Overview of the APPCN Match

The 2024 APPCN Match


Introduction

The APPCN Resident Matching Program (the "Match") provides an orderly process to help applicants obtain positions in neuropsychology residency sites of their choice, and to help residency sites obtain applicants of their choice.

The Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) is responsible for establishing the policies of the Match and for monitoring the implementation of the Match. The Match is administered by National Matching Services Inc. (NMS), on behalf of APPCN.

How It Works

  • 2. Apply to and Interview with Programs

    With the Match, applicants must still apply to programs they are interested in, and applicants and programs interview and evaluate each other independently of the Match. However, no offers are made by programs during the interview period. Applicants and programs can evaluate each other fully before the programs must decide on their preferences for applicants, and before applicants must decide on their preferences for programs.

  • 3. Submit Your Rank Order List of Preferred Placements

    After all interviews are completed, each applicant submits a Rank Order List on which the applicant lists the desired programs, in numerical order of the applicant's preference (first choice, second choice, etc.). Similarly, each program submits a Rank Order List on which the program lists the desirable applicants, in order of the program's preference. Each program also indicates the number of positions the program has available.

    All Rank Order List information is submitted online in the NMS Match System and is confidential.

  • 5. Get Your Result

    The result of the Match is that each applicant is placed with the most preferred program on the applicant's Rank Order List that ranks the applicant and does not fill all its positions with more preferred applicants. Similarly, each program is matched with the most preferred applicants on its list, up to the number of positions available, who rank the program and who do not receive positions at programs they prefer.

  • 6. Post-Match Process

    It is possible that some positions will not be filled in the APPCN Match, and that some applicants will be left unmatched. When the results of the APPCN Match are released, information regarding positions that remain available is provided to applicants who are not matched. Similarly, information regarding unmatched applicants is provided to programs with unfilled positions. These unmatched applicants and programs with positions available are free to contact each other and to negotiate directly with each other, independently of the APPCN Match, to fill available positions.


Read more about each stage of the Match process:

Advantages of the Match

The APPCN Match simplifies the process of making and accepting offers. Since all offers, acceptances, rejections and final placements occur simultaneously, the APPCN Match is an effective and fair means of implementing a standardized acceptance date. The APPCN Match guarantees that each applicant and residency site will get the best possible result that is available to them.

The APPCN Match allows residency sites and applicants to evaluate each other fully before determining preferences, so there is no pressure to make premature decisions based on incomplete information. Applicants and residency sites can list their desired placements in order of their true preference, without worrying about how they will be ranked by the other party.

The APPCN Match ensures that residency sites will not overfill their positions. It also eliminates unfair behavior that occurs in many typical recruitment processes, like residency sites issuing extremely time-limited offers, applicants hoarding multiple offers, and residency sites or applicants reneging on a prior acceptance because a more preferred option has become available.

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