Grades in required or core clerkships are very important to anesthesiology residency programs. In a survey of anesthesiology residency programs, 79% cited "grades in required clerkships" as a factor in selecting applicants to interview. "Medical school grades, in particular during the 3rd year clinical rotations, are an important part of the residency application to any residency including Stanford Anesthesia," writes Dr. Alex Macario, Program Director at Stanford University.

"This is in large part because what the student does on a clinical rotation is the closest thing we have to what they will do as an anesthesia resident.""The more grades of Honors and High Pass you have the more competitive you will be," writes Dr. Constance Hill, Program Director of the Anesthesiology Residency Program at SUNY Downstate.