The assessment of undergraduate medical students in
the clinical setting has become a key priority for medical
educators. Facilitating the successful translation of undergraduate
theoretical knowledge into safe and appropriate
postgraduate clinical practice represents a challenge in
medical education [1]. Poor clinical performance of newly
qualified doctors has been highlighted as a major issue
relating to patient safety [2]. Performance based assessment
in the undergraduate setting may assist in addressing
this issue by assessing ‘doing’ rather than ‘knowing’.
The mini clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) is a
formative assessment used to assess the performance
of medical students in a clinical context. It incorporates
assessment by, and feedback from, an assessor, based on
the direct observation of a student–patient consultation
[3]. Conducted in a series of stages, the Mini-CEX allows
focused assessment of key competencies (see Box 1) [3]