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SOAP Residency 2027: How SOAP Works and How to Prepare for SOAP Interviews
SOAP 2027, hour by hour: who can take part, the application cap, the no-contact rule, the four offer rounds on March 18, and the questions SOAP interviewers ask in a 10 to 30 minute call.
SOAP, the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, is how unmatched and partially matched applicants get unfilled residency positions during Match Week. In 2027 it runs from Monday, March 15, at 10 a.m. Eastern, when you learn whether you matched, to Thursday, March 18, at 9 p.m. Programs interview by phone or video on Tuesday and Wednesday, usually for 10 to 30 minutes, and offers go out in four rounds on Thursday. Accepted offers are binding.
The 2027 SOAP schedule, hour by hour
NRMP's 2027 Match Week and SOAP calendar, Eastern time.
SOAP interviews and what they ask
Most programs call or email the applicants they want and hold brief phone or video interviews, and local applicants are sometimes asked in. In a 2026 AAFP interview, a past president of the family medicine residency directors' association put SOAP interviews at 10 to 30 minutes, on Tuesday and Wednesday, with no more interviewing once Thursday's rounds begin. The program director, faculty or residents may call. Tap a question for how to answer it.
Why do you think you didn't match?
Expect it on every call (the emergency medicine advisors' guide says so). Give the reason in one honest sentence, such as applying too narrowly or a low exam score, then what you have learned and why this program fits. Don't blame anyone.
Tell me about yourself.
A 60-second version: where you trained, the one experience that shows how you work, and what you want from residency. Keep it short enough to leave time for their questions.
Why our program?
You had hours to research, so name one specific thing from the program's own site (a clinic, a patient population, a track) and tie it to something you did.
Why this specialty?
NRMP lets you apply to any specialty in SOAP. If you are switching, say what in your rotations drew you to it. Never call it a backup.
Walk me through your application.
Have one calm sentence ready for every flag: a failed exam, a gap, a leave, a late graduation. State it, say what changed, and stop.
What questions do you have for us?
Ask one or two you can't answer from the website, such as what interns do in the first month. International graduates should ask about visa sponsorship if the program's site doesn't say.
One question programs can't ask: whether you would accept an offer. If it comes up, say you are very interested in the program and leave it there.
Before and during the call
- Answer every call and email fast. The emergency medicine advisors' guide says to be reachable around the clock during Match Week, and a call can come within hours of applying.
- Record a plain voicemail greeting with your full name, and keep a charged phone and a laptop with a camera in a quiet room.
- Keep one page per program you applied to: why it fits, one thing from its site and your question for them.
- Practice the phone and video format before Match Week. The program holds more of the power in SOAP, so you are mostly the one being interviewed.
NRMP: SOAP interviews · AAFP, March 2026 · CORD advising guide
Who can take part
Under section 9 of the 2027 Match Participation Agreement, you can take part in SOAP if you are:
- Registered for the 2027 Main Residency Match. There is no separate SOAP registration.
- Verified as eligible to start residency on July 1, 2027. Your medical school confirms this for US seniors and graduates, and ECFMG does it for international medical graduates.
- Partially or fully unmatched on Monday of Match Week. Partially matched means you matched only part of what you needed, such as an advanced position without its first-year preliminary position.
Fully unmatched applicants can skip SOAP for research or another path, but only if they apply to no Match or SOAP program that week. International graduates must have their exam requirements for ECFMG certification verified by the rank order list deadline, Wednesday, March 3, at 9 p.m. Eastern.
2027 Match Participation Agreement · ECFMG: the Main Residency Match
Applying and the contact rules
The List of Unfilled Programs shows only the programs you are eligible for, and each one names the application service it uses. The AAMC's 2026 rules for ERAS (the 2027 versions come out early in 2027):
- You can send up to 45 applications in each application service for all of SOAP. Applying again to a program you applied to in the fall still counts toward the 45.
- You can't withdraw an application, and each program keeps it for every round, so you apply once.
