SOAP Week Hour-by-Hour: NRMP Rules You Must Track in Real Time

The biggest mistake during SOAP week is thinking you have “all week” to figure out the rules. You do not. You have specific hours, sometimes specific minutes, where breaking an NRMP rule can cost you a position or trigger a violation report.

You need to run SOAP week like a controlled sprint: hour-by-hour, with the NRMP rules in front of you the entire time.

Below is a practical, chronological guide from Monday 11:00 a.m. ET (Did I Match?) through Thursday (SOAP offers and aftermath). At each point I will tell you:

• What the NRMP allows
• What the NRMP forbids
• What you should be doing in that hour

This assumes the standard NRMP Match Week schedule in the United States. Always confirm the exact times on the current year’s NRMP calendar, but the structure is consistent.

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Big Picture: SOAP Week Timeline and Risks

Before we go hour-by-hour, lock in this structure:

SOAP Week High-Level Timeline

Period	Event
Monday - 11	00 Did I Match email
Monday - 11	00-15
Monday - 15	00 SOAP eligible list released
Tuesday - 08	00 Programs create lists
Tuesday - 10	00 Applicants submit applications
Wednesday - 09	00 Round 1 offers
Wednesday - 12	00 Round 2 offers
Wednesday - 15	00 Round 3 offers
Thursday - 09	00 Round 4 offers
Thursday - 12	00 SOAP ends

Key constraints all week:

• You may not contact programs independently during SOAP unless they contact you first, and even then communication is tightly limited.
• You may not discuss or disclose rank order lists or ranking intentions.
• You may not accept a non-NRMP offer from an NRMP-participating program during SOAP.
• You must respond to SOAP offers within the specific acceptance window or they expire.

Here is how your energy and risk typically distribute over the week:

SOAP Week Time and Risk by Day

Category	Value
Mon	30
Tue	70
Wed	100
Thu	60

• Monday: Emotional chaos, low rules risk, critical prep.
• Tuesday: Application execution, communication rules matter.
• Wednesday: Highest pressure, tight NRMP offer rules.
• Thursday: Cleanup, last offers, no scrambling outside NRMP.

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Monday: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET

“You did not match to any position.” Now what?

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. ET: Shock control, quick triage

You open the email. It says:

• “You are SOAP-eligible” or
• “You are NOT SOAP-eligible” (different problem entirely)

At this point you should:

1. Confirm SOAP eligibility in NRMP system

   • Log into NRMP. Check your Match Status.
   • If SOAP-eligible: you will see that status clearly.
   • If something looks wrong, your dean’s office should call NRMP immediately. You do not call programs. Ever.

2. Do NOT contact programs

   • NRMP rule: During SOAP you cannot send out-of-the-blue emails or make calls to programs to solicit positions.
   • The only exception: programs may contact you using ERAS contact info once they have your SOAP application. You still cannot initiate.

At this point you should not be:

• Emailing PDs you interviewed with
• Posting on public forums about specific programs
• Agreeing to any “off-cycle” offers from NRMP-participating programs

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET: Emergency team meeting

Gather your support:

• Student affairs / dean’s office
• Specialty advisor
• Maybe one trusted attending in your field

At this point you should:

• Decide: stay in same specialty vs broaden to related fields (e.g., IM + prelim medicine + transitional year).
• Identify red flags in your file quickly (Step failures, limited geography, overly narrow list) so you can explain them concisely if contacted.

You still cannot apply yet. You are planning.

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Monday 3:00 p.m. – 11:59 p.m. ET

SOAP-Participating Programs List and Strategy

3:00 p.m. ET: Unfilled list released

At this point you should:

1. Download and triage the SOAP list immediately

   • Filter by specialty, state, visa status, and program type.
   • Mark:
     • “Realistic targets”
     • “Stretch but possible”
     • “Only if desperate by later rounds”

2. Check program participation

   • Some unfilled programs do not participate in SOAP. They cannot offer positions to SOAP-eligible applicants until SOAP ends Thursday.
   • NRMP rule: You cannot accept any position outside SOAP from an NRMP Match-participating program during SOAP. Period.

Here is how you should think about distributing your ERAS SOAP applications (max 45):

Category	Number of Programs
Core specialty	20
Related specialties	10
Prelim / transitional	10
Geographic stretch	5

Adjust numbers to your situation, but you need a plan before Tuesday 10:00 a.m.

4:00 p.m. – 11:59 p.m. ET: Document prep under NRMP constraints

At this point you should:

• Update your ERAS personal statement(s)
  • One version for your original specialty.
  • One generic/prelim version emphasizing work ethic, adaptability, solid clinical performance.
• Tighten your CV language; no fabrication, no exaggeration. NRMP violations for misrepresentation are real and career-limiting.

