The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is a sort of test in which the assessor's evaluation is based on a short observation of the resident in a clinical situation. A mini-CEX is not an examination but a useful educational instrument to monitor and to foster the resident's development. The central concepts of a good mini-CEX are 'short' (limited both in content and duration) and 'often' (the more frequent the better). It is important the assessor should provide feedback as soon as possible after the evaluation; this feedback should be constructive and task-oriented and be presented to the resident in a credible manner. Multiple observations by different assessors will ensure that the overall picture of the resident's progress is more reliable. Because the particular value of the mini-CEX lies mainly in the repetition involved, we would like to replace the 'E' for 'evaluation' with the 'G' for 'guidance'.