Matching Into Orthopaedic Surgery in 2026: The Real Numbers Behind Step 2 CK, Research, and Rank Lists
Orthopaedic Surgery offered 963 positions in the 2026 Main Residency Match and drew 1,598 total applicants — a 1.66 applicant-to-position ratio, among the tightest in the report. Of the 1,108 U.S. MD seniors who ranked it as their preferred specialty, 765 matched and 343 did not, for a 69.1 percent MD-senior match rate.
Here is the complete, verified 2026 data profile for Orthopaedic Surgery, straight from NRMP's chapter table (ORS-1) and the full-report Step 2 CK and contiguous-rank tables.
The Full Picture: Matched vs. Not Matched
| Measure | Matched (n=628) | Not Matched (n=245) |
|---|---|---|
| Median contiguous ranks | 10.0 | 6.0 |
| Median distinct specialties ranked | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Median USMLE Step 2 CK score | 259 | 251 |
| Median research experiences | 7.5 | 7.0 |
| Median abstracts | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Median presentations | 11.0 | 8.0 |
| Median publications | 7.0 | 5.0 |
| Median work experiences | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Median volunteer experiences | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| % AOA members | 34.9% | 14.3% |
| % from a top-40 NIH-funded medical school | 33.0% | 23.7% |
| % with a Ph.D. | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| % with another graduate degree | 20.8% | 28.2% |
Step 2 CK: An 8-Point Gap
Matched applicants scored a median of 259 (Q1 250, Q3 266, range 220–281). Not-matched applicants scored a median of 251 (Q1 241, Q3 260, range 214–276). That puts Orthopaedic Surgery's matched median among the highest of any specialty in the 2026 report, just behind Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery, and Dermatology.
Rank List Length: A Clear, Almost Linear Gap
Matched applicants ranked a median of 10 contiguous Orthopaedic Surgery programs; not-matched applicants ranked a median of 6. That gap — matched applicants ranking roughly 1.7 times as many programs — is one of the cleaner, more consistent rank-list gaps in the entire 2026 dataset.
What stands out more is the distinct-specialties-ranked measure: both matched and not-matched applicants had a median of exactly 1.0. Orthopaedic Surgery applicants, far more than Dermatology applicants (median 3.0, see our Dermatology data breakdown), tend to rank Orthopaedic Surgery and essentially nothing else. There is very little hedging into a backup specialty in this applicant pool — the culture here leans all-in on a single specialty, for matched and not-matched applicants alike.
Research: One of the Few Specialties Where Every Measure Favors Matched Applicants
Orthopaedic Surgery stands out in our broader analysis of research and the 2026 Match. In most research-intensive specialties, raw research "experiences" ties or even reverses between matched and not-matched applicants — more projects started doesn't reliably separate the two groups. Orthopaedic Surgery is one of the few specialties in the entire report where matched applicants came out ahead on all four research measures: experiences (7.5 vs. 7.0), abstracts (5.0 vs. 4.0), presentations (11.0 vs. 8.0), and publications (7.0 vs. 5.0). The gaps are modest on raw experience count but widen substantially on completed output — matched applicants had 40 percent more publications at the median.
AOA and School Funding: A Real, Sizeable Gap — Still a Minority
34.9 percent of matched Orthopaedic Surgery applicants were AOA members, versus 14.3 percent of those who did not match — a 2.4x difference, one of the largest AOA gaps in the report. 33.0 percent of matched applicants graduated from a top-40 NIH-funded school, versus 23.7 percent of those who did not match.
Even so, 65.1 percent of matched applicants were not AOA members, and 67.0 percent did not attend a top-40 NIH-funded school. The credential helps, but its absence is still the norm among successfully matched applicants. See Does Your Medical School's Name Matter? for how this compares across specialties.
Building a Realistic Orthopaedic Surgery Application
- Treat 259 as your Step 2 CK target, with 251 marking where the not-matched group clusters.
- Rank at least 10 contiguous Orthopaedic Surgery programs if you can. The not-matched median of 6 is a real warning sign, not a safe middle ground.
- Convert research experiences into finished output. This is one specialty where the full research pipeline — not just completed publications — showed a real gap, so depth matters at every stage, not just the end.
- Decide early whether you are all-in on Orthopaedics. Unlike Dermatology applicants, most of this applicant pool — matched or not — ranked no backup specialty at all. If you want insurance, build it deliberately; it is not the norm in this data.
Want a rank list, signaling strategy, and Step 2 CK target built around your actual numbers against this year's data? Explore USMLE Wise coaching →