Do procedures for admission to medical school and residency training help or hinder the selection of applicants who will make good doctors? Admissions committees routinely look beyond academic qualifications, considering applicants’ demographic information, character, values, and goals in their quest to satisfy society’s need for competent, compassionate physicians. But does this emphasis on qualitative qualifications, combined with fierce competition for highly selective residency positions, pressure applicants to behave deceptively? Contributors to the December issue of Virtual Mentor take up this and other ethical concerns about admission to medical education and training in the U.S.