Objective To assess standardized patients (SP) in resident general practitioners training for their consultation skills to explore its role in clinical competence training. Methods SP are employed in standardized training for 52 resident general practitioners in Shanghai during May to July 2008 to assess trainees' clinical consultation skills, including medical history taking and physical examinations, as well as clinical competencies of trainers including medical history taking, physical examinations, clinical thinking (diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment plans), health education, medical record writing,and reception time management. Feedback and appraisal for their consultation skills were provided by SP later. Problems encountered in trainees' consultation were discussed in group manner with their trainers.And two mouths later, assessment with SPs was undergone again for their consultation skills to compare their scores in consultation skills and percentages of them passing the assessment before and after training. Results Trainees were enrolled in the training aged (28±1 ) years in average ( with a ratio of men to women of 19/33 ). Percentage of trainees passing the assessment by SP for consultation skills was significantly higher after training (88.5%) than that before it (46. 2% ) ( P < 0. 01 ). Percentage of trainees with scores passing assessment by trainers was also significantly higher after training than that before it (86.5% vs. 51.9%, P < 0.01 ), with a percentage of those qualified for clinical skills and health education after training of 80. 8% and 88.5%, respectively, as compared to those of 46. 2% and 67. 3%,respectively before it, ( P < 0. 01 ), and with a percentage of trainees qualified for clinical thinking, out-patient medical record writing and reception time management not changed after training (71.2%, 100. 0%,100. 0%, respectively) as compared to those before it (51.9%, 100. 0% and 100. 0%, respectively)(P > 0. 05 ). Conclusions Application of SP can effectively enhance consultation skills of the trainees,especially in their medical history taking and physical examinations. However, there is still rooms to improvein their clinical thinking.