The Two ERAS Questions Anxious IMGs Over-Answer
Anxious IMGs confess to things the ERAS application never asked about. The Academic and Professional Interruptions section is where I see the most unnecessary damage, because applicants answer from fear instead of reading the actual question.
What each question asks
Examples
Started medical school in 2015 and graduated on schedule in 2020? That is a No.
Started in 2015 but graduated in 2022 because you repeated a year? That is a Yes.
COVID paused clinicals and delayed graduation? The COVID delay alone is a No. If it led to failing and remediating an exam, that part is a Yes.
Why over-answering hurts
Answer Yes to a question that is truly a No, and you have flagged your own file for something that never happened.
Why under-answering hurts more
If the truthful answer is Yes and you click No, that is falsification of an ERAS application. The AAMC investigates, programs verify, and medical school officials are contacted during credentialing. The cover-up is categorically worse than the event.
Read each question twice. Answer exactly what is asked. Most IMGs truthfully answer No to both. If yours is a genuine Yes, the next post gives you the framework to explain it well.
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