What is Assessment?
Assessment is a process of review or evaluation of various subjects. It maybe an appraisal of an employee’s contribution to the workplace, a study on what a particular student’s talent/s are, a computation of taxes one owes to the government, and many other things. There are also many different techniques in doing an assessment, but all depends on what items or subjects are to be assessed and what the purpose is for doing such activity.

In the school setup, assessment could mean identifying what students have learned and what they are capable of. In almost every school, especially for kids, students are given tests and interviews for the purpose of knowing how they compare with the other kids in terms of their knowledge, behavior, learning abilities, skills, and talents. Some classroom setups even cater to the individual needs of the students, so each will undergo testing and evaluation to identify how to properly and effectively teach them. Assessment also plays a big role for those at secondary and tertiary levels. Through identification and evaluation of students’ skills, the information gathered could help them identify what future degree to take up or what types of jobs are suited for them in the future.

In the medical setup, assessment is a vital tool for doctors to diagnose a particular illness and manage it with the right prescription or advice. Assessment in this setup usually includes a review of the medical history, review of the test results, and actual consultation or interview with the patients themselves. In most cases, family members are also included in the consultations to give the doctors a better understanding of the patient’s condition. With all these tools and techniques, doctors will be able to review all available information, and hopefully come up with the right diagnosis and treatment to prescribe.

Various other fields use assessment as an important tool before embarking on “the next step” or continuing a particular process or project. And since assessment involves review of information from various sources and through various techniques, one must make sure to practice great care and have patience in handling information to come up with a reliable and/or effective review.