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Educational achievement testing is an area of turmoil in the health sciences. Examinations are a constant source of problems for many teachers, curriculum designers and educationalists. The evaluation of student achievement is continuously debated at educational meetings, conferences and workshops. It is an area in which tradition, personal values and experiences tend to dominate discussions. On the other hand, the number of scientific publications on assessment over the last decade has exploded. The number of proposed instruments, each preferably using an intriguing acronym, is countless. The literature is however often difficult to access since the psychometrics usually involved in educational testing discourage the average health professions reader. Assessment in the health professions education is nevertheless an area which is fortunately well-researched and has delivered a number of well …