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Experimental research tool. Not medical, career, or professional advice. No warranty. See methodology.

Neurology

Diseases of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and muscle.

What this specialty is

Neurologists manage stroke, epilepsy, dementia, movement disorders, headache, neuromuscular disease, multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunology, and more. Mix of inpatient (stroke, status epilepticus, ICU consults) and outpatient (subspecialty clinics). Diagnostic reasoning and neurolocalization are core.

Lifestyle & practice

Resident 50 to 65 hours, attending 45 to 55. Stroke call can be intense. Comp $300k to $400k median, higher in vascular and epilepsy procedural roles.

Common fellowship paths

Vascular (Stroke)EpilepsyMovement DisordersNeuromuscularHeadacheMultiple Sclerosis / NeuroimmunologyBehavioral / CognitiveNeuro-oncologySleep MedicineNeurocritical CareInterventional (Neuro IR)
Quick facts
Residency length
4 years (1 IM + 3)
Median comp
$300k to $400k
Resources to learn more

High-signal external links curated for residents and applicants.

Market· 2026 cycle (NRMP Match Results)

Positions

212

All applicants

211

Seats / app

1.00

Per-pool matched-applicant means· 2024 cycle

From NRMP Charting Outcomes 2024 (most recent biennial publication). Source PDFs: MD Seniors / DO Seniors / IMG. NRMP publishes Charting Outcomes every other year, so this should refresh in early 2026 with the 2025 cycle data.

PoolStep 1Step 2PubsResearchAOA %n
MD_seniors2312508.83.512.5488
DO_seniors2102454.82.5140
US_IMG21723710.24.247
Non_US_IMG23424513.34.7184
Charting Outcomes match rates over time· 20182024 cycles

Per-applicant-type match rates and mean Step scores published by NRMP every two years. Each row is one applicant pool in one cycle. Step scores reflect what matched applicants in that cycle achieved, not what programs require today.

YearTypeMatch rateMatched (n)Step 1Step 2
2024MD_Senior94.2%488231250
2024DO_Senior87.0%140245
2024IMG58.8%47237
2022MD_Senior98.3%465233246
2022IMG52.2%48225235
2020MD_Senior97.7%421232245
2020DO_Senior93.3%112227238
2018MD_Senior96.5%437231242
2018IMG55.6%60227234
Applicant pool mixture
PoolShare
MD_seniors53.5%
DO_seniors13.8%
US_IMG5.3%
Non_US_IMG27.3%