How many IM Prelim applications to do?

[WashingtonR]

Assuming residency interviews continue to be remote for 2022/23 cycle, how many IM Prelim programs should I apply to? 50? 60? 100???

Planning IM Prelim + PM&R.

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[LunaOri]

It depends on how competitive your application is, and whether you want to be in a specific region of the country.

 

[WashingtonR]

It depends on how competitive your application is, and whether you want to be in a specific region of the country.

Step 1: 232, Step 2: pending, class rank: 2nd or 3rd quartile. Attending US MD program ranked in the 50's in USNWR. Research: not much. Other: Extensive 1st career before entering medicine. Not super picky about region for my intern year.

 

[Dr. Doctor MD]

Step 1: 232, Step 2: pending, class rank: 2nd or 3rd quartile. Attending US MD program ranked in the 50's in USNWR. Research: not much. Other: Extensive 1st career before entering medicine. Not super picky about region for my intern year.

It's always hard to figure out the optimal number of prelims to apply for, and it really depends on the quality and competitiveness of the prelims you choose and the competitiveness of your app.

I would roughly estimate that overall most programs you apply to will have a 20-50% chance of interviewing you. 10-20% yield being in competitive locations, super cush prelims/TY and 50%+ yield being the rural locations, brutal prelims, and other less desirable programs.

Most applicants probably will feel comfortable with 8-10 prelim ranks total when it comes time to finalize their rank list. Some people are comfortable with as few as 5. So if you apply to super competitive prelims, you may need 30-50 programs to get to the 8-10 number. If you apply to less desirable prelims, you could probably get this number with just 20 programs.

Your stats are around average, so I think you could probably apply to between 20-30 average prelims (standard midtier academic or semi-cush community programs), and be fine. If you want, you can add 5-10 dream TYs/Cush Prelims, but your yield is not going to be high at these locations.

My personal advice is to start a little heavier on # of applications then you think you'll need, and then turn down interviews or do not rank later in the season.