This blog was originally published on August 23rd, 2025 by Alina Khil, MD and has been updated by Elite Medical Prep in January, 2026.  NRMP Match Algorithm Explained A medical school graduate’s first job is determined by a computer algorithm called “The Match.” What does it mean to match into residency, and how does residency matching work? Just like for medical school, applicants submit an...

Surgery clerkship is well known for its long hours, which leaves little time for shelf exam studying. A normal day on the surgery ward involved waking up around 4 or 5am, getting to the hospital quickly, pre-rounding on your patients, and being ready for 6 or 6:30am rounds with your...

Whether you spent a lot of time preparing for Step 3 or not, the first day for most test takers feels like absolute defeat. But, there is still another day of test taking.