Will Residency Program Directors Look at My United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 Score During the 2022-2023 Application Cycle? A National Survey of Program Directors

Background The 2022-2023 residency match cycle will be the first cycle that program directors will have to consider some applicants with a numerical United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score while other applicants will only report pass/fail for USMLE Step 1. Previous studies have explored how USMLE Step 1 becoming pass/fail will alter the residency selection process, but it is not yet known when program directors from each specialty expect those changes to be implemented. Methods Residency program director’s contact information was extracted from the American Medical Association (AMA) residency program site, Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA). Of the 5190 programs, 4877 were determined eligible for this study of which 1274 (26.8%) responded. Results Of the 1274 US residency program directors included in this survey, 77.0% do not intend to adjust their usage of USMLE Step 1 as a metric in candidate evaluation until the score is no longer reported. Conclusion Residency candidates applying during the upcoming cycle can expect the majority of residency programs will not significantly alter their previous utilization of an applicant’s USMLE Step 1 score during the current 2022-2023 residency match cycle.