On February 1 at 12 noon EST, Rank Order List (ROL) access opens, meaning applicants and programs may begin entering their rank lists at this time. Start now to think about your priorities and specifically, where you will be happiest. Waiting until the last minute and making impulsive changes to your list is not a great idea.

Please make sure to avoid simple missteps in creating your rank order list. Improving written materials and interview skills is important, but all of that work can go down the drain if applicants do not understand basic strategies for the Match. In November 2015, the NRMP published an article called, “Understanding the Interview and Ranking Behaviors of Unmatched International Medical Students and Graduates in the 2013 Main Residency Match” in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. The data is especially important for IMGs who represented the majority of unmatched candidates.

Sadly, the authors found that some applicants made strategic errors including the below:

– Not attending all interviews, thus failing to capitalize on every opportunity to market themselves.

– Declining to rank all programs at which they interviewed or not ranking all programs they would be willing to attend.

– Misunderstanding the Match and ranking programs at which applicants did not interview.

– Failing to rank programs based on true preferences or ranking programs based on the perceived likelihood of matching.

Here is a video explanation of the Match algorithm. If you do not understand how the Match works, it is absolutely critical that you learn about it to avoid destructive errors.