Note: The instructions for preparing rankings of applicants are essentially the same for both Phase I and Phase II of the Match. Any relevant differences in the two Phases are noted below.
Strategy for Ranking Applicants
You must enter and certify a separate Rank Order List for each program offered by your site that is participating in each Phase of the Match.
After you have evaluated all the applicants to your program(s), you must determine for each program your order of preference for applicants. For each program, rank your most preferred applicant first, your next most preferred applicant second, and so on. For training sites offering multiple programs in the Match, it is permissible to rank the same applicant on more than one program's Rank Order List for the site, and to assign a different rank number to the applicant on each program's list, if desired.
According to the APPIC Match Policies, Match participants may not communicate, accept or use any ranking-related information prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match, and may never solicit such information either during the Match or after the Match results are released. Internship sites that offer more than one program in the Match are expected to ask applicants to identify which program(s) the applicants are applying to. However, internship sites may not solicit any information about applicants' rankings of these programs.
Your Rank Order List for each program should reflect the true desirability of each applicant to that program, regardless of how you think an applicant will rank the program. Because of the way the matching process works, your best strategy is to rank your applicants in order of preference, without consideration for how you think your program might be ranked by any applicant.
In preparing each Rank Order List, the specific rank numbers you assign to your most preferred applicants, up to the number of positions to be filled from that list, are not significant. For example, if five positions are to be filled from a Rank Order List, the specific rank numbers (from 1 to 5) assigned to the five most preferred applicants are not significant, as positions are available for all five of these applicants. However, for less preferred applicants (ranks 6 and onward) the specific rank numbers are very significant, as they indicate your preference for each of these applicants if your program cannot match with all of the five most preferred applicants.
You should rank all applicants who are acceptable for each program. Applicants generally apply to and rank several programs, and therefore Training Directors who do not list all acceptable applicants for each program may not fill all their positions. By submitting a longer Rank Order List of applicants you may reduce the likelihood of being left with unfilled positions. Regardless of the number of applicants you rank, each program will be matched with the most preferred applicant(s) on its Rank Order List who have ranked that program and who are not matched with programs they prefer.
Programs that rank fewer applicants than the number of positions available (e.g., 2 applicants ranked for 3 available positions) will, by definition, have one or more unfilled positions in the Match. Similarly, programs that rank the same number of applicants as positions available (e.g., 3 applicants ranked for 3 positions) run a very high risk of having one or more unfilled positions in the Match.
Do not rank any applicant who is not acceptable for a program, even if the program has unfilled positions after the Match. You are reminded that according to the Terms of the Internship Site Agreement and the APPIC Match Policies, the Match results are binding. You must accept the applicant(s) matched to your program(s).
Programs With No Applicants to Rank
There are two reasons why you may not have any rankings of applicants to submit for a program:
Instructions for using the ROLIC system to submit the appropriate information for each of these situations are provided elsewhere on this web site.
Submitting Multiple Rank Order Lists for One Program
It is possible within the matching process to attempt to recruit a particular distribution of applicants based on specific applicant characteristics. To accomplish this, you must divide your program's available positions into separate categories, designate how many positions are to be allocated to each category, and submit separate Rank Order Lists for each category of position. Programs that submit multiple Rank Order Lists for a single program must submit the rankings for the program to NMS on paper, not through the ROLIC system. Detailed instructions, examples and forms for submitting multiple lists for a single program are provided elsewhere on this web site.
Note: Multiple lists for one program will be accepted only in Phase I of the Match. This option will not be available in Phase II of the Match.
Reverting Unfilled Positions from One Rank Order List to Another
It is possible within the matching process to move one or more positions that remain unfilled from one Rank Order List to a second list, so that an attempt can be made to fill the available position(s) on the second list. This is referred to as "reverting" unfilled positions from one list to another. Sites that wish to request the reversion of unfilled positions from one Rank Order List to another must submit the request to NMS in writing prior to the Phase I Rank Order List deadline. Detailed instructions and forms for reverting unfilled positions from one Rank Order List to another are provided elsewhere on this web site.
Note: Requests to revert unfilled positions from one Rank Order List to another will be accepted only in Phase I of the Match. This option will not be available in Phase II of the Match.
Limiting the Number of Matches from Any One University or School
It is possible to request that the matching process attempt to impose an upper limit on the number of applicants from any one university/school who are matched on a single program Rank Order List. Instructions for limiting the number of matches from a university or school are provided elsewhere on this web site.
