A longitudinal study of the effects of attending an assessment center on candidates' self-assessments was carried out. Self-ratings of ability were collected immediately before, immediately after, and 6 months after an assessment center, and correlated with assessors' ratings of participants in the assessment event. Results show that there were marked differences in self-assessment accuracy between successful and unsuccessful candidates immediately post-assessment center, which persisted 6 months later after feedback had been received; unsuccessful candidates seem to have misjudged the effectiveness of their performance. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications for the use of assessment centers as an aid to development and for the way feedback procedures are handled.

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Describes the extent to which attending an assessment centre (AC) generates anxiety amongst candidates, and its effects on them. Questionnaires were administered to 70 bank staff before and after attending ACs. Results show candidates experienced rather high levels of anxiety, and that higher anxiety level was associated with lower ratings given by assessors, though the candidates′ post‐AC self‐perceptions of ability tended to be higher for those with higher anxiety. The nature of the anxiety reported seemed to be situation‐specific and to be akin to test anxiety and evaluation apprehension. Discusses findings in terms of implications for the quality of the assessments made and the way in which ACs should be run to minimize anxiety effects.