Free MedEdits resource
Organize everything you need before you open MyERAS.
I spent years on the other side of this process, as a residency admissions committee member and associate residency director. The applicants who stood out were almost never the ones typing fastest once the application opened. They were the ones who had already done the hard thinking about what to say and why it mattered. I built this worksheet so you can do that thinking offline, on your own time, before the pressure of a blank application and a deadline.
Download the Free Worksheet NowWhy prepare offline
It is deciding what belongs in each section, in what order, and which experiences deserve the most space. When you draft inside the live system for the first time, you tend to write under pressure and settle for whatever fills the box. When you gather and shape your material first, you write from intention instead.
This worksheet walks you through every section of the standardized residency application, the same application that goes to all of the programs and specialties you apply to. For each part, our team has added the context we share with our own applicants: what programs actually weigh, and where candidates most often lose ground. It pairs naturally with our guides to How The Residency Match Works and The Residency Personal Statement.
MedEdits is physician-founded and independent. I read these materials the way a program will, and the worksheet reflects that vantage point on every page.
A note from Dr. Freedman
Your residency personal statement is a separate piece of work, and you should write a distinct one for each specialty you apply to. The application lets you assign specific statements to specific programs. Treat the worksheet as the foundation and the personal statement as its own deliberate project.
What is inside
Eighteen sections in all, built to be worked through in pencil. These are the areas where preparation makes the biggest difference.
Contact details, work authorization, and the identification and registration numbers you will need on hand.
Undergraduate, graduate, medical school, and any prior postgraduate training, organized cleanly.
The heart of the application. Space to draft up to ten, with prompts that push past a list of duties.
How to reflect rather than repeat, so the three you choose actually land with a reader.
A consistent format for every publication, abstract, and presentation, so nothing is scrambled later.
How to prepare the common specialty prompts and where to spend your program signals.
The questions that require care, with guidance on drafting any explanation calmly and accurately.
A final checklist to run before you submit, because certifying is binding.
Get the worksheet
Enter your email and we will send the printable worksheet straight to your inbox.
When you want more than a worksheet
The worksheet will get your thinking organized. When you are ready for a closer read, our team works directly with applicants on the materials that decide interviews, from your experience descriptions to your personal statements. We are physician-led and independent, which means the feedback you get is the feedback a program would give you, before a program ever sees it.
Learn how we work with residency match applicantsCommon questions
It is a planning tool that lets you gather and draft every part of your residency application offline, before you enter anything into the live system. Working this way helps you write from intention rather than under deadline pressure, and it makes the final application more deliberate.
Is this the same as the ERAS or MyERAS application?No. This is an independent MedEdits resource designed to help you prepare. It is not produced by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the AAMC or NRMP. You still complete and certify your actual application inside the official system, where you should confirm current requirements, character limits, and deadlines, since those change each cycle.
When should I start preparing my residency application?Earlier than most applicants think. Begin drafting your experiences and personal statements in the spring and early summer before applications are submitted, so the writing is considered rather than rushed. The worksheet is built to be your starting point in that window.
Do I need a different personal statement for each specialty?Yes. Your personal statement is a separate piece of work from the application, and you should write a distinct one for each specialty you apply to. The application lets you assign specific statements to specific programs. Our residency personal statement guide walks through how to approach it.
Is the worksheet free?Yes. Enter your email above and we will send it to you at no cost.
This is an independent MedEdits resource created to help applicants prepare. It is not produced by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the AAMC, ERAS, MyERAS, or the NRMP. Always complete and certify your application inside the official system.