Licensed application standards tests for AAT licensed member applicants
In order to approve your licence, we need to confirm you understand your ethical and practice management obligations, and the anti-money laundering controls and monitoring you must apply in your practice. We check your knowledge of these areas by asking you to complete our licensed application standards tests as part of your application for licensed membership.
What the tests involve
You'll be asked to complete the tests after you've submitted your licensed membership application. We'll email you a link with instructions. The tests require a MyAAT login and will only be available through this email, or through your MyAAT dashboard, once we've received your application.
- The tests comprise a mixture of question types.
- You'll be given 45 minutes to complete each test, and to pass you'll need to score at least 71% on each.
- You'll be allowed three attempts per test, but each attempt won't consist of the same questions.
- If you don't pass one or more of the tests after your first three attempts, your application will be withdrawn and you'll need to reapply.
- You'll need to complete and pass all three tests before we're able to continue processing your application.
On completion you'll receive your results immediately.
Reasonable adjustments
AAT is committed to encouraging a diverse profession which it believes is best suited to serve a diverse society. This includes ensuring that disabled people (defined in the Equality Act 2010 as those who have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities) are not discriminated against in respect of their access to AAT services, including the diagnostic tests.
AAT can also provide reasonable adjustments to those with a temporary illness or injury, or some other event outside of the applicant’s control, at or shortly before the time of the diagnostic tests, which has or is likely to have had an effect on the applicant’s ability to take the tests.
AAT does not make assumptions about whether a disabled person requires any adjustments or about what those adjustments should be. Should an applicant require a reasonable adjustment, they must submit a request to AAT.
The current accessibility allowance in respect of additional time is set at 25%. AAT can consider other requests for reasonable adjustments and will endeavour to meet such requests, where possible.
Requesting a reasonable adjustment
To request a reasonable adjustment, applicants must email AAT’s Professional Standards team aatstandards@aat.org.uk before their third and final attempt on any one of the LAS tests. The request must also include:
- details of the reasonable adjustment the applicant requires
- details of the personal circumstances that may affect, or have affected, the applicant's ability to take the tests
- any relevant evidence to support the request.
If the applicant is not able to communicate via email or does not have access to email, they (or a representative of their choice) can call the Professional Standards team by phone on +44 (0) 20 7397 3008 so that alternate arrangements can be made for AAT to receive the information required. This could include the submission of documents by post or the use of a representative to submit the reasonable adjustment on behalf of the applicant.
Before taking the tests
It's essential you understand your ethical, practice management and anti-money laundering obligations. To give yourself the best chance of passing these tests the first time we encourage all applicants to take time and review the following resources.
- Download and read AAT's Code of professional ethics (PDF).
- Read the Anti-money laundering: The basics series developed by IFAC in collaboration with ICAEW.
- Read the Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing guidance for the accountancy sector from the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB).
- Review the GOV.UK guidance on anti-money laundering supervision.
It is also recommended that you make full use of the relevant content available on our Anti-money laundering page, to further your understanding of the latest ethical and anti-money laundering developments, and give yourself the best chance of passing the tests.
Current AAT members can also visit the AAT Knowledge Hub or the AAT Lifelong Learning Portal and familiarise themselves with AAT’s anti-money laundering, practice management and ethics resources before attempting the tests.
