NRMP Charting Outcomes is the free, authoritative record of who matched, split by specialty and applicant type. Reading it yourself costs nothing but leaves you to place your own profile in the tables and weigh the factors. Competitive Edge scores your whole profile against published Match outcomes for you, names your flags and turns the result into a dated plan.
Every serious IMG applicant meets Charting Outcomes sooner or later, usually as a long PDF with charts of Step scores, research counts and match rates by specialty. It is the closest thing the Match has to ground truth, and it is free.
So why pay for anything else? For some applicants, you should not. This page explains what Charting Outcomes gives you, what it asks of you, and when a scored read of your own profile saves enough time and guesswork to be worth it.
What NRMP Charting Outcomes is
Charting Outcomes in the Match is a set of reports the National Resident Matching Program publishes after each Match. They describe the applicants who matched and did not match to each specialty: exam scores, research output, work and volunteer experiences, and how many programmes they ranked. The reports are free to download from the NRMP website, with no account needed.
For IMGs the reports matter even more than for US graduates, because they are one of the few sources that report IMG outcomes on their own. The 2026 edition, published on 28 July 2026, goes further and reports US-citizen IMGs and non-US-citizen IMGs as separate groups, where earlier editions combined them. That split matters: the two groups face different hurdles, and visa need alone changes which programmes will consider you.
The NRMP also publishes a Program Director Survey that reports which factors programme directors say they weigh when choosing whom to interview and rank.
When reading Charting Outcomes yourself is enough
If your profile is simple and your target is clear, the tables may be all you need. Say you are applying to internal medicine, your Step 2 CK score sits well inside the range for matched applicants in your group, you graduated recently and you have US clinical experience. A careful hour with the report will confirm you are in range, and you can put your money into the application itself.
Reading the source yourself also teaches you how programmes think about the numbers. Applicants who have spent time with the charts ask better questions later, of advisers and of us.
And it is free. For an IMG paying for exams, ECFMG certification, ERAS and travel, free matters.
Where reading Charting Outcomes yourself falls short
Charting Outcomes describes groups, not you. Each chart shows one factor at a time: matched applicants by Step 2 CK band, then by research count, then by number of programmes ranked. Your application is all of those at once. Working out how a strong score offsets thin research, or how a five-year gap since graduation changes the picture, is left to you, and that is exactly where applicants reason their way into the answer they hoped for.
It also stops at the numbers. The report does not tell you that an attempt on your transcript is a red flag you need to address, or that one more month of US clinical experience would move you further than another publication. The move from "where do I stand" to "what should I do next, and by when" is yours to make.
Finally, it is long. The full set runs across many specialties and applicant groups, and finding the right tables for your group and specialties takes time most applicants do not have during a live season.
Competitive Edge and reading NRMP Charting Outcomes yourself, side by side
| Criterion | Competitive Edge | NRMP Charting Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A score for your profile, per-specialty bands, named flags and a dated plan | Tables and charts describing matched and unmatched applicants |
| Data behind it | Published NRMP Match outcomes, applied to your profile | The NRMP's own published outcomes, at source |
| Personal to you | Yes, scored from your own profile across nine dimensions | No, you place yourself in each table by hand |
| Combines factors | Yes, weighs scores, experience and timing together | No, one factor per chart |
| Tells you what to do next | Yes, a prioritised action plan against the Match calendar | No, interpretation is up to you |
| Cost | Free first read; one fee per season for the full report | Free |
| Time to an answer | Minutes, after the intake or a CV upload | Hours, depending on how many specialties you are weighing |
The source and the reading
Charting Outcomes is the lab result. Competitive Edge is the report a clinician writes after reading it against the patient in front of them. You would not skip the lab, and we do not ask you to: our scoring rests on the same published outcomes, and the free first read shows you how.
What you pay for is the reading. The report combines every factor on your profile, applies it to each specialty you are weighing, and states what to fix first. You still own the decision, and you can check our work against the tables.
Competitive Edge or Charting Outcomes: which to use
Use Charting Outcomes on its own if your profile is simple, your specialty is set and you have the time to read the tables with care. It is free, and it is the source.
Use Competitive Edge if you are weighing more than one specialty, if your profile has a flag or a gap you are not sure how to read, or if you want the next six months planned rather than just described. Start with the free read; if it tells you something the tables did not, the full season is worth it.
Either way, read the source at least once. Knowing what the data says makes you a sharper applicant whichever tool you use.
Frequently asked questions
Is NRMP Charting Outcomes free?
Yes. The NRMP publishes Charting Outcomes and its other Match reports on its website at no cost and with no account needed.
Does Charting Outcomes separate IMGs?
Yes. IMGs have their own reports, and since the 2026 edition the NRMP reports US-citizen IMGs and non-US-citizen IMGs as separate groups.
Does Competitive Edge use NRMP data?
Yes. The scoring rests on published NRMP Match outcomes. Competitive Edge is independent and has no affiliation with the NRMP.
Why pay if the data is free?
You pay for the reading: combining every factor on your profile, applying it to each specialty, naming your flags and planning the fixes. If your profile is simple, the free tables may be enough.
Sources
Competitive Edge is independent and has no affiliation with the NRMP, ECFMG or any company named on this page. Product names belong to their owners and appear here only to identify them.
