ABSTRACT
A performance test is an examination designed to elicit performance on an actual or simulated real-life task. In contrast to observation of naturally occurring behavior “in vivo,” the task is contrived for the purpose of the examination and explicitly invites the examinee to demonstrate the behavior to be assessed. In this chapter, we review the purposes, advantages, and limitations of performance tests and provide practical guidelines for the use of standardized patients (SPs), a simulation modality commonly used in health professions education. Focusing on the use of SPs for assessment rather than instruction, we discuss scoring options, multiple-station objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs), standard setting, and threats to validity in the context of SP exams; the same principles apply to performance tests of other types.
