Rankings User Guide for Programs

Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program for Positions Beginning in 2024


Rankings User Guide for Programs

Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program for Positions Beginning in 2024


Key Dates

Phase I
ORTHO, PERIO, PROS, ANES and Canadian GPR
System Opens For Rankings October 23, 2023
Rank Order List Deadline November 13, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Phase II
AEGD, US GPR, OMS and PED
System Opens For Rankings December 11, 2023
Rank Order List Deadline January 12, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

You will not be able to access the NMS Match System to enter or certify a Rank Order List after the Rank Order List deadline indicated above for each Phase of the Match. You are strongly advised to enter your rankings and certify your Rank Order List(s) well before the Rank Order List deadline to avoid potential system access problems near the deadline.

Enter Rankings

If your residency offers more than one program in the Match, you must enter and certify a separate Rank Order List for each program offered by your residency.

  • Add an Applicant to the List
    • Start typing in the search box to find the applicant you want to rank. Applicants can be searched by Code Number, last name or first name.

      Withdrawn applicants will be indicated with a Withdrawn flag when you search and add them to your Rank Order List. You are strongly encouraged to leave the withdrawn applicant ranked on the Rank Order List. Withdrawn applicants can reinstate themselves in the Match any time before the Rank Order List deadline. If you leave the withdrawn applicant on the Rank Order List and the applicant is reinstated before the deadline, that ranking will be used in the Match. If the applicant remains withdrawn, that ranking will not be used in the Match, and the Rank Order List will be processed as if you had not ranked the withdrawn applicant.

      Applicants who obtain a position in Phase I of the Match will be removed from the NMS Match System and cannot be ranked by programs in Phase II of the Match.

    • Select the applicant from the search results.

    • Press Add to List. Applicants should be entered in rank number sequence, with your most preferred applicant as rank #1, your next most preferred applicant as rank #2, and so on. You may add as many applicants as you wish.

    Add applicants to your Rank Order List
  • Reorder the Ranks
    • To move or re-order a rank, use the drop-down menu attached to the rank number. You should select from the drop-down list the rank number to which you want to move the applicant.

    Reorder Rank Order List
  • Import Your Rankings From a File

    Most programs should enter their rankings using the web-based interface provided on the Rankings page. However, if you have a very long list of applicants to rank (e.g., more than 25 applicants) and you have a pre-existing file of those applicants, you may find it easier to import a file of your rankings into the NMS Match System.

    To import a Rank Order List into the NMS Match System, you need to generate a comma-separated text file (.csv) with the Match Code Numbers of the applicants to be ranked and then import that file into the NMS Match System.

  • Import Your Rankings From NMS Interview

    If you used NMS Interview to schedule your interviews, you can import into your Rank Order List the applicants who scheduled interviews with your program. If some applicants who you invited to interviews did not schedule themselves, or if you scheduled interviews with some applicants outside of NMS Interview, those applicants will not be imported but can be added to your list after the import is complete.

    Instructions

    1. Log in to the NMS Match System
    2. Select Rankings from the menu
    3. Select the link to import applicants from Your Scheduled Interviews near the top of the page. This link is only shown if no applicants are on your Rank Order List.
    4. If your residency had multiple Interview Types, you can specify the Interview Type from which you want the system to import scheduled applicants.
    5. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the import.

    After the import is complete, you may add additional acceptable applicants to your list, remove any unacceptable applicants, and reorder applicants using the web interface.

  • Print Your Rank Order List

    You should print a copy of your final certified Rank Order List for your records.

    Click on the Printer-Friendly link (provided at the top or bottom of your Rank Order List) and then use the print function of your browser.

    You will be able to view and print your Rank Order List(s) until 4 days after the Match Results are released for each Phase of the Match.

    print rank order list

Manage Special Cases

  • Reverting Unfilled Positions

    Reverting unfilled positions allows you to move one or more positions that remain unfilled from one Rank Order List to a second Rank Order List within the match processing, so that an attempt can be made to fill the available position(s) with applicant(s) on the second list.

Certify Your Rank Order List

Certifying the Rank Order List tells NMS that the rankings are complete and the Rank Order List is ready to be used in the Match. You must certify the Rank Order List for it to be used in the Match.

You can make changes to the list even after it is certified, until the Rank Order List deadline. If you make changes to a list after it has been certified, you simply have to certify the list again before the deadline in order for it to be used in the Match.

You are strongly encouraged to enter and certify your Rank Order List well before the deadline date to avoid potential system access problems near the deadline.

  • To certify the Rank Order List
    • Press Submit for Certification (at the bottom of your Rank Order List) once you have added all your applicants and they are in the desired order of preference.
    • The NMS Match System will alert you if any issues or problems exist in your Rank Order List and prompt you to certify your list by re-entering your password and pressing Submit.
    certify rank order list

    There are three ways to verify that the list has been certified:

    • A green banner will be displayed at the top of the Rankings page
    • certify banner

    • In the Rankings section of your Dashboard, it will indicate that the Rank Order List has been certified
    • certify statement

    • You will be sent an email from NMS confirming the certification

    Do not call NMS to confirm that your Rank Order List has been certified.

    You will not be able to certify your Rank Order List in the NMS Match System after the Rank Order List deadline for your residency.

All Rank Order Lists must be certified by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the Rank Order List deadline (November 13, 2023, for programs in Phase I of the Match and January 12, 2024, for programs in Phase II of the Match).

Browser Requirements

The online NMS Match System is designed to be used with the security and features of modern web browsers.

  • Browser Requirements

    We recommend using the most up to date version of one of the following browsers:


    If you access the system with a browser that is not in the list above, or with a browser that is significantly out of date, you may see warning messages and experience problems.

    You must have JavaScript enabled and accept cookies for the NMS Match System to function correctly.