I've received several interviews from programs, but don't really understand the significance of these interviews. How selective are they in giving out interviews? e.g. received interviews at Mt. Sinai, St. Luke's, etc. but don't know if this means I'm a strong candidate (and should feel happy), or if they just pass these out like candy? Thanks for your input.

I think the number of interviews a program grants depends partly on how confident they are that they can fill all their slots. If a program didn't fill last year, they will be more liberal in the amount of people they invite this year. Very few programs didn't fill in emergency medicine so an invite now (before Dean's Letters) probably means you're pretty desireable.

Based on what I've seen on FREIDA, it seems that the average program will interview approximately 8-10X the number of spots available.

For example, the program with 8 spots will likely interview ~ 70 people or so.

Sincerely,

Frank