How do residency programs rank you? Top 5 factors PDs consider

As medical students finalize and certify their Match rank-order lists ahead of the March 4 deadline for the 2026 Match cycle, most of the focus naturally stays on their own preferences. But the Match is a two-way street.

2024 data, drawn from the most recent edition of a biannual survey of residency program directors conducted by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), offers some clarity on what happens on the other side of the process in which programs rank applicants. The data sheds light on the most considered factors program directors cited in making ranking decisions. 

In this AMA news article, medical students will get valuable information regarding:

• The top factors that residency program directors use to rank residency Match applicants.
• Factors that are among the least considered in program ranking decisions.
• Why interview-day performance is often the great equalizer.
• How residency programs’ ranking decisions can differ based on specialty and program.
• Why residency applicants should make sure their ambitions shape their Match rank-order list.