Specialty Factors

In March 2022, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) conducted its survey of directors of programs participating in the Main Residency Match ® with the primary purpose of characterizing the factors that Program Directors use to (1) select applicants to interview, and (2) rank applicants for the Main Residency Match. See results of the Program Director Survey for Pediatrics below:

The Top 5 Most Important Pediatrics Application Factors

Percentage of Programs Citing Each Factor

1. MSPE (91.3%)
2. USMLE Step 1 score (84.8%)
3. Any failed attempt in USMLE (78.3%)
4. Grades in required clerkships (73.9%)
5. USMLE Step 2 CK score, Class ranking/quartile, Grades in clerkship in preferred specialty (65.2%)

Average Importance Rating for Each Factor (scale of 1 to 5)

1. Flagged by NRMP (5.0)
2. Ability to work legally w/o visa (4.3)
3. Professionalism and ethics(4.3)
4. Diversity characteristics (4.2)
5. Perceived interest in program (4.2)