The deadline for the MOT Annual Training and Assessment concludes at the end of this week, with a number still yet to complete the required work to ensure they can continue to conduct annual tests.
However, with the Easter break at the end of the week, this year’s deadline falls on the Sunday of a four-day national holiday.
“What you must bear in mind now is that the last minute is no longer the last minute, because over the Easter weekend the awarding bodies are likely to be closed. Training providers also may or may not be closed,” Frank Harvey, Head of Member Services at the Independent Garage Association, told Auto Repair Focus.
“If somebody fails their MOT Annual Training and Assessment, they have to wait 24 hours before they can take it again. In reality, the last practical day for testers to take their MOT annual training is Wednesday 27th March. Unless you are brave and confident that is!”
In addition to the usual requirements of the MOT Annual Training and Assessment, those returning to testing, or new testers, must also submit a recent basis Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This includes those who were suspended for not completing annual assessments. Therefore, anyone who misses the deadline this year will have to submit a DBS check from 1st April.
Confidence in MOT Annual Training and Assessment
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has confirmed to Auto Repair Focus that a large number of MOT testers have completed their MOT Annual Training and Assessment in the last few days, ensuring they finish their requirements ahead of the potentially earlier deadline.
“The annual training and assessment for MOT testers helps maintain the high standard of the MOT by ensuring that Great Britain’s 63,000 MOT testers remain fully up to date and well trained,” a spokesperson told us.
“We are confident that the vast majority of testers that who need to complete the Annual Training and Assessment will do so by the deadline, but we would urge them not to leave it to the last minute.”
In-depth checking
The MOT Annual Training and Assessment requires MOT testers to carry out at least three hours of training each year, and 16 hours in five years, on various topics. Participants carry out an assessment consisting of 30 multiple choice questions. The pass mark is 80%.
To add to the potential for delays, recent changes to the DBS basic checks means if testers do not complete and pass their annual assessment on time, it may take longer to return to testing.
This is because those who have missed the deadline will have to submit a DBS certificate and request an MOT demonstration test, which can take time.
