We describe a scaffolded assessment activity that introduces students to the essential theories and principles of chromatography. This summative assessment was redesigned to introduce scaffolded and "fill-in-the-blank" questions about the chromatographic separation of mixtures. In addition to analyzing chromatograms and interpreting data, the assignment was designed to help learners define the array of chromatographic terms and to engage students in scientific practices by having them actively reason about several variables and identify relationships between various technical terms to solve multistep calculations. The activity was successfully implemented in a remote analytical chemistry class, with learning gains evidenced by the subsequent midterm exam. Students self-reported their achievement of the intended learning outcomes as well as their enjoyment of the activity and its structure. We found the new scaffolded design to be attractive for helping students develop process skills for problem-solving in analytical chemistry.