Every year, thousands of medical students apply and interview for residency. In 2023 alone, 42,952 applicants submitted a certified rank order list of their preferred programs; each one aimed to fill one of the 40,375 available positions.
As the Match algorithm works, it matches applicants with programs based on preference. Once the Main Residency Match is complete, there are many applicants and programs that are left unmatched.
On Monday of Match Week, applicants will find out if they matched with a program via email. If you find yourself unmatched at the beginning of Match Week, you will move into the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).
Here are some tips that may help you before and during SOAP.
Pre-Match Day Tips for SOAP
After interviewing and ranking, you may think you are at risk of going unmatched, even before you officially know. This could be because you only applied to a competitive specialty, your application wasn’t as competitive as other applicants, you only interviewed at a few programs, or a number of other reasons.
If you think you may be at risk of not matching, you may want to meet with an advisor to see if they recommend having a back-up plan. If this is the case, consider preparing ahead of time for SOAP to give you an advantage in this secondary matching process.
To give you a greater chance of matching during SOAP, we recommend:
- Considering your preferences. In your original application and ranking process, you may have been selective, but now, you should consider how open-minded you want to be during SOAP. Will you consider another specialty or expand your preferred location? Both of these strategies will give you a better chance of matching.
- Revising your personal statement. Consider getting an advisor to review your personal statement to ensure there were no areas that may have made you a less favorable candidate in the Main Residency Match. If you were applying for a certain specialty during the Main Match but plan to apply to others during SOAP, be sure to revise areas that are specialty-specific.
- Obtaining new letters of recommendation. If you are considering applying to other specialties, it will benefit you to obtain letters of recommendation from physicians in that specialty.
- Reviewing your interview skills and strategy. As you go through the rounds of SOAP, you will interview with various programs. Work with a faculty member or advisor to review your answers to common Match interview questions and prepare for common SOAP questions (like those found in the “Prepare For Interviews” section below).
Finding Out You Didn’t Match
If on Monday you received the email informing you that you didn’t match or were partially matched, you are not alone. Being unmatched doesn’t mean you won’t be able to enter residency in a few months with your peers, but there is more work to be done.
You will begin SOAP, where you will apply for unfilled positions. In 2023, 2,431 positions were filled during SOAP. This year, there will likely be a similar number.
About SOAP
Who Enters SOAP?
In 2023, 2,685 of the 40,375 positions were left unfilled after the Main Residency Match. Meanwhile, 12,365 applicants were SOAP-eligible after the Main Residency Match was complete.
Historically, both U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs make up a significant portion of SOAP participants. Last year was no exception, with these applicants making up more than two-thirds of the pool of applicants.
What Programs Are Available In SOAP?
Of the 2,685 available positions in 2023, the specialties with the highest numbers of available positions were:
- Family Medicine – 581 positions
- Surgery-Preliminary – 568 positions
- Emergency Medicine – 545 positions
- Internal Medicine – 369 positions
- Transitional – 217 positions
- Medicine-Preliminary – 144 positions
- Pediatrics – 74 positions
Specialties not included in this list had fewer than 25 positions available during SOAP in 2023. Find the full list on page 46 here.
SOAP Schedule 2024
- Monday, March 11
- 10:00 a.m. ET – Applicants will find out via email if they matched.
- SOAP-eligible unmatched and partially-matched applicants will be able to access the List of Unfilled Programs through the R3 system.
- 11:00 a.m. ET – MyERAS opens for SOAP applicants to prepare their applications.
- 10:00 a.m. ET – Applicants will find out via email if they matched.
- Tuesday, March 12
- 8:00 a.m. ET – Programs begin reviewing applications and will contact applicants for interviews.
- Thursday, March 14
- 9:00 a.m. ET – Applicants receive Round 1 offers in the R3 system.
- 11:00 a.m. ET – Applicant deadline to accept/reject Round 1 offers. SOAP Round 2 begins.
- 12:00 p.m. ET – Applicants receive Round 2 offers.
- 2:00 p.m. ET – Applicant deadline to accept/reject Round 2 offers. SOAP Round 3 begins.
- 3:00 p.m. ET – Applicants receive Round 3 offers.
- 5:00 p.m. ET – Applicant deadline to accept/reject Round 3 offers. SOAP Round 4 begins.
- 6:00 p.m. ET – Applicants receive Round 4 offers.
- 8:00 p.m. ET – Applicant deadline to accept/reject Round 4 offers.
- 9:00 p.m. ET – SOAP ends. The List of Unfilled Programs is available through the R3 system to all unmatched and partially-matched applicants.
What Do I Need For SOAP?
The application documents for SOAP are very similar to those of your initial residency applications, but you may need to make some tweaks to adapt them to other specialties you may be applying to in SOAP. Here is what you will need:
- Personal statement: You have total control over your personal statement and how it may impact your application. Before resubmitting it for SOAP, review it to be sure there weren’t any areas that may have prevented you from matching. If you are applying for a different specialty, be sure to revise any specialty-specific areas.
- Letters of recommendation: Review the letters of recommendation you used for your initial application to determine if they are appropriate to use during SOAP. If applying to a different specialty, include a letter of recommendation from a physician in that specialty if possible.
- USMLE or COMLEX transcript
- Medical school transcript
Tips During SOAP
Here are some things to consider as you prepare:
- Specialty – If you were very selective based on specialty in your initial rankings, will you expand your options in SOAP? Often, the more competitive specialties have very few available positions in SOAP, so applying to some of the less competitive options could give you a greater chance of matching.
- Location – You may have been set on completing residency in a certain state or region, but will you keep those parameters in SOAP? The more open-minded you are about location, the greater chance you have to receive an offer from a program.
Prepare For Interviews
Combined with the mental strain of going through SOAP, interviews will likely be more of a challenge. Do some preparation beforehand to ensure you are prepared for any question. Because you didn’t match in the Main Match, you can expect questions like:
- Why do you think you didn’t match?
- Tell me more about the weak points in your application.
- Why are you now considering this specialty?
- What will you do if you don’t match through SOAP?
Being transparent about your weaknesses and the strengths you have to overcome them could help you make a good impression on a program.
Additionally, be sure to prepare some well thought out questions for the programs you will interview with to convey your interest and knowledge about the program and specialty.
Be Available For Interviews
SOAP will be a whirlwind from Monday, when you find out you didn’t match, to Friday, when you will hopefully open an envelope with the offer you accepted. Be sure you have an open schedule throughout the week to apply for programs, interview, and make your final decision on any offers you may receive.
Accepting A SOAP Offer
When presented with an offer from a residency program during SOAP, it is recommended that you take it. As the rounds of SOAP proceed, more positions are filled, meaning less are available and you will have a lesser chance of receiving another offer.
In 2023, a total of 4,365 offers were sent to applicants. 2,431 were accepted, 1,800 were rejected, and 134 were left to expire.
Not Matching In SOAP
At 9:00 p.m. on Thursday night, SOAP will come to an end, and the match process will end for the year. If at the end of the week you didn’t match, know this isn’t the end of your dream to become a physician. There are still many opportunities for you. Take some time to rest, then look ahead to determine your goals.
We share tips for you in “What Happens If I Don’t Match Into A Residency Program?”
Matching In SOAP
If you accepted an offer to join a residency program, congratulations! Enjoy Match Day with your friends and family, and celebrate the hard work that got you here! We are so glad SOAP was successful for you, and we hope you will enjoy your program.
As you look toward beginning residency in a few months, there is plenty to consider—relocation, budgeting and more. To find more tips about residency and how to manage your finances during this time, visit our Resources page or check out one of the following articles:
