Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026/05, 28e83087. doi: 10.2196/83087, type of study: descriptive study

Free full text   (https://www.jmir.org/2026/1/e83087)

Keywords:

applications [2]
descriptive study [72]
interview cycle [1]
medical schools [196]
osteopathic medicine [2109]
USA [1752]

Abstract:

Using a crowdsource model, we developed CycleTrack, a web-based platform that tracks and aggregates medical school application data in real-time. From May 2022 to January 2026, 34,763 users registered on the platform, of whom 20,354 tracked a cumulative 415,837 doctor of medicine (MD), MD-doctor of philosophy (PhD), doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO), and DO-PhD applications. The volume of applications tracked per program strongly correlated with the total number of applications reported in official data from the Association of American Medical Colleges and American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (Spearman ρ≥0.91; P<.001); however, statistically significant differences in demographics, grade point average, and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores were observed between CycleTrack users and national averages. Despite this, the CycleTrack database accurately captured the cadence of interview invitations from the Northwestern University and University of Michigan MD programs. Aggregated data from the CycleTrack database offered a glimpse into application cycle dynamics, such as demonstrating the relatively longer DO interview cycle compared to MD and MD-PhD programs. Use data from CycleTrack suggest demand for open and transparent information about statistics and timing of admissions decisions among medical school applicants.