Students’ Perceptions of Academic Achievement, Fairness, and Satisfaction on Practical Examinations: A Case Study of a U.K. Healthcare Degree

Authentic practical assessment is a critical examination strategy in healthcare courses. The key aims of this article were to (a) investigate students’ ability to predict their awarded grade, (b) understand students’ satisfaction with the marks awarded, and (c) identify students’ perception of assessment fairness. Students on a preregistration healthcare course (n = 124) from Levels 4 to 6 were surveyed via an online questionnaire. Students were asked to grade their own examination, questioned if their mark met their expectation, and consider if they felt their mark was fair. Students were asked to quantify any differences between perceived and actual grades in percentage points. Results suggest students at Level 4 display greater accuracy of calibration. Satisfaction of marks was high across all levels, as was perceived fairness of grades. Additional focus on assessment literacy in authentic practical examinations may be required to support students to understand the experiential changes to marking criteria.