Assessment as a Chamber of Horrors: Lived Experiences of Health Professional Students and Implications for Institutional Reform

Introduction: In any educational setting, assessment is a key driver of learning. Among all stakeholders, students take center stage, as they are directly affected by assessments as they progress from one stage to another. It is therefore important to understand their experiences. Methods: Health professionals attending a postgraduate course in assessment and evaluation at the University of Western Australia reflected on their past experiences of assessment. Through the analysis of their lived experiences, this qualitative study explored the challenges that students face and identified potential interventions. Results: Content analysis was used to identify categories, which emerged into three main themes: the Learner, the Assessment, and the Assessor. Discussion: Multiple interventions are required at the institutional level to facilitate the learning process. These interventions should be incorporated into a well-formulated assessment policy aligned with accreditation body requirements and the nature of the course itself.