NRMP rule landmines here:

• You cannot coordinate with programs to “tailor” a statement specifically because they emailed you first. That borderlines preferential treatment / promises. Keep it general.
• You cannot discuss or suggest future ranking behavior (e.g., “I would rank you highly if…”). SOAP is not ranking-based; it is offer/accept. Still, NRMP professionalism rules apply.

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Tuesday Morning: 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET

Quiet before the application flood

Programs get access to SOAP applicants early Tuesday. Applicants usually can submit applications starting 10:00 a.m. ET (verify for your year).

7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET: Final checks

At this point you should:

• Have your 45 selections pre-listed in a spreadsheet. You should not be “browsing” at 9:58 a.m.
• Confirm:
  • US vs IMG vs DO preferences
  • Visa sponsorship if relevant
  • Any minimum score cutoffs

Double-check that:

• You included at least some less competitive or broader programs.
• You did not waste applications on clearly incompatible requirements (e.g., requires Step 3 you do not have).

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET: Communication discipline

You will be tempted to email “interest letters” to unfilled programs now. Do not.

NRMP rule: During SOAP, applicants must not initiate contact with programs about available positions. Programs must rely on ERAS materials and may reach out to you, but you cannot cold-email for a SOAP position.

Violation examples I have seen reported:

• Mass emails to program directors saying “I saw you are unfilled for SOAP…”
• Phone calls to coordinators asking if there is a spot for you.
• LinkedIn messages to faculty about SOAP positions.

Do not be the cautionary tale.

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Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET

Application Launch and Program Contact Rules

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET: Submitting SOAP applications

At this point you should:

1. Submit your 45 ERAS SOAP applications quickly and accurately

   • Slots do not go to “first-come,” but you want your file in front of programs while they are still constructing lists.
   • Make sure the correct personal statement is attached to each specialty.

2. Monitor email and phone

   • Programs may now contact you, usually by email or phone.
   • If they do, you may respond and participate in brief, focused interviews (usually phone or video).

NRMP rules for communication:

• You may answer questions and discuss your interest in the program.
• You may not:
  • Solicit or negotiate outside the SOAP process.
  • Ask for, or give, guarantees about offers.
  • Engage in quid pro quo talk (“If you offer, I will absolutely accept” is problematic; you can express strong interest, but no binding statements).

12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET: Mini-interviews and list building (on their side)

Programs use this period to:

• Review applications
• Conduct fast interviews
• Build their SOAP preference lists internally

Your job in this window:

• Stay immediately reachable. No long drives, flights, or procedures.
• Keep a short “pitch” ready:
  • Who you are
  • Why this specialty/program type
  • How you will hit the ground running by July 1

And remember:

• You do not ask “Will you rank me?” or “Are you planning to offer?” SOAP does not involve ranking; they just decide whom to offer in each round. Probing for inside info crosses NRMP’s line about pressuring programs.

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Wednesday: Offer Rounds and Real-Time Rule Traps

This is where people get burned. The rules around offers and acceptances are strict, time-limited, and enforced.

Typical SOAP offer rounds (check your year for exact times, but usually):

• Round 1: Wednesday 9:00–11:00 a.m. ET
• Round 2: Wednesday 12:00–2:00 p.m. ET
• Round 3: Wednesday 3:00–5:00 p.m. ET
• Round 4: Thursday 9:00–11:00 a.m. ET

Each offer is binding if you accept, and each has a strict expiration window.

Here is the flow:

SOAP Offer Acceptance Flow

Step	Description
Step 1	Offer appears in NRMP
Step 2	Contractually committed
Step 3	Offer expires
Step 4	Position returns to pool
Step 5	Program fills position
Step 6	Accept within window

Wednesday 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET: Pre-offer setup

At this point you should:

• Be logged into NRMP and ERAS on a stable device.
• Have your priority list clear: if you get multiple offers across rounds, you know your hierarchy in advance.

NRMP rule: You may not hold an offer and hope for a “better one” in the same round. You either accept one or let them all expire. Once accepted, you are done with SOAP.

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET: Round 1 offers

At 9:00 a.m. ET, if you receive an offer, it will show in the NRMP system.

At this point you should:

1. Check all offers immediately

   • You may receive more than one offer in the same round.
   • You can only accept one.

2. Decide within the window

   • The acceptance window is fixed (often 2 hours per round).
   • If you do nothing, offers expire and those spots go back into the pool for later rounds.

NRMP hard lines:

• Once you click accept, that commitment is binding. You cannot later decline in a future round because something “better” appeared.
• You cannot contact a program that did not offer you a SOAP position to lobby them during the round.

