How to prepare for SOAP—even if you expect to match
David Mitchell — If you’re one of the hundreds of applicants who find themselves unmatched after the National Resident Matching Program’s Main Residency Match results are announced Match Day, take reassuring advice from an expert.
“You are not alone,” said Karen Mitchell, MD, FAAFP, AAFP vice president for national residency and academic partnerships. “There are many reasons that applicants don’t match and programs don’t fill. It does not mean you are a poor applicant, nor that the program is a bad program. Many people have found outstanding opportunities through SOAP.”
Mitchell, a former program director and past president of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, said any stigma once associated with the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program is diminishing because the number of applicants and programs participating is increasing. In fact, studies show that the vast majority of residents who match through the SOAP “are well prepared for training, contribute to their programs and perform as well as other residents.”
Mitchell offered applicants more advice as they wait to hear what Match Week brings.
Steps to take before Match Week
AAFP: If an applicant is confident about the Main Match, should they still prepare for the possibility of not matching and participating in the SOAP? If so, what steps can an applicant take in advance to prepare?
Mitchell: Yes, everyone should be prepared to some extent. Being prepared for any possibility takes away the sting of suddenly finding out you are unmatched.
The first step is to understand the SOAP process. Second is to know, if you are unmatched, what support you have available, especially through your medical school or other career advisers. Third, take a look once again at your personal statement and your ERAS CV, and update those. Tweak them to align with what might happen with SOAP. Finally, be prepared to rearrange your schedule. If you participate in SOAP, you will need to be available Monday through Thursday.
Key questions to ponder before Match Week
AAFP: What are some of the big questions and contingencies applicants should be considering before March 16?
Mitchell: Ask yourself if you definitely want to enter residency this year, or if you want to take a gap year to build your skills, your clinical experience and your CV to be a stronger candidate next year. Assuming most unmatched applicants will participate in SOAP, things to think about include: What are the geographic locations that you will consider? Will you expand your residency search? What characteristics are you looking for in a program, and do you need to rethink any of those characteristics compared to what you first considered?
Really think about your interests and values to find the programs that align with those interests and values.
AAFP drives 2027 Match changes
The Academy launched an initiative in 2025 aimed at filling more family medicine positions in the Main Residency Match. Improvements already have been identified to make the process more efficient for applicants and programs in the 2027 Match.
How to stand out in SOAP interviews
AAFP: SOAP interviews are short, 10 to 30 minutes. How do you make a good impression and make a connection in such a short period of time?
Mitchell: Have your elevator speech ready. Think about the top things you really want programs to know about you, and make sure your message comes across clearly. Think about who you are:
- What are you about? How would you describe yourself?
- Why did you choose family medicine?
- Why did you choose this particular residency program?
- What are your overall career goals?
If you can put that into a very short elevator speech, that will go a long way to presenting yourself in a positive light.
Understanding the SOAP process
AAFP: Participants can apply to 45 programs in the SOAP, which has multiple rounds. What should people know about using that allotment?
Mitchell: Monday is when applicants can start applying to programs through SOAP, and they have up to 45 applications. Programs receive information from applicants on Tuesday morning, and then start to review and interview. So, you will want to have all your applications in on that Monday.
Once the SOAP offer-and-acceptance rounds start, on Thursday, there’s no further interviewing.
It’s worth noting that for those who applied to ERAS, there’s no additional fee for SOAP applications.
Another thing students might not understand about SOAP is how the offer-and-acceptance piece works. Programs offer to just one applicant per open position during a round of SOAP, and that applicant has two hours to respond with a yes or no. If you don’t accept, you will not get another offer from that program, which goes to round two of SOAP and chooses the next unmatched person.
What if you’re unmatched after SOAP?
AAFP: What steps should applicants consider if they’re still unmatched after SOAP?
Mitchell: It’s important to note that once they apply, applicants cannot reach out directly to a program or have anyone else reach out on their behalf during the SOAP. That’s a violation of the rules. Programs will contact applicants and that starts the dialogue.
After SOAP ends on Thursday evening, applicants can reach out to specific programs, whether or not they were participating in SOAP. Unmatched applicants may want to reach out to programs that are still listed as having unfilled positions.
During the following week, they can work with career advisers or medical school advisers to identify unfilled positions, and send out specific messages to those programs who remain unfilled and may still be considering applicants.
Additionally, if you’ve had relationships or rotations with any of the unfilled programs, after the SOAP is a great time to reach out if you were still unmatched.
Programs should prepare for SOAP, too
AAFP: What steps should programs take to ensure they are prepared for unfilled positions after the Main Match?
Mitchell: Just as every applicant should prepare, every program should be prepared. Programs should have a process in place to review SOAP applications starting on Tuesday. They should have identified who will be doing the interviews, whether it’s program directors, recruitment committee chairs or residents, as well as who will be reviewing applications. Those people will need to be able to clear their schedules for those processes. Interviews and application reviews occur on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday is when programs will be making decisions about who to offer positions.