The development of undergraduate curricula in surgery: III. Assessment

The present review is aimed at providing an overview of the assessment process. The mode of assessment has a powerful influence on the learning behaviour of students. It is therefore important to ensure that there is congruity between the objective, the task and the test. In other words: define it, teach it, examine it. It is difficult to evaluate many of the attributes that we desire in a doctor; and examples of this include empathy, ethical behaviour, problem-solving skills, ability to self-educate and teamwork. Nevertheless, it is generally agreed that it is better to measure uncertainly the significant than to measure reliably and validly the trivial. Furthermore different methods of assessment suit different educational objectives (fitness for purpose) and this supports the use of multiple assessment techniques.