Worksheet and Applicant Code Numbers
In order to facilitate the entry of your choices into the ROLIC system, you should prepare a worksheet of your Rank Order List of applicants for each program before accessing the ROLIC system.
For purposes of the Match, each applicant is identified by a unique 5-digit applicant Code Number that must be used to enter the applicant on your Rank Order List(s). The worksheet of your rankings for each program should include the name and 5-digit applicant Code Number for each applicant you wish to rank for the program.
Since the match will be made based on the Code Numbers, make sure you use the correct 5-digit Code Number to identify each applicant you wish to rank.
You can obtain the Code Number for each applicant you wish to rank directly from the applicant, or from the List of Participating Applicants provided on this web site. This List is updated every night, to include applicants who recently registered for the Match. Applicants may register to participate in the Match until the deadline date for submission of Rank Order Lists for Phase I of the Match; therefore, you are encouraged to consult this List before finalizing your Rank Order List(s).
In addition, while entering your rankings into the ROLIC system, you can also search for registered applicants alphabetically by name. The ROLIC system will include current information on all applicants registered for the Match.
Only applicants who are registered for the Match can be included on a program Rank Order List. Check that all applicants your training site intends to rank are included in the List of Participating Applicants on this web site. If you wish to rank an applicant who does not appear in the List, contact the applicant and encourage him or her to register for the Match as soon as possible. The applicant will then be assigned an applicant Code Number, will be added to the List, and will be instructed to inform you of his or her applicant Code Number for inclusion on your Rank Order List(s).
Note for Phase II: Only those applicants who register for the Match prior to the Phase I Rank Order List deadline and who do not obtain a position in Phase I (i.e., those who withdraw, do not submit any ranks or remain unmatched in Phase I) are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match and to use the AAPI Online application service to submit applications to programs for Phase II of the Match. The List of Participating Applicants provided on this web site will be updated following the release of the Phase I Match results to include only those applicants who are eligible to participate in Phase II; applicants who matched in Phase I will be removed from the List. Similarly, applicants who matched in Phase I will be removed from the applicant search facility in the ROLIC system for Phase II. If you try to rank an applicant in Phase II who was matched in Phase I, the Phase II ROLIC system will treat the applicant’s Code Number as invalid, and will not let you save that ranking on your Phase II Rank Order List. Furthermore, applicants who do not register for the Match prior to the Phase I Rank Order List deadline cannot register for or participate in Phase II (i.e., no new applicant registrations will be accepted after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline).
If a previously registered applicant withdraws from the Match, the applicant's withdrawn status may be shown in the List of Participating Applicants and/or in the ROLIC system. If you had intended to rank an applicant who is currently withdrawn, you are strongly encouraged to leave the withdrawn applicant on your Rank Order List. Withdrawn applicants can reinstate themselves in the Match any time prior to the deadline for submitting Rank Order Lists. If you leave the withdrawn applicant on the Rank Order List and the applicant is reinstated prior to the deadline, that ranking will be used in the Match. If the applicant remains withdrawn, that ranking will not be used in the Match, and the Rank Order List will be processed as if your program had not ranked the withdrawn applicant.
Submission of Rank Order Lists and Withdrawals
All Rank Order Lists (except for programs submitting multiple lists for a single program in Phase I of the Match) and program withdrawals must be submitted to NMS using the ROLIC system accessible from this web site. The ROLIC system will be available to programs and applicants for entering or changing Rank Order Lists and related information or withdrawing from the Match according to the following schedule:
Phase I |
Phase II | |
| ROLIC System Opens: | Monday, January 23, 2012 | Thursday, March 1, 2012 |
| Rank Order List Deadline: | Wednesday, February 8, 2012 (11:59 p.m. Eastern Time) |
Monday, March 19, 2012 (11:59 p.m. Eastern Time) |
Instructions for using the ROLIC system are provided elsewhere on this web site. You will note that one of the steps involves certifying each Rank Order List you have entered into the ROLIC system by indicating that the list is complete, and then re-entering your password/PIN and clicking the Certify button. This is a critical step, as Rank Order Lists that are not certified will NOT be used in the Match.
Each program's Rank Order List can be entered in one or more sessions. However, you are advised to certify a Rank Order List at the end of each session in which you have entered or modified the rankings of applicants, rather than returning at a later date to certify the Rank Order List. Even if you have already certified the information, you can return to make changes any time until the Rank Order List deadline. Whenever you change the rankings on a Rank Order List, you will have to re-certify the Rank Order List in order for it to be used in the Match.
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