The General Medical Council sent me a letter last week saying that I had a licence to practise. All I had to do was to return a slip of paper to get it, but it was a bit of a relief all the same. However, it did make me think. How would you rate your competence: (1) awful, (2) below average, (3) average, (4) above average, or (5) superb?

Let me guess: most of you selected 4, with a few choosing 5 or 3. None of us really likes to think of ourselves …