Medical student evaluation in the absence of examinations

Traditional examination systems achieve a high degree of pseudo-precision, producing relatively little information that is constructively useful for student or teachers, and conveying it in the form of scores and marks that appear falsely accurate. The rationale and methodology of a structured evaluation system, in the absence of formal examinations, and based on validated self-assessment, are described. An account of the organization and uses of such a process, and a description of some new evaluation techniques used, is based on the system currently being evolved in the McMaster University M.D. Programme.