A residency applicant recently asked me if Board scores, grades, and academics in general were no longer significant once someone had gotten past the interview stage; she wondered if those factors were important to get to the interview but not get on the rank list.

Of course, every program is different, but generally, questions like this one can be answered with evidence – using the NRMP Program Director Survey. (According to the survey, academic issues are still a critical factor in deciding whom to rank.)

If you want to know what Program Directors really want, check out the Survey. The NRMP is very good about culling and publicizing data.