MyERAS Walkthrough: Every Section of the Application

The MyERAS application has two halves: an Application you fill in (personal details, education, experiences, scholarly work, specialty questions) and a Documents area where you manage your personal statement, letters of recommendation, USMLE transcript, MSPE and medical school transcript. You then certify and submit. This guide follows the order of AAMC's 2027 MyERAS Applicant User Guide, so you can open it beside this page.

Before you start: token and registration #

IMGs cannot register in MyERAS until ECFMG / Intealth issues an ERAS token. The token is a one-time code tied to your ECFMG record. Read the ERAS token guide first, because delays here push back everything else. Once registered, the Dashboard shows your document statuses, USMLE transcript request status and the programs you have saved or applied to.

The Application tabs #

Personal Information #

Your AAMC account details, basic information, address, work authorization and Match information. Work authorization is where many IMGs hesitate. Answer truthfully and consistently with your ECFMG record; programs use this to judge whether they can sponsor you, so see J-1 vs H-1B before you answer visa questions.

Biographical Information #

Self-identification, language fluency, military information, geographic preferences, setting preference and hometowns.

• Geographic preferences: you can pick up to three US Census divisions, or say you have no preference, and explain in text. If you pick a division, only programs in that division see the answer. If you say you have no preference, all your programs see that. If you skip it, no program sees anything.
• Setting preference: urban, suburban or rural, or no preference. In the 2027 season some specialties (Otolaryngology, Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery - Integrated) opted out of receiving these answers.
• Programs can filter applicants by these answers, so be honest rather than strategic. See how programs screen.

Education #

Higher education, medical education, postgraduate training, interruptions or extensions to training, honors and awards, and professional memberships. The Interruptions or Extensions entry is where you account for leaves, repeated years or delayed graduation. Dates must match your transcript and MSPE exactly; mismatches are a common reason for questions at interview.

Experience #

Up to 10 selected experiences, up to 3 of which can be marked most meaningful, plus an optional Impactful Experiences question and a short Hobbies and Interests field. This is the section applicants most underuse. It has its own page: writing the Experiences section.

Licenses and Certifications #

State medical licenses (or "None"), answers to questions about license status, malpractice and convictions, board certification, other certifications and DEA registration. Most IMG applicants answer None or no to many of these. Answer every question; a blank can block certification.

Scholarly Work #

Journal articles, book chapters and abstracts (peer reviewed), oral presentations and poster presentations. You can group related work and star up to three items as most meaningful. Enter authors in the format the guide specifies and bold your own name. Use the "preview as program" button to check how it appears. Your Designated Dean's Office can advise on labeling. For IMGs with research, see the research guidance.

Specialty Questions #

Each specialty can ask additional questions. You complete them for each specialty you apply to, and the guide notes some can be finished after certify and submit. Read them carefully, because they differ from specialty to specialty.

Certify and Submit #

Certification is your attestation that the information is accurate. Misstatements can have serious consequences later, including at licensing. Submit only after previewing every section.

The Documents tab #

Document processing takes time. AAMC publishes processing times, so do not leave transcripts and the MSPE to the last week.

A practical order of work #

1. Get the token and register.
2. Fill the factual sections (education, exams, dates) from your transcript and certificates.
3. Draft the experiences and personal statement in a plain text editor, then paste.
4. Create letter entries early so authors have time.
5. Preview the whole application, then have someone who has read many applications check it.
6. Choose programs and signals, assign documents, certify and submit.

What not to do #

• Do not paste text with unusual formatting; write in plain text first.
• Do not leave dates approximate if you can find the exact ones.
• Do not list the same activity under several sections to fill space.
• Do not guess on exam-history or license questions.