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Notary · General

What is an 'acknowledgment' as a notarial act?

Correct answer

The signer personally appears before the notary and declares (acknowledges) that they signed the document willingly — the notary verifies identity but does NOT need to watch them sign

  1. A The notary personally witnesses the signature
  2. B The signer personally appears before the notary and declares (acknowledges) that they signed the document willingly — the notary verifies identity but does NOT need to watch them sign
  3. C The notary certifies the document is legally valid
  4. D The notary swears in the signer to tell the truth

Why this is the answer

An ACKNOWLEDGMENT is the most common notarial act for real estate and legal documents. What happens: the signer APPEARS IN PERSON before the notary; the notary verifies identity; the signer ACKNOWLEDGES (declares) that they signed voluntarily; the notary completes an acknowledgment certificate ('Before me, the undersigned notary, personally appeared [name], who acknowledged that they signed...'). KEY POINT: The notary does NOT need to watch the signing — the document may have been signed earlier. The acknowledgment certifies identity and voluntary act, not the witness of signature. Contrast with JURAT (below).
Source: Notary Exam, Acknowledgment

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Related questions

General

What is a 'jurat' and how does it differ from an acknowledgment?

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