The MASUS Procedure (Measuring the Academic Skills of University Students) is a diagnostic assessment instrument which measures the writing skills of first-year students. It is nine years since it was first trialed at the University of Sydney and reported at the 19th HERDSA Conference in 1993. How is the MASUS operating in the new century within the changing agendas affecting tertiary educational institutions? Does it still do the job? Has the job itself changed? The MASUS has stood the test of time by proving its usefulness and flexibility, and by continuing to provide information needed as much today as nine years ago. This paper will briefly outline the history of the procedure, and discuss three major issues which have emerged over the last nine years. Three case studies of recent applications at the University of Sydney will illustrate the variety of ways in which the MASUS Procedure is currently being used.