The article draws attention to the anomaly that alternative approaches to assessment are not more evident in critical pedagogies. Using critical versions of management education as an illustration, the authors point out that there is little examination of the assessment procedure, let alone any replacement of it by less hierarchical methods. Drawing on students' experiences of participative assessment, the authors also illustrate some of the social processes involved and question the implicit assumption that such practices necessarily bring about equality. Differences within student groups influence power relations, which in turn are likely to affect the process of assessment and its outcome. While supporting the aims of participative assessment, particularly as an element of critical pedagogy, the article emphasises the need to take account of the complexities involved and ends with a discussion of implications for the role of tutors.