wife's pages behind with him
   • B.Stop and call the contracting company for instructions before signing anything with the husband✓ Answer
   • C.Cancel the appointment outright and return the package to the shipper that evening
   • D.Have the husband sign on his wife's behalf under the marital interest in the deed

   A notarial act requires the signer to personally appear, so nothing notarized can be executed for the absent wife, and no spouse may sign in her place. Whether the husband's portions are taken now or the whole appointment is rescheduled is the contracting company's decision, not the agent's.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Absent Signer, with Signing Presentation Guidelines on confirming all required partiesReport a problem with this question

9. 9. Before presenting the first document, a signing agent gives the borrowers an overview of how the appointment will run. Which statement belongs in that overview?

   • A.The agent will summarize the loan terms first so the borrowers know what they are signing
   • B.The agent will skip anything the borrowers find confusing and flag it for the lender later
   • C.The agent is there to conduct the signing and cannot answer questions on the transaction✓ Answer
   • D.The agent has reviewed the file and will explain the effect of each document as it comes up

   Stating the limits of the role at the outset prevents the borrowers from treating the agent as the lender's advisor and prevents the agent from drifting into the unauthorized practice of law. Interpreting documents or characterizing loan terms belongs to the lender's representative or the borrowers' own attorney.

   Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Role and LimitationsReport a problem with this question

10. 10. The next document in the stack is the Signature/Name Affidavit. Which presentation matches the standard for how a signing agent introduces a document?

    • A.Name the document, state its purpose and page count, and point to the signature lines✓ Answer
    • B.Read the entire document aloud line by line and pause where the borrowers have questions
    • C.Summarize the legal consequences of the affidavit and then point out the signature lines
    • D.Hand it over without comment so that the borrowers form their own view of the contents

    Presentation has four defined elements: the document's name, its general purpose, the number of pages, and where signatures, dates and initials go. Candidates over-correct in both directions here — saying nothing at all is as far from the standard as summarizing legal consequences, which crosses into interpretation.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Presentation of DocumentsReport a problem with this question

11. 11. A borrower says he has already read everything online and asks the agent to hand him just the signature page of each document to speed things up. How should the agent proceed?

    • A.Give him just the signature pages and set the remaining pages aside for his copy
    • B.Give him the signature pages after he initials a waiver of the full presentation
    • C.Present the first page of each document and then turn straight to the signature page
    • D.Present every page of each document to the borrower, then indicate where his signature goes✓ Answer

    Every page of every document is presented, even when the signer asks for shortcuts, because the borrower's opportunity to see what he is executing is the point of an in-person signing. No waiver form changes that, and the borrower may still read at whatever pace he likes.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Presentation of Entire DocumentReport a problem with this question

12. 12. A signing agent lays out a purchase package and must decide what to present first and how to handle the rest of the stack. What is the accepted practice?

    • A.Present the documents in the alphabetical order used by the presentation guidelines
    • B.Present the Closing Disclosure first, then follow the lender's stacking order✓ Answer
    • C.Present the Note and security instrument first because they create the obligation
    • D.Present the notarized documents first so the notarial work is finished up front

    The closing statement is presented first because it is where the borrower's questions about figures naturally arise, and the lender's own stacking order governs everything after that. The alphabetical listing in published presentation guidelines is a reference index, not a signing sequence.

    Source: NNA Signing Presentation Guidelines — the Closing Disclosure or HUD-1 is presented first, then the lender's stacking orderReport a problem with this question

13. 13. The Occupancy Affidavit that must be notarized has an empty line where the property's legal description should appear. What should the signing agent do?

    • A.Complete the blank using the Closing Disclosure and notarize as scheduled
    • B.Draw a line through the blank space and have the borrower initial that change
    • C.Contact the contracting company and wait for instructions on the blank✓ Answer
    • D.Ask the borrower to copy the legal description in from the Deed of Trust

    A document requiring notarization that contains a blank is reported at once, because notarizing an incomplete instrument leaves room for material terms to be added after the seal is affixed. Filling it in or striking it are both alterations the agent has no authority to make.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Incomplete DocumentsReport a problem with this question

14. 14. The Notice of Right to Cancel in the package carries pre-printed dates, and the transaction date printed on it is one day earlier than the date the borrowers are actually signing. What is the correct handling?

    • A.Leave the printed date as it stands since the lender generated the notice itself
    • B.Have the borrowers write the dates by hand and disregard the pre-printed transaction date
    • C.Correct the date as the lender's instructions direct and have the borrowers initial the change✓ Answer
    • D.Sign and date the notice yourself as the agent so the cancellation period starts correctly

    An incorrect date on the rescission notice misstates when the borrowers' cancellation window closes, so it cannot simply be left alone. The accepted repair is to line through the wrong date, write the correct one and have each borrower initial it, done under the lender's instructions rather than on the agent's own judgment.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Changes to Documents, applied to Notice of Right to Cancel datingReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A borrower objects to a sentence in the Errors and Omissions / Compliance Agreement and asks the agent to cross it out before he signs. What should the agent do?

