The March 4 deadline to certify rank order lists for Match has a bit of special meaning this year.

On March 4, fourth-year medical students will, in fact, march forth into their futures.

The hard part is that they won’t know the final outcome until March 20.

That uncertainty, combined with years of preparation building to this moment, is one of the things that can make Match so trying.

Aliya Redd, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Florida (UF) School of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, is one of many feeling the pressure.

“It can be nerve-wracking,” said Redd. For one thing, she has a fiancé who is a resident at UF. Ideally, she wants to remain close by. But she also wants to find the best program fit. And she wants to know what it’s like to be a resident at the hospitals she is applying to.

“Do they feel fairly compensated? Do they feel overworked? Do they get meals, parking? If I’m leaving, I want to know these things,” Redd said.

Experts said her questions are exactly the ones that medical students should be asking as they finalize their rank order lists. Come March 4 at 9 PM ET, their choices become binding.

When students certify their Match choices on March 4, the certification commits them to a binding contract with the residency program they match into with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). There’s no going back, no changing the order of their rank lists after the deadline.

Match, as all fourth-year medical students and physicians know, is the process by which doctors line up with the residency program that best fits their interests — and the interests of the residency program to which they are applying — to continue the strenuous training to become a practicing physician.

The process involves close to 50,000 students ranking their choices and hundreds of residency programs ranking theirs. An algorithm does the final work after the March 4 deadline, but the prep work has been ongoing for students and programs for months.

On March 20, Match Day, the students learn where they will continue their medical education and work as resident physicians.

“It’s incredibly stressful,” said Hilit Mechaber, MD, senior associate dean for student affairs at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Miami.

The students have interviewed with several residency programs by the time Match registration begins. But unlike other job applicants, Mechaber noted, the medical students don’t then get offers directly from a program they interviewed with. They must wait for the results of the Match.

While there’s angst and anxiety associated with the process, advisers also remind students to not only stay focused on their goals but also remember that a lot of joy awaits them on March 20.

“It is one of the most joyful days, it’s unforgettable,” said Reena Thomas, MD, PhD, senior associate dean of medical education at Stanford Medicine in Stanford, California, in describing Match Day. “It should be a celebration of hard work and new chapters.”

But how to survive between now and Match Day?

Here is some expert advice.

Lean on Your Network

Medical school advisers and deans stressed that students should be taking full advantage of the advising staff at their medical schools.

Also, the NRMP offers a webinar.

And up until March 4 at 9 PM, students still can go into the NRMP program and re-arrange their selections on their rank order lists. Make the most of the time between now and March 4, the experts said.

“They need to make sure they are staying organized,” said Jeanette Calli, chief of Match operations for the NRMP.

“Utilize your network of members and contacts,” said Diane M. Howell, MD, interim assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Florida School of Medicine. “Take this time to really be thoughtful.”

Some suggested having a “Match buddy,” one of your fellow students to go through the process with as you prepare for the final March 4 deadline.

The residency program itself is of course important, but students need to consider what this next step means.

“Some are second-guessing at this time,” said Emily Rose, MD, assistant dean for career advising at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles. “Is this what I really want…I was thinking this program was a really good fit, but do I prioritize the fit over the program?”

For example, your number one choice might be a top-ranked, ultra-competitive program where you interviewed. But maybe it’s far away from your family, and your spouse may not want to go there. Ask yourself what trade-offs you willing to make in the short term, especially if a prestigious fellowship down the road is one of your goals.

If torn between two places, consider the location of the programs, advisers said. Ask yourself whether you can see yourself living in the city of residency long-term, Howell said, because doctors are more likely to live in the city where they’ve done their residency than where they went to medical school.

“When it comes down to it, you’re putting down roots,” Howell said.

While your rank order list is still fluid, you can consider other aspects of the program, such as patient population, the camaraderie of the residents you met.

“Where am I going to get the best training for what I’m going to do,” is the ultimate question to ask, Rose said.

And while the soul-searching in going on, it’s also important to be prepared for not matching — not just for yourself but also for your classmates. This could also be where a “Match buddy” is especially helpful.

A Dose of Realism

On March 16, students will find out whether they matched, but not where. Those who do not match anywhere go into something called the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, or SOAP, to find openings in programs that did not fill their residency slots. That’s a several-day process when programs with unfilled residency slots consider the unmatched students, who have to work on new personal statements and applications for those programs. It starts 30 minutes after learning they did not match, so emotions are running high.

“There’s a massive sense of rejection and self-doubt,” said Rose. “It is painful, it’s emotional, and it’s devastating. And you’re doing that (applying through SOAP) after you’ve been stabbed in the chest.”

“Everybody from each side of the equation is working to avoid SOAP,” said Howell.

Not only do students feel emotional pain at not matching. They’re also not getting the programs they most desired. “You’re picking through the sales racks,” said Rose.

That is why ranking well is so important.

Not filling their slots is a headache for the residency programs, but not matching for medical students is a heartbreak.

And every year there are some surprises.

Aisha Jimenez, MD, now a resident at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, knows the feeling all too well.

“It hurt my soul,” said Jimenez. “You never think it will happen to you.”

Not matching can happen to the best of students. It can happen especially when there are limited spots in coveted programs, such as those for dermatology and surgery.

No matter how great a CV, simple math alone can work against a match — if 25 great candidates are applying for 24 positions, someone won’t match.

Medical school advisers work closely with students to help them be aware of the possibility of not matching and also to help those students who are academically struggling and may be more likely than others to not match.

Regardless of the reasons, though, it’s a reality.

That is why programs urge students to work closely with advisers. Students need to consider what programs match their needs, goals, and values. The programs are doing the same.

And it’s important to be prepared for the setback.

“I’m an emergency physician, so I’m always telling people to prepare for the worst,” said Rose. “That’s why I highly recommend that you have a SOAP buddy.”

Be prepared to support others, too.

Brian Hou, MD, now a first-year resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, got his first choice in 2025. He said he felt like he had done everything he could, so he was fairly calm after he certified. But he also tried to be prepared for a nonmatch by keeping close to friends and relatives. He also wanted to be prepared to help classmates who did not match.

“No one’s in this process alone,” Hou said. “You’ve got family, friends, and your mentors. Lean on them.”

And while the process is tough, the physicians have to learn to adjust to the twists and turns in life, the experts said, just as they have to learn to help patients adjust to twists and turns.

“So often you think, you plan, you think you know what you wanted, and then you have to redirect,” said Rose. “But hiccups happen.”

When the matches are announced on March 20, everyone celebrates.

“That’s the goal,” said Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, assistant dean of students at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia. “They come in as wonderful students, and they finish as phenomenal physicians.”