RIQ Success Stories
We are proud of all of our candidates. We see everyone who signs up for RIQ as much more than just clients. You sign up for a system built to helping you succeed in your dreams. Unlike other programs, we put who we are right on the website because we are proud of what we do. You see our credentials, testimonials, and background. Our match rate is above 80%. 100% of our candidates would either definitely or very likely recommend RIQ to a friend. By joining RIQ, you can boost your match rate by more than 60% compared to the national average.
You may wonder whether only top candidates sign up for our surface – this is not true at all. We help candidates with both great Step scores and low Step scores. We have helped candidates match with one interview. We’ve helped candidates match despite failing the Steps. We’ve helped candidates match despite graduating medical school more than 10 years ago.
First, candidates are not powerless to get more interviews. We have strategies that have helped candidates nab more critical interviews. In the end, the interview is the one thing that a candidate has control over. Candidates can control the dialogue. They can explain what happened on failed Step scores. They can emphasize their strengths in regards to research, volunteerism, or U.S. clinical experiences. The National Residency Match Program’s annual survey of Program Directors show that once you get an interview, your position on the rank list is how well you perform in communicating not your Step scores.
Below are some success stories we want to highlight. We’ve changed the names for privacy reasons but all of the information is 100% true from real candidates.
Raya from Syria:
“I realized that after watching exact interview examples, I had a lot to improve on. Many IMGs have a similar story and a similar resume. Being able to tell my story and present it in the best way possible made a huge difference!” – Raya
Ankur from India:
“Seeing how American graduates answer questions is really helpful. It gives you a different perspective that is hard to come up on your own.” – Ankur
Success Story #1:
George graduated medical school more than 15 years ago. He has spent most of his time since working as a bench researcher. His Step 1 score was strong (255) and his Step 2 score was solid 234. There were a few red flags. He failed Step 2-CS twice. But, he had strong research credentials and many MD colleagues.
What did RIQ do?
When he first signed up for RIQ in December he had only one interview. We got to work right away. We pushed George to contact any programs he knew that had given out interviews already. We worked with him to craft the right email and scripts to capture more interviews. Through our help, we helped him go from one interview to eleven.
From there, we worked extensively through a combination of video examples and one on one coaching as part of our Concierge program. For each interview, we laid out a strategy and plan. We researched each faculty and helped develop talking points. After each interview, we helped craft thank you emails that fit with each interviewer.
If there were any communications from programs, we helped navigate this as well. When George finalized his match list, we helped with the final communications. He matched at his #2 program despite failing Step 2 CS twice and graduating medical school more than 10 years ago. George worked extremely hard. We are so proud of him and wish him the very best in his journey.
Success Story #2
Arjen graduated medical school only two years ago in his native country. He was working on research at a major medical center in San Francisco. He always knew he wanted to be a Cardiologist. In San FRancisco, he worked extremely hard and published three papers in large journals using his background in statistics. His Step scores were all fantastic and greater than 250. He never failed a Step. He had strong letters from major faculty.
Arjen signed for RIQ not because he was afraid of not matching. He knew he would match. He wanted to get into the best program possible in internal medicine. We worked with Arjen to nail interviews at the most prestigious internal medicine programs in Boston, New York City, and Chicago. We worked with him to emphasize his unique strengths. We developed a plan for him to explain why the medical school in his home country was extremely strong and provided him an education equal to the top medical schools here in the United States.
Arjen matched at his #1 program at a major academic medical center in New York City. This program is in the US News and World Report Honor Roll. He is well on his way to becoming an academic cardiologist.
Success Story #3
Supriya was always an individual that believed in social justice. She was a leader in her medical school back in her home country. She led the free clinic and always participated in volunteering. Her greatest weakness was low Step scores. Her Step 1 was 214 and her Step 2 CK was 206. She passed Step 2 CS on the first attempt.
Supriya felt that Family Medicine best fit her personality and clinical interests in helping the poor. We worked with her to select community based internal medicine programs and family medicine programs. We addressed her low Step scores by refocusing on how her advocacy work made her a great asset to any program. Through our coaching, she perfected her answers on questions related to her Step scores. Most importantly, she nailed the questions related to her interest with working with the underserved. Supriya was delighted to match in her top 3 family medicine program.
“First, the video answers are great. They gave an excellent example as to how to structure my answers. Second, the ebook answered so many questions on email communications with the program coordinator, the pre-interview dinner, what to say and what not to say. Steve was excellent! I liked that he went through my PS and CV and showed me how to present myself in the best possible manner. I had mailed Steve several times for questions here and there and he was always so prompt to reply to my queries, and gave me such valuable inputs each time.” – Supriya
Other Testimonials:
“There are several other sites that offer simulated interviews and tips here and there but I have not come across any other source which gives solid examples and explains what these interviewers really want to hear when they ask these questions.” – Sayyid
“I loved your blog and you have put out some hard-hitting and pure gold for residency match applicants. Kudos to you!” – Farhad
If any of these scenarios sound like you, feel free to contact us with questions. We’re here to help. We’ve worked with candidates with a wide range of goals and background. Whether you have red flags or want to match at Harvard, we have the tools and experience to help you get there.