Peer and self assessment in undergraduate surgery

Abstract

The purpose was to determine if students could identify their own strengths and weaknesses as viewed by their peers and whether peer or self ratings of knowledge and interpersonal skills could predict scores on National Board Medical Examinations and final grades in surgery. Ninety-eight juniors rated themselves on a 13-item scale; 830 peer ratings (about eight per student) were also obtained and averaged to provide a peer score for each student. There were low but significant correlations between the two sets of ratings. Peer scores were excellent predictors of both National Boards and final grade. Self scores were only weakly associated with these outcomes. Interpersonal skill ratings were inversely related to grades. Peer ratings seem to be a valuable addition to evaluation of student performance. Self ratings may be more useful as a means of helping students learn to accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses. © 1976.