Students are taking an active role in shaping the future of medical education. The more than 70 students from around the world who attended the Association for the Study of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) in Israel last month were a testament to this. It was also encouraging to see your contributions to the studentBMJ used in the debate. Over the four day meeting several medical educators mentioned or quoted letters and editorials from the journal.
       Assessment was high on the conference agenda, and will always be of critical importance to student doctors. Clinical examinations have theoretically become fairer with the introduction of objective structured clinical examinations. But it is still a scary experience for many. Dr Valerie Wass discusses how to maximise your performance in these exams. Similarly, multiple choice questions have made written examinations a more objective, although not necessarily better, measure of knowledge. Dr Peter Cantillon takes us through exam technique for multiple choice questions and other types of written exams being used in medicine here.
       In our constant effort to encourage worldwide debate, it is an honour to be able to publish material originally from the wjm (Western Journal of Medicine) this month (Can complementary medicine be evidence based?, Medical training under fire, HIV misinformation). This American journal is soon to launch a student section, and we look forward to a strong association with it. We are proud to be involved with similar projects in Croatia and Denmark this year as well.