NBME, in collaboration with the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®), has released a new report, Characteristics of Applicants Included on Residency Program Rank Order Lists by Specialty: Main Residency Match 2022-2025. The report examines specialty-level patterns in the characteristics of applicants included on residency program rank order lists, including how applicant characteristics are represented among those ranked overall and within the top versus lower three quartiles of program rank order lists.
Drawing on data from 21 specialties participating in the Main Residency Match®, the report includes analyses by applicant type, demographic characteristics, and USMLE® performance. Specialties had the most pronounced differences in ranking patterns for applicant type, sex, and USMLE performance, while all characteristics demonstrated substantial variation among programs within each specialty.
Interpretation of ranking outcomes should be contextualized. Applicant characteristics represented on rank order lists reflect multiple, interconnected factors across the application process—including where applicants choose to apply, which applicants programs invite to interview, and which interviews applicants accept and attend. Because the study does not capture applicants who applied but were not ranked, findings should be interpreted as describing applicants who appeared on rank order lists, not the full applicant pool or the reasons applicants ultimately appeared on those lists.
NBME is committed to supporting a more transparent, evidence-informed, and equitable transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education. By making these findings available, NBME and NRMP aim to help applicants, advisors, specialty leaders, and program directors better understand ranking patterns and reflect on how selection practices align with program goals and missions.
