How the Matching Algorithm Works

For applicants who are concerned about the match algorithm, it's actually very simple: you will match at the program highest on your list that offers you a spot.

In detail, it works like this:
- Offers from programs go to the top ## on their rank order list, where ## is the number of positions at that program.
- Applicants will be temporarily matched to the offer from the program highest on their list.
- Offers from programs to applicants who do not rank those programs or who have another program higher on their rank listed will then be offered to the next applicant on the program's rank list.
- Applicants will be temporarily matched to the offer of highest program on their list.
- ETC, ETC, ETC until programs are filled or through their rank order list.

Bottom line:
There is no second guessing the algorithm to optimize your chance of matching. Rank order the programs in the order that you'd like to be there, and things will work out the best way possible for you.

Every year I have talked to applicants and even when i was applying it seems that at least a few people get confused about this. for some reason people start thinking that they should rank places that they feel will rank them highly higher on their own list b/c this increases their chances somehow.
There is only one guideline to go by:
If you like program A more than B and B more than C your list should be
1)A
2)B
3)C

EVEN IF you dont think you have a good shot at A vs B or C.
the more competitive you are, the more likely you are to be ranked highly at places and therefore you have a better shot at getting one of your top picks

Bonedoc,

I didn't know you could spell
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Hope things are going well.

Another important thing to consider is that the match ALWAYS works in the favor of the applicant. Meaning the NRMP runs the applicants list first to find YOUR best match. For example, if you really loved a program, let's just use Case's program as an example, and you ranked them No. 1. And say Case hated you and ranked you at 49. If the other 48 people that Case ranked higher decide to go elsewhere, you end up at Case. Kinda sucks for Case, but you more or less lucked out.

Also, no program knows how you rank THEM. . . . .with one exception. If you tell a program that you are definitely gonna rank them No. 1 and they rank you in "matching range," and you don't match there, they know that you were FOS. And when I say matching range, I mean a program that has x number of spots available, like 6, and ranks you in the top 6. That's why people around Orthogate suggest that if you go and tell a program director you're going to rank them number one, you had better damn well mean it.

All in all, for some people it's hard to understand and there are a million students out there with the same question. Hopefully, that didn't add to the confusion.