Things to Know
- Prior to the Rank Order List deadline, you must provide applicants with information about eligibility requirements for appointment, including vaccination requirements.
- The list of preferred applicants you submit to the Match is called a Rank Order List.
- You must enter and certify a Rank Order List in the NMS Match System by the Rank Order List deadline for each program offered by your residency site in the Match.
- If you have no acceptable applicants to rank for a program, you should certify a Rank Order List with no ranks.
- If a program no longer has positions available, you must withdraw the program from the Match.
Key Dates
| NMS Match System Opens For Rankings | February 12, 2024 |
| Rank Order List Deadline | February 27, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time |
Strategy
The Matching Algorithm is designed such that it cannot be gamed or manipulated.
The only strategy is to rank your choices in order of your true preferences, without considering how you expect to be ranked by any applicant.
Rank all applicants that would be acceptable. Submitting a longer list of applicants may reduce your chances of being left with unfilled positions.
Do not rank any applicant that you consider unacceptable (i.e., you would not want to be matched to that applicant, even if you may not fill a position). You can only be matched to applicants that appear on your Rank Order List.
Certify Your Rank Order List
You must certify a Rank Order List in the NMS Match System in order for it to be used in the Match. Certifying your Rank Order List lets NMS know it is ready to be used in the Match.
You can make changes to a list even after it is certified, until the Rank Order List deadline. If you make changes after a list is certified, the list will become uncertified and you will have to certify the list again before the Rank Order List deadline in order for it to be used in the Match.
Special Cases
No Applicants to Rank
If a program has position(s) available that you would like to fill but you have no acceptable applicants to rank for the program, you should certify a Rank Order List with no ranks using the NMS Match System. This indicates to NMS that the program is still active and you want your position(s) to be shown as available to applicants after the Match.
Unique Requirements
If your program has specific recruiting objectives that you are unsure of how to handle in the Match, please contact NMS.
Guide to the NMS Match System
Consult the Account User Guide, Applications User Guide, and Rankings User Guide for detailed instructions for using the NMS Match System.
To jump to the instructions for a specific task within the System Guide, refer to the links below:
