Answering one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the NRMP Match with respect to ranking advanced programs

Answering one of the most frequently asked questions regarding the NRMP Match with respect to ranking advanced programs.

"Q. Say the rank order looks like this:
Rank 1: Program A (Categorical)
Rank 2: Program B (Advanced) assigned to Supplemental ROL B
Rank 3: Program C (Categorical)

If program A does not rank the applicant, the algorithm goes down to the Rank 2, and if program B has ranked the applicant to match, then the algorithm moves on to the supplemental list.
What if the algorithm does not find a match in the supplemental ROL? Does the algorithm automatically decide this is a partial match, or does the algorithm go down to the third-ranked program (program C) looking for a more perfect match?"

Answer: The Primary ROL is read first. The system reads and tries to match the candidate to the highest program possible on their Primary list .

If they match to an advanced program, the system will then and only then try to match them to the highest possible preliminary program ranked on the attached Supplemental list.

If they can only match to the advanced program, but not a preliminary program from the Supplemental, then the candidate retains that advanced program match and will need to go through SOAP for the preliminary training. The system will not try to go down to the next rank in an effort to give a full match.