Automotive Technician Accreditation

Vehicle Damage Assessors: ATA assessment process

Vehicle Damage Assessors: ATA Assessment Process

To be eligible to take the assessment, a Vehicle Damage Assessor must have at least 5 years industry experience with a minimum of 2 experience in an appropriate role (i.e. estimator or similar).

To achieve accreditation, Vehicle Damage Assessors must pass a series of online knowledge tests and practical assessments at an ATA Approved Assessment Centre. The knowledge test must be successfully completed before attending the practical assessments.

The practical assessments, comprising Vehicle Damage Assesors’ instructions, work station requirements, marking schedules and associated paperwork are accessible to approved centres only. Contact Awarding Body for further information.

To ensure currency of assessments, no more than twelve months may elapse between the first successful assessment and the last successful assessment.

Vehicle Damage Assessors who are referred on one or two practical assessments may re-take these assessments within the twelve-month period. Vehicle Damage Assessors who are referred on more than two practical assessments will have to retake all the assessments again.

Self Assessment

To take a self assessment and gain an idea of what knowledge is required to successfully complete the ATA Vehicle Damage Assessor, please click on the link below. You will then need to enter your name, which is also your password and then pick your route.

Click here to start your Self Assessment...


On line assessments

To allow flexibility, the online knowledge test may be taken before, during or after the assessment day. The test remains valid for twelve months from completion. If all other assessments have not been completed within twelve months, centres will need to contact the awarding body (IMI Awards Limited) to reset the test and the applicant will need to complete the test again.

The test will be multiple choice online and consist of 70 randomised questions (seven sections with 10 question in each section). The time limit for the test will be 90 minutes.

The test will measure knowledge in the following areas:

• safety and liability
• damage appraisal
• vehicle appraisal
• repair methodology
• salvage categorisation
• eScribe usage
• industry general knowledge

To gain a pass, the applicant will be required to achieve a mark of 70% or above in each of the seven sections of the knowledge test.


Practical assessments

During the practical assessment day, applicants are required to complete 5 assessments. These consist of:

• Establish and record customer and customer needs (three vehicles)
• Establish and record vehicle data (three vehicles)
• Appraising the damage, establishing the correct repair method and developing a costing using published times (three vehicles)
• Vehicle valuation
• Audit of a system generated estimate (finding inaccuracy)

The practical assessments on Vehicle Damage Assessor will measure competence in estimating the following:

• front impact damage
• rear impact damage
• side impact damage
• mechanical damage
• damage not related to the accident
• vehicle pre damage roadworthiness
• vehicle pre damage value

The assessments will be based on different vehicles that ensure the above competences are assessed. Each of these estimates will be given a time allowance of one hour to complete. The vehicles are to be current and not more than 5 years old.

The opinion time estimate will include:

• light panel damage
• paint damage
• component damage

This opinion time estimate will have a time limit of one hour. (Note this assessment will measure the process and have some amount of flexibility to the final cost due to the nature of an opinion time estimation).

Audit of a commercial estimate will be produced and ratified by the approved centre. The applicant will have to determine inaccuracies which exist in the estimate.