Matching the facts: evaluation of self-reported general surgery residency applicant data on social media

Abstract Purpose General surgery residency applicants use social media platforms such as Reddit to help navigate the application process. Our objectives were to: (1) describe Reddit applicant data in the context of published National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data, and (2) use Reddit data to determine interview yield, a metric not reported by NRMP. Methods Anonymous self-reported data was extracted from the Reddit “2024 General Surgery Residency Application Spreadsheet.” US MD applicant metrics were compared to NRMP’s “Charting Outcomes in the Match 2024” using t-test and chi-squared analysis. Interview yield was calculated as number of interview invitations divided by number of applications. Results Self-reported data of 197 Reddit applicants demonstrated an average Step 2 score of 251 ± 11.8. 18.5% had Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, 66% honored their surgery rotation, and 39.4% were in the top-class quartile. Compared to Reddit, NRMP (N = 1039) reported similar Step 2 scores (251 vs 250, p = 0.41) and AOA status (18.5% vs 18.7% p = 0.97). Compared to matched Reddit applicants (N = 89), NRMP reported similar Step 2 scores (255 vs 253, p = 0.1, respectively), AOA status (30.3% vs 22%, p = 0.1), publications (11.1 vs 10.9, p = 0.31), research experiences (4.3 vs 4.2, p = 0.86), and programs ranked (14.6 vs 14.1, p = 0.88). Median number of applications for all applicants was 77.5 [60.5–100], interview invitations 13 [8–19], and median interview yield 17.2% [9.6–26.3%]. Piecewise linear regression demonstrated a drop in interview yield around 70 applications ( p < 0.01). Conclusion Self-reported Reddit applicant data does not differ significantly compared to published NRMP data. Reddit may provide insights not available in published national reports, including the novel metric of interview yield. This information is valuable to both applicants and programs during the residency application process.