How the Draw Works

Now that you know when to apply, how to apply, what a hunt code is, and what preference points are, you are ready to enter the draw. But once you apply, how does the process work?

First, everyone who applied for the same first choice license is listed in order on the basis of preference points. We’ll again use our example license of D-M-030-O2-R. The quota for this license is 100.

As you can see in the chart, more than 100 people applied for this license as their first choice, so not everyone who applied will get it.

The people at the front of the line have 9 preference points, and everyone is ordered behind them all the way down to those who have no preference points. In this example, 93 people had 2 preference points or more.

Since there were 100 licenses to start, everyone with 2 preference points or more will get this license. However, there are 7 licenses left and 63 people with 1 preference point. This is where the draw becomes a truly randomized lottery. Since all 63 people are at the same level (1 preference point), they are randomized, and the system pulls 7 people out of that randomization for those last licenses. We say this license drew out at 1 preference point, meaning the very last person to get their first choice had 1 preference point.