- You can write new personal statements and upload new letters, and assign them to different programs. Your main application stays locked, and program signals are off.
- No fees if you applied to at least one program in the season by Monday morning. Emergency medicine, its combined programs and OB/GYN use ResidencyCAS instead of ERAS.
The contact rules. Under section 9.2 of the agreement:
- You, your school and anyone acting for you may not contact a program until it contacts you.
- A program may contact you only after you have applied to it.
- A program may not ask whether you would accept an offer.
If a program contacts you before you applied to it, the agreement requires you to report it to the NRMP. You can also switch specialties: SOAP applicants may apply to any unfilled position they are eligible for.
AAMC SOAP guide (2026) · ERAS SOAP FAQ (2026) · NRMP: other specialties
Offers: four rounds on Thursday
- You don't make a rank list. Programs make preference lists and offer in that order.
- You can get several offers in one round. Wait until the round's offers are all in, then accept one.
- You have two hours in each round. An offer you reject or let expire is not made again.
- An accepted offer is a binding commitment, the same as a match.
Each round opens on the hour and closes two hours later: 9 to 11 a.m., 12 to 2 p.m., 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern. The list of unfilled programs updates after each round. Once SOAP ends at 9 p.m., applicants still unmatched can contact any program that is still unfilled, and the list stays up through the end of April.
Prepare before Match Week
- Talk with your dean's office or advisor about your match risk before the rank list deadline, and agree who will help you on Monday.
- Draft a SOAP personal statement for each specialty you would apply to, and line up letter writers who can upload fast.
- Practice your 60-second introduction and your answer to why you didn't match until both are calm and short.
- International graduates: your exam requirements for ECFMG certification must be verified by the rank order list deadline to take part in the Match and SOAP.
The questions SOAP programs ask are the core residency questions in a shorter call. Practice them in our residency interview questions guide, and start with tell me about yourself.
Sources: NRMP, 2027 Match Week and SOAP Calendar, 2027 Match Participation Agreement for Applicants and SOAP pages. AAMC 2026 SOAP guide and ERAS SOAP FAQ. Intealth ECFMG. AAFP news (March 5, 2026), the CORD and ASC-EM No Match Monday guide, and a published SOAP tool kit from Central Michigan University. All checked October 16, 2026. ERAS, NRMP, SOAP and ResidencyCAS are trademarks of their owners, and Confetto is not affiliated with them.
Frequently asked questions
What is SOAP in the residency Match?
SOAP, the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, is how unmatched and partially matched applicants get unfilled residency positions during Match Week. You apply to programs on the List of Unfilled Programs, programs call the applicants they want to interview, and offers go out in four rounds on Thursday. It is not a second match: there is no rank list, and an accepted offer is binding.
When is SOAP 2027?
SOAP starts Monday, March 15, 2027, at 10 a.m. Eastern, when you learn whether you matched. Applications open at 11 a.m., programs can start interviewing Tuesday at 8 a.m., and the four offer rounds run Thursday, March 18, at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. SOAP ends that night at 9 p.m.
How many programs can I apply to in SOAP?
In 2026 the limit was 45 applications in each application service for all of SOAP, and the AAMC publishes the 2027 rules early in 2027. You can't withdraw an application, and each program keeps it for every round.
Do programs interview during SOAP?
Yes. Most programs call or email the applicants they want and hold short phone or video interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday of Match Week, usually 10 to 30 minutes. Interviewing stops once the offer rounds start on Thursday.
Can I apply to a different specialty in SOAP?
Yes. The NRMP lets SOAP applicants apply to any unfilled position they are eligible for, in any specialty. Write a new personal statement for each specialty, since ERAS lets you add statements and letters during SOAP.
Can I contact programs during SOAP?
Not first. Under the 2027 Match Participation Agreement, you and anyone acting for you, including your school, may not contact a program until it contacts you, and a program may only contact you after you apply. Once SOAP ends Thursday at 9 p.m., you can contact any program still unfilled.