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 Neurosurgery below:

The Top 5 Most Important Neurosurgery Application Factors

Percentage of Programs Citing Each Factor

1. USMLE Step 1 score (89.5%)
2. MSPE (73.7%)
3. Grades in required clerkships (73.7%)
4. USMLE Step 2 CK score (68.4%)
5. Class ranking/quartile, Grades in clerkship in preferred specialty (63.2%)

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

1. Fluency in language of pt population (5.0)
2. Letters of recommendation in specialty (4,8)
3. Perceived commitment to specialty (4.8)
4. NRMP flag for match violation (4.8)
5. Involvement and interest in research, Interest in academic career (4.9)