If you accept an offer:

• Stop. You are matched to that position.
• Any attempts to seek other offers, negotiate, or leave for another NRMP-participating residency are potential violations.

If you receive no offers in Round 1:

• Do not start messaging programs. You still cannot initiate contact.
• Programs may still call/email you between rounds.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET: Regroup

At this point you should:

• If unplaced: review your target list. Programs that filled are off the table; you may adjust expectations but cannot reshuffle applications.
• Stay available for last-minute interviews or follow-ups.

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Wednesday Afternoon: Rounds 2 and 3 – Fatigue plus strict rules

Process repeats for each round:

• Round 2 (12:00–2:00 p.m. ET)
• Round 3 (3:00–5:00 p.m. ET)

At each round you must:

• Log in on time.
• Review offers quickly.
• Accept at most one.
• Understand that acceptance ends your SOAP participation.

One pattern I have seen:

• Applicant gets a prelim IM offer in Round 2.
• Hopes for a categorical IM in Round 3.
• Lets prelim expire, gets nothing in Round 3 or 4.

That is not “against the rules,” but it is a common regret. NRMP does not forbid strategic declining, but you must not mislead programs about your intentions or suggest you will accept and then let the offer expire.

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Thursday Morning: Final Round and Post-SOAP Rules

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET: Round 4 offers

Last round. Same rules.

At this point you should:

• Treat any reasonable offer as serious. This is the final structured pathway before unfilled positions and unmatched applicants are released to the wild.
• Avoid magical thinking (“Maybe a dream program will somehow find me in these last two hours”). They will not.

Accepting an offer here:

• Locks you into that program. You are not “backup matched.” You are matched.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET: SOAP officially ends

When NRMP declares SOAP over:

• Remaining unfilled positions are released publicly.
• Unmatched applicants are no longer under SOAP contact restrictions but are still under NRMP Match Participation Agreement.

Critical rule that people break right here:

• You still cannot accept a first-year residency position from an NRMP-participating program outside of NRMP rules for that year. After SOAP, they can offer non-Match tracks (e.g., research fellow, observer, maybe a PGY2 later), but not circumvent the Match with a standard PGY1 offer.

At this point you should:

• If unmatched after SOAP:
  • Work with your dean’s office on post-SOAP outreach to non-participating programs or future-cycle plans.
  • Keep all communication professional and consistent with the Match Participation Agreement.

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Real-Time Tracking: What You Should Have Visible All Week

Do yourself a favor and have these four things on your screen or desk at all times during SOAP week:

1. NRMP Match Week & SOAP schedule (current year)
2. NRMP SOAP rules / Match Participation Agreement cheat sheet
3. Your prioritized program list (spreadsheet)
4. Contact log – every call/email from programs, noted with time, name, and main questions

That last one protects you. If a program pressures you, hints at sidestepping rules, or asks for inappropriate commitments, you want specifics documented in case you need your dean or NRMP involved.

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Common NRMP Rule Violations During SOAP (And How to Avoid Them)

Here is a quick snapshot of behaviors that get reported:

Risky Behavior	Safer Alternative
Cold-emailing unfilled programs	Improving ERAS materials and waiting
Saying “I will definitely accept”	Saying “Your program is my top priority”
Negotiating start dates/terms mid-SOAP	Asking clarifying questions only
Accepting an off-cycle PGY1 from NRMP site	Seeking research/observer roles instead
Ghosting offers until they expire by accident	Setting alarms and checking NRMP on time

You avoid almost all trouble by following three simple discipline rules:

1. Do not initiate contact about positions during SOAP.
2. Do not make or seek any commitments outside the NRMP system.
3. Treat every click in the NRMP portal as binding.

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Final 24 Hours: Emotional Management and Next Steps

SOAP week is brutal. The hour-by-hour pressure plus NRMP rules can make you impulsive or frozen. You cannot afford either.

At this point you should, every evening:

• Review next day’s exact time windows.
• Set alarms 10–15 minutes before each offer round.
• Confirm your login works on a backup device.

If you match via SOAP:

• Print and save your confirmation. You are now able to relax until onboarding starts.
• Do not second-guess. Do not try to “trade up” through backchannel offers. That is precisely what the NRMP forbids.

If you finish SOAP unmatched:

• Meet with your dean or advisor within 24–48 hours.
• Start a structured plan: research-heavy gap year, reapplication, alternative specialties, or non-clinical paths.
• Stay within NRMP rules for any future Match cycle. A violation on your record follows you.

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Open your calendar right now and block off SOAP week by the hour, labeling each block with what the NRMP allows and what you will do in that window. Do not trust your memory. Write it down before the week starts.