"Please indicate your skill in abstract writing on a scale of 1-5." Relative assessment like the preceding sentence is unanchored – each student has their own definition of the meaning of the abstract scale points 1 through 5 and this is anchored exclusively in their own experience. The only given in such a set of results is that the student matched their ability to a self-constructed scale. We have endeavoured to assess student skills with objective self-assessment where the competencies described are anchored in specifically measureable outcomes that are explicitly related to real world criteria. Our experience in identifying objective criteria for sometimes intangible skills and competencies will be discussed along with the student responses.
