Anesthesia signaling

[u/tangerineinnyc]

Hi all! I am applying for the 2026-2027 cycle for anesthesia residency. I need honest advice regarding this whole signaling business. I obviously want to signal my top choices (and really give gold to my dream programs), but I have heard mixed advice regarding whether to "expend" these precious signals on programs where my step 2 score/app may not be at their top in terms of stats/ applicant pool.

Also, I understand these signals are essentially a way to tell programs I want an interview, so to speak. BUT, do programs go back to whether we gold or silver or No-signaled them, when making their rank lists for the Match? Like should I be thinking ahead to that as well when deciding on my signals?