The authors evaluated semi-quantitatively the influence of the personal interview on the ranking of internal medicine residency applicants by teaching staff interviewers. Pre- and post-interview rankings of 236 student applicants were compared. Approximately a third of the applicants were ranked more favourably, a third less, and a third remained unchanged following the interview. The magnitude and implications of the post-interview changes in rankings are discussed. Although the interview is a controversial component of the residency selection process, the present study indicates that the interview experience can have a major influence on the interviewer of an applicant and the interviewer's ranking of an applicant in a training programme's match list.