Sorry Hudson, we must beg to differ.
Command Assessments are a classic example of generating as near as possible a life like scenario and then seeing how the candidate copes, hoping that all the previous hours of classroom training and being rostered with training captains as a pre cursor to command training will now come to the fore.
Should they not cope then obviously more training is required and they gain from the benefit that having been through the system before they now have a better idea of what to expect at their next go.
I agree wholeheartedly that the simulator should never be used as 'The Sword of Damocles' but unless your training organisation has a fully functional fixed base trainer then the simulator will have to be used to assess competence of pilots to operate and not just learn the systems.