Questions to Ask at a Residency Interview
Questions to ask at a residency interview: for program directors, residents and the pre-interview social, tied to your rank list, plus what not to ask.
Questions to Ask at a Residency Interview
Ask only questions whose answers could move the program up or down your rank list. NRMP's advice is to "Rank only those programs where you are able and would be happy to train," so every question should help you decide that. Ask program directors about training and outcomes, and residents about daily life.
Our view: the resident session and the pre-interview social are part of the interview. In NRMP's 2026 Program Director Survey, 74% of responding program directors used feedback from current residents when ranking. A question that shows you listened to the residents counts there too. The countercase: if a program's website already answers your question, asking it shows you didn't read the website. Ask the follow-up instead.
The NRMP documents quoted below were checked on November 7, 2026, for the 2027 Match. The question lists are our own constructed set. We don't claim any program expects a given question.
The rule: ask what changes your rank list
NRMP's help page, Should I rank all the programs at which I interviewed?, gives the reason: a program on your rank order list binds you to it if you match there, and the list should follow your true preference. So your questions have three jobs:
- Training quality: will this program make you the doctor you want to be?
- Life and schedule: can you do this for three to seven years?
- Fit: does what you want after residency happen here?
Before each interview, write down two things you'd need to hear to rank the program higher and one thing that would drop it. Then ask about those three. How to turn the answers into a list is on residency rank list strategy.
Questions for the program director
| Question | An answer that should raise the program | An answer that should lower it |
|---|---|---|
| What has changed in the program in the last two years, and what's changing next? | Specific changes, with the reason, including ones that came from resident feedback | "Nothing really" or vague plans |
| Where did last year's graduates go? | Named fellowships or jobs that match what you want | No list, or nothing in your target area |
| How do residents get feedback, and how often? | A schedule and a named person | "Whenever needed" |
| What happens when a resident is struggling? | A described process that sounds supportive | A reply that sounds like discipline only |
| How is call structured for interns? | Clear numbers that match what residents tell you | A number that residents later contradict |
| How much say do residents have in their schedule and electives? | Examples of residents who shaped their year | None |
| How do you support residents who want research or a fellowship? | Protected time or a mentor system with names | "They find it themselves" |
| What would you change about the program if you could? | A frank answer | "Nothing" |
| What do your best residents have in common? | Traits you have or want | Traits you don't want to be measured on |
| How does the program handle parental or medical leave? | A written policy they can point to | Uncertainty |
If board pass rates or graduate outcomes are on the program's website, ask about the trend or the reason, not the number.
Questions for residents
- What does a normal intern week look like, hour by hour?
- How much autonomy did you have in your first six months?
- When were you last really stretched, and who helped?
- Has anyone left the program recently? Do you know why?
- How does the program respond when residents raise a problem? Can you give an example?
- What do you do on a day off, and do you get them?
- How do seniors and attendings treat interns on nights?
- What's one thing the program director changed because residents asked?
- How did the program handle someone's parental or medical leave?
- Where do residents live, and what does it cost?
- If you were ranking again, would this program be first? Why or why not?
- What do you wish you had asked on your interview day?
If a program offers a visit after interviews, check the residency second look rules for 2027 before you book.
Listen for whether different residents give the same answer. Consistent answers to questions 4, 5 and 8 tell you more than the program's slides.
The pre-interview social is part of the interview
Treat the social, virtual or in person, as an interview with residents. In the 2026 Program Director Survey, resident feedback ranks third among ranking factors, after interpersonal skills and interview interactions; the full ranking list has the figures and the survey's response rate.
At the social:
- Ask the resident questions above, especially 1, 6 and 10.
- Don't complain about other programs, your school or the interview trail.
- On a virtual social, keep your camera on, mute when you're not talking, and let everyone speak. One good question beats talking for five minutes.
- Nothing at a social is off the record. Assume anything you say can reach the program.
If a program says its social isn't evaluated, take it at its word and still be someone residents would want on call with them.
Questions not to ask, and the rule that cuts both ways
Some questions are off-limits for you, and some for the program.
For you: NRMP's Code of Conduct for Applicants lets you say how interested you are but bars you from asking the program director or anyone recruiting for the program how it will rank you. The 2027 Match Participation Agreement §6.4 also bars you from fishing for a statement that implies a commitment to rank you. So don't ask:
- "How do you think I did?"
- "Where would I fall on your list?"
- "Will you be ranking me?"
- About other applicants: who else is interviewing, or how you compare.
For the program: MPA §6.5 bars programs from asking where else you applied or interviewed and how you will rank them. If you're asked, you don't have to answer. The exact text and a script for each question are on questions residency programs can't ask.
Also skip questions that sound like you've already left: salary first, vacation first, or "how often can I moonlight?" before anything about training. Those matter. Ask residents, later in the conversation.
Questions about what to ask
How many questions should I ask the program director?
Two or three, prepared. Have five ready in case the first ones were answered in the presentation.
Is it OK to say "I don't have any questions"?
It signals you have nothing left to decide. Ask one question about something the interviewer said earlier in the day.
Can I ask about the program's culture?
Ask for an example instead. "Can you tell me about a time the program changed something because residents asked?" gets a real answer.
Should I write down the answers?
Yes, right after each session. You'll use them for your rank list and for any thank-you or letter you send.
Review the writing you send next
The answers you collect become the reasons in your thank-you or letter of intent. Get a free Quick Review of your residency letter against GradPilot's residency letter of intent rubric, which checks that the letter ties a program feature to what you would do with it and says where you learned about it.
More residency interview guides
- Residency interview thank-you email: where the answers go first.
- Residency letter of intent example: how a reason from the interview day reads in a letter.
- Residency interview questions and answers: the questions you'll be asked.
- Medical school and residency essays hub: every residency guide in one place. Ask whether the program accepts letters of intent; OB-GYN programs are asked to state it.
For how the day is structured and the virtual setup, see what a residency interview day includes.
Dental residency applicants: see questions to ask GPR and AEGD residents.
Sources
Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.
- NRMP, Should I rank all the programs at which I interviewed?: ranking advice.
- NRMP, Charting Outcomes: Program Director Survey Results, Main Residency Match 2026 (August 2026; 2026 Match): ranking factors, response rate.
- NRMP, 2027 Match Participation Agreement for Applicants: §6.4, §6.5.
- NRMP, Match Code of Conduct for Applicants: ranking-intention requests.
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