How is competitiveness among specialties determined? Competitiveness is not related to specialty difficulty; it is simply based on numbers. Specialty competitiveness is measured by the percentage of positions filled by senior students in medical schools. The higher the fill-rate, the more competitive the residency.
What is the hardest specialty to match into?
Competitive programs that are the most difficult to match into include:
- General Surgery.
- Neurosurgery.
- Orthopedic Surgery.
- Ophthalmology.
- Otolaryngology.
- Plastic Surgery.
- Urology.
- Radiation Oncology.
What is the most competitive surgery specialty?
#1: Orthopedic Surgery Overall
The specialty that is at the top of the list of 10 most competitive programs in the United States is orthopedic surgery. Objectively, a USMLE test score of 248 is required, and all future residents must know that they will compete for only 0.83 open positions.
