Preparing for Match Day & beyond

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AMA Road to Residency Guide
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Understand residency match slang with this glossary
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FREIDA™, the AMA Residency & Fellowship Database®
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5 Min Read

Largest Match Day on record: Dive into the 2026 numbers

More than 53,000 medical students participated in the Match this year. Data from the NRMP reveals more about specialty trends, fill rates and more.

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency

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3 Min Read

AMA guide to Match Day and Match Week

After months of research, applications, interviews and ranking, here's what to expect as applicants are matched into residency programs. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
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5 Min Read

Match Day holds the promise of our profession

Match Day stirs many emotions. Take a moment now to reflect on your own journey and what you want the future of medicine to look like.

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Leadership
Leadership Viewpoints
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6 Min Read

Do you have to match at your first choice to be happy?

Learn what research shows about the connection between residents’ satisfaction and how highly they ranked the residency programs where they matched. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
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6 Min Read

What to know about SOAP's last-minute Match options

The Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program can be a vehicle through which unmatched medical students find a home for residency. Here’s how. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
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13 Min Read

Match Week FAQ: How to move forward when you don’t match

Residency applicants who fail to find a home on Match Day are filled with questions. The AMA gathered experts to offer practical answers.

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
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3 Min Read

Match: Which specialties place most residents through SOAP

Nearly 830 programs took part in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) last year. Take a deeper dive into the numbers. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
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6 Min Read

7 do’s and don’ts for creating your Couples Match rank-order list

The blueprint for medical student success on a Couples Match rank-order list highlights the value of comprise and necessity of keeping options open. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency
UPDATED
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3 Min Read

AMA guide to creating your Match rank-order list

Now that you’ve interviewed, learn how to rank-order your target residency programs ahead of the match. 

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Prep for Residency
The Road to Residency