    • A.Attach a note describing the objection and send the document through as signed
    • B.Cross out the sentence and have both the borrower and the agent initial the deletion
    • C.Let the borrower strike it himself, since the change is the borrower's own decision
    • D.Report the requested change to the contracting company and follow its direction✓ Answer

    Altering the wording of a loan document changes the parties' obligations, which is a matter for the lender and the parties' counsel. The agent reports the request and acts only on express authorization; the sole change an agent may make on his own is to a notarial certificate, to conform it to his state's law.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Changes to DocumentsReport a problem with this question

16. 16. The Deed of Trust spells the borrower's surname "Ramierez" while her driver's license reads "Ramirez." What should the signing agent do?

    • A.Have her sign the spelling on the deed and then sign again as it reads on her license
    • B.Have her correct the printed name, initial it, and sign the corrected version below
    • C.Treat the license as controlling and have her sign the name shown on the license
    • D.Contact the contracting company and follow its instruction on the misspelling✓ Answer

    The name printed on a recordable security instrument affects title, so how a misspelling is cured is the lender's and title company's decision, not something improvised at the table. The agent reports the discrepancy and waits for direction rather than editing the document or inventing a double signature.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Changes to Documents, withon discrepancies between the signature, the ID and the documentsReport a problem with this question

17. 17. Halfway through the package a borrower puts down the pen and says the payment is higher than she expected and she is not sure she wants to continue. What should the signing agent do?

    • A.Explain how the escrow portion of the payment produces the higher monthly figure
    • B.Point out that she can sign now and still cancel during the rescission period
    • C.Finish the remaining documents and let her raise the payment with the lender later
    • D.Suggest she call the lender's representative before the signing continues✓ Answer

    Using the right of rescission to talk a hesitant signer into signing is specifically prohibited, because it turns a consumer protection into a sales argument and the loan may not even carry rescission rights. The agent stops and routes the borrower to the lender's representative, who can address the payment.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Exercise of Rescission OptionReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A title officer emails the agent asking her to sign and seal two blank acknowledgment certificates and put them in the package so the office can attach them to whichever documents turn out to need them. What should the agent do?

    • A.Have the borrowers sign the blank certificates and return them with the package
    • B.Complete each certificate at the table on the document she notarizes, and refuse the request✓ Answer
    • C.Seal the two certificates but leave them unsigned so the office can fill them in
    • D.Complete and seal the two blank certificates now so the office can attach them later

    A notarial certificate is the notary's own statement about an act she personally performed, so it is completed and attached to the document she actually notarized in front of the signer. A loose, pre-sealed certificate can be fastened to any document later, which is why it is never issued no matter who requests it.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Extra Certificate, with, Absent SignerReport a problem with this question

19. 19. Two spouses are refinancing their primary residence with a new lender, and both hold title. How many copies of the Notice of Right to Cancel must each of them receive, and is the notice notarized?

    • A.One copy for the household, and the notice is signed but never returned
    • B.Two copies for the household, and the notice is notarized as a sworn statement
    • C.Two copies each, and the notice is signed by the borrowers but not notarized✓ Answer
    • D.One copy each, and the notice is notarized along with the security instrument

    Each consumer entitled to rescind, including every person with an ownership interest in the secured property, receives two copies of the notice, so a package for two spouses normally holds four plus a copy each of them signs and returns. The notice is a disclosure the borrowers acknowledge, not a notarial act, so no certificate or seal belongs on it.

    Source: Regulation Z, 12 CFR, b(1) — two copies of the notice of the right to rescind to each consumer entitled to rescindReport a problem with this question

20. 20. The last document is signed and the borrowers stand up to see the agent out. What does the professional standard require before the agent leaves?

    • A.Review each document for signatures, initials, dates and seals, and leave the borrowers' copies✓ Answer
    • B.Leave the signed originals with the borrowers and ship the copy set to the lender
    • C.Pack the originals and check them for completeness in the car before the shipping stop
    • D.Ask the borrowers to phone the contracting company to confirm the signing is finished

    The quality assurance review happens while the signers are still present, because a missed signature, initial, date or seal can be cured on the spot and cannot be cured once the agent has driven away. The executed originals go back to the lender and the borrowers keep the printed copy set.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Quality Assurance ReviewReport a problem with this question

21. 21. The signing ends at 8:00 p.m., the shipping center is closed, and the agent's next appointment is the following afternoon. What is the accepted practice for the executed package overnight?

    • A.Drop it in an unattended box of any carrier that serves the neighborhood
    • B.Give it to a neighbor with a scheduled pickup to add to their outgoing mail
    • C.Keep it under lock and key at home and hand it to a live agent tomorrow✓ Answer
    • D.Leave it in the locked trunk so it is ready for the morning shipping run

    The package holds the borrowers' non-public personal information and must stay under the agent's personal control or lock and key until it passes to a reliable carrier, which is why a vehicle is not acceptable storage. Handing it to a live agent also produces a tracking receipt that proves when custody changed.

    Source: NNA NSA Code of Conduct, Security of Documents; Reception and DeliveryReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the Notary Signing Agent Code of Conduct and standard residential mortgage closing documents. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Notary Association. IMPORTANT: the real certification exam also covers your own state's notary laws and procedures, and this bank deliberately does not — notary commissioning, fees, journal and seal requirements, acceptable identification and remote online notarization are set state by state and vary widely. Study your state's notary handbook alongside this, and see our Notary Public practice test for the notarial acts themselves. Being a certified signing agent does not by itself authorize you to notarize anywhere; your state commission does. About signing agent certification →