Residency Interviews 2026-27: Dates, Formats and How to Prepare

Guides by specialty and topic

Specialty guides cover what programs in that field look for and the questions they ask. Topic guides cover one part of the interview season.

Virtual or in person: formats by specialty

Many specialty guides call for virtual interviews, but the format is still set by each specialty and program.

• The AAMC recommends virtual. In guidance last updated in June 2024, it recommends that residency and fellowship programs use a virtual interview format, while noting programs may take different approaches for sound reasons.
• Hybrid is allowed. NRMP's codes say programs should interview in person or virtually but not both, yet hybrid interviews do not break NRMP policy. The AAMC says committees should be blinded to which format you chose.

Program signals and interview offers

In most specialties you send program signals with your application, and programs then release invitations on dates set by the specialty.

What happens on the interview day

Each program runs its own day, so read the schedule it sends. As general advice, be ready for these parts.

• Optional social hours. Some programs offer optional social hours. Pediatrics says you should not feel obligated to attend them.
• Program overview. Be ready to hear the program director or chief residents present the curriculum, rotations and life in the program, and note questions as you listen.
• Faculty and resident interviews. Prepare for several one-on-one conversations with faculty, the program director and sometimes residents, and check the schedule for how long each one runs.
• Tour and Q&A. If the day includes a tour, in person or virtual, or time with residents, use it to ask what the website does not answer.
• Scheduling. Internal medicine and family medicine list Thalamus as their scheduling platform, where you can view invitations, self-schedule and confirm dates online or in the mobile app. Emergency medicine and OB/GYN use ResidencyCAS as their application platform.

Behavioral and structured questions

Expect questions about you, your experiences and why you want this specialty and program.

• The classics. Prepare for tell me about yourself, why this specialty, why our program, and where you see yourself in ten years.
• Behavioral questions. Describe a time you made a mistake, handled a conflict on a team or cared for a difficult patient. Answer with the situation, what you did, the result and what you learned.
• Your application. Be ready to discuss anything in your application, from research to a gap in training. Know it well.
• Official practice material. The AAMC's Residency and Fellowship Applicant Interview Preparation Guide covers the formats you may meet, and it also publishes questions frequently asked during residency interviews.

After the interview: NRMP communication rules

The NRMP Match Participation Agreement and its codes of conduct limit what you and programs may say before rank lists are certified.

• You may express interest. Applicants may tell a program they are interested, but may not ask for a statement implying a commitment to rank them.
• Programs may not ask where else. They may not ask which programs you applied to, interviewed at or signaled, or how you will rank them.
• Cancel with notice. Accept only interviews you intend to attend, and give reasonable notice, such as one to two weeks, to cancel or reschedule. Pediatrics and neurology ask for at least two weeks.
• A match is binding. If you match, you are committed to the program and must accept the appointment.

How to prepare

Start with your specialty's rules, then practice your stories out loud.

• Read your specialty's guide. The OPDA guides for 2026-27 cover each specialty's interview format, signals, offer dates and post-interview communication.
• Prepare five or six stories. Teamwork, a mistake, a conflict, a hard patient, leadership and a time you grew. Each can answer several questions.
• Know why this program. Read the program's website and have two or three specific reasons and questions ready for each interview.
• Practice out loud. Do mock interviews on video, timed, and review how you sound and look.
• Keep notes after each day. Write down what you liked and any concerns right after each interview, so ranking is easier when it opens in February.

More residency interview guides

• Questions to ask residents: The best questions to ask residents at residency interviews and pre-interview socials: culture, schedule, teaching, life outside work, fellowships.
• Thank-you emails: Should you send a thank-you email after a residency interview? When, to whom and how long, three short examples, NRMP rules and which specialties say no.
• Behavioral questions: The behavioral questions residency programs ask, how to answer with a STAR clerkship story, and 14 example questions by competency, each with a one-line tip.
• CaRMS interview dates: CaRMS 2027 R-1 dates from file review to Match Day, the January 16 to February 7 interview period, virtual interviews, MMI vs panel, French programs and IMGs.
• Family medicine CaRMS interview: How Canadian family medicine programs interview for the 2027 CaRMS match: MMI, panel and pair formats by school, FMProC, CanMEDS-FM, rural themes and practice questions.
• Internal medicine CaRMS interview: How Canadian internal medicine programs interview for the 2027 CaRMS match: the January 8 offer day, formats by school, what CanMEDS roles they score and practice questions.

Practice questions

35 residency interview questions by type, each with what it tests and how a strong answer is built: Residency interview questions.

Frequently asked questions