OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed residents' perceptions of techniques used to evaluate competency. METHODS: Psychiatry residents from a single program rated 12 evaluation techniques for their effectiveness to measure resident competency. They rated each method for 25 selected skills reflecting the six general competencies. RESULTS: Sixteen residents (70%) completed the survey. Responses indicated that different methods were effective for different competencies. Residents saw objective structured clinical examinations and standardized patients as equally effective. They favored the 360[degrees] evaluation method for all competencies except medical knowledge. Resident perception of the effective techniques differed from preferred techniques identified by measurement experts. CONCLUSIONS: Residency program directors using guidelines from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to select preferred evaluations may find that residents do not have the same perceptions.