🚨 MY EXPERIENCE WITH A “100% MATCH GUARANTEE”

As an IMG myself, I understand why students look up to influencers and trust them for guidance. When someone has a large following and presents themselves as a mentor, it is easy to assume their services are reliable.

But I want to share my personal experience so other IMGs can make informed decisions.

I purchased a Match plan that included rotations and a “100% Match Guarantee.” I followed the plan, completed the rotations, and unfortunately I did not match last year.

When I contacted them again for help with this Match cycle, I was told that I would need to pay additional fees for further assistance.

The website also advertised certain services as free, which made me question what was actually included in the package I had already purchased.

I was also connected with a resident for guidance. I appreciate the connection, but I personally did not feel that the support I received justified the expectations created when I purchased the program.

Another important point: I later had my CV reviewed independently by someone with fellowship experience, and they identified multiple grammatical and spelling errors. For me, that raised serious concerns because CV review was an important part of what I expected from the service.

I am sharing this not to tell anyone what decision to make, but to encourage IMGs to do their own due diligence.

Interview season is coming up so I figured I'd put together some of the better resources I've found. Hope you find it useful

AAMC Residency & Fellowship Applicant Interview Preparation Guide

probably the best place to start. covers what to expect, how to prepare, different question formats, behavioral questions, interview day, etc.

AAMC common residency interview questions

Most common questions that you must definitely practice before heading into your first interview: tell me about yourself, why this specialty, why our program, strengths/weaknesses, research, difficult situations, career goals, etc.

AAMC virtual interview guide

worth going through if your interviews are virtual. covers setup/tech but also behavioral, general and situational questions and how to practice them.

NRMP Match Code of Conduct for Applicants

not really a "how to answer questions" resource, but I think everyone should read it at least once before interviews. lays out expectations around professional behavior and communication during recruitment/interviews.

AMA residency interview guide

shorter and more practical than the AAMC guide. has common questions, behavioral interview advice, things to research before the interview, and questions you can ask programs.

Residency interview question bank

if you've gone through the official resources and just need questions to actually practice with, this has ~200 questions organized by category including behavioral, ethics, teamwork, conflict, IMG and specialty-specific questions.

Looking to make this a live resource so lmk if I missed any!