Top 6 Residency Application Resources

Your residency program selection is a crucial and personal step in beginning your career, these resources will give you the data to help you build a customized program list. Join Dr. David Flick, Director of Residency Advising at MedSchoolCoach as he walks you through how to utilize each resource and why they are so important.

1. Check Your Compatibility for Each Medical Specialty

The Results and Data Report is a crucial resource for applying efficiently. This is a data resource run by the National Resident Matching Program, aka The Match, and the new data is published every year so you always have access to the most recent information.

Dr. Flick says: This is where every piece of data can be accessed and gives you the opportunity to measure your chances for each specialty based on your status and scores. [Try Now]

2. Tinker With How You Could Perform on the Match

With these interactive charts by the NRMP, Interactive Charting Outcomes in the Match enables medical students to look at the match data to see how they stack up against past applicants. All they need to do is enter in different variables such as USMLE scores and specialties to see how they perform in a simulated match.

Dr. Flick says: Using this tool allows future MDs and DOs to identify specific categories such as step scores, research experience, volunteer experiences to see exactly what percent of applicants matched with these characteristics. [Try Now]

3. Explore Match Results by State, Specialty, and Applicant Type

Another report by the NRMP, The Match rates by Specialty and State allows you to explore the number of positions offered and filled by state, specialty, and applicant type for the last Residency Match cycle. With this report, you can very quickly identify and compare which states have the most opportunities based on specialties.

Dr. Flick says: You can drill down and understand how competitive programs will be based on locale, and apply more efficiently. [Try Now]

4. Optimize Your Residency Application

This tool by the Association of American Medical Colleges allows applicants to see how many applicants applied with a given Step 1 score and what percent matched. It also provides data on the point of diminishing returns. This is a statistical point where 1 more program applied does not confer a significant advantage in return. It does NOT mean that applying to more schools decreases your chance of matching, just that the rate of return is lower.

Dr. Flick says: Like any piece of statistics, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, depending on the nuances of your application. But it’s a very good place to start to kind of understand at least a rough idea of how many programs you should be applying to from a data-driven approach. [Try Now]

5. See How Competitive Your USMLE Scores are for Residency

The AAMC has conducted research on the average USMLE scores for first-year residents across all specialties and has the data and answers available for you. This resource contains that data as well as the Residency Explorer Tool which allows you to compare your statistics across 11 specialties and see how you stack up to the competition.

Dr. Flick says: With this tool you can explore residency programs by state, you can even drill down by region or zip. The bottom line with this tool is that it’s going to give you all the programs you could possibly apply to. [Try Now]

6. Compare Your USMLE and COMLEX Scores

Osteopathic medical students who already have already passed COMLEX Level 1 may still find it beneficial to take USMLE Step 1, here’s how to compare USMLE and COMLEX scores, so you can know how you stack up on your journey to becoming a DO. [Try Now]

Need extra help preparing for the match? Working with a MedSchoolCoach residency advisor can give you feedback on every step of the process, help you prepare for interviews, and more!