resume
What is a good ATS score?
Most resume checkers treat a score of 75 to 85 as good. Here is what that number does and does not tell you, and how to raise it without gaming it.
The short answer
There is no official pass mark. Applicant tracking systems do not show candidates a score, and employers do not publish how their software ranks resumes. The scores you see come from third party resume checkers, and each one uses its own scale.
As a rough guide, most checkers call a result of about 75 to 80 or higher good. Our own ATS resume checker uses 80 as the line for "no major problems found". A score below 60 usually means something basic is wrong, such as a file the software cannot read.
Treat the number as a to-do list, not a verdict. The useful part of any score is the list of reasons behind it.
Why the same resume gets different scores in different tools
Run one resume through three checkers and you will probably get three different numbers. That is normal, because the tools measure different things and weigh them differently.
Some compare your resume with one job ad and mostly count matching keywords. Some only test whether the file can be read. Some combine both and add writing checks, such as numbers in your bullet points. A score of 85 in one tool and 70 in another does not mean either is wrong.
- Compare scores only within the same tool.
- Note the score before you edit, then check again after, to see if your changes helped.
- Pay attention to which checks failed, not to the headline number.
What an ATS score usually measures
Most scores blend two ideas. The first is whether software can read your file at all. The second is how well your words match a particular job.
- Readability: can the text be extracted in a sensible order? Columns, tables, text boxes, scanned pages and icons all cause trouble.
- Structure: are your name, email, phone and standard headings such as Experience, Education and Skills easy to find?
- Content: do your bullets start with action verbs and include numbers, or are they vague?
- Keyword match: how many of the important terms in the job ad appear in your resume? This only works when you paste a specific ad.
Do you need 90 or 100?
No. Once a file reads cleanly and contains the main terms from the ad, extra points are not worth chasing. A very high keyword score can even be a warning sign, because it is easy to reach by stuffing in words you do not really have.
Remember that a person reads your resume after the software has done its sorting. A resume that scores 100 but reads like a list of buzzwords will not get you an interview. Aim for a resume that parses cleanly and that you would be happy to hand to a hiring manager.
How to raise your score, in a sensible order
Work from the biggest problems to the smallest. The first two steps fix things that can stop your resume being read at all.
- Make the file readable. Use one column of real text, and save a text based PDF or a DOCX. A scan or a screenshot has no text for software to read.
- Fix the basics. Put your name, email and phone in the main body, not in a page header, and use standard headings.
- Paste the job ad into the checker and look at the missing keywords. Add only the ones that are true for you, using the ad's own wording.
- Add numbers where you honestly can: how many, how much, how often, how fast.
- Check again and stop when the remaining issues are minor.
What a score cannot tell you
A score cannot tell you how one company has set up its software, what one recruiter prefers, or whether you meet the requirements in the ad. It also cannot see screening questions an employer may add, such as work authorisation or a required licence.
Use it to remove avoidable problems. Then do the part no tool can do for you: apply to roles that fit, and tailor your resume to each one. If you need a clean starting point, our free resume templates are single column files of real text.
Questions
Is 70 a good ATS score?
It is decent, but look at where the missing points are. A 70 because the file cannot be read is a serious problem. A 70 because a few keywords from one job ad are missing is easy to fix.
Is a 100 percent ATS score possible?
Some tools can show it, but it usually means little. Real systems are set up differently by each employer, so no tool can promise a perfect result. Chasing 100 often leads to keyword stuffing.
Why is my ATS score low?
The common reasons are a file that cannot be read (a scan, columns or text boxes), contact details hidden in a header, missing standard headings, few numbers in the bullets, and missing keywords from the job ad. The parser view in our checker shows exactly what text was read from your file.
Do recruiters see my ATS score?
The score a checker tool shows you is not sent to anyone. Some applicant tracking systems can rank or score candidates for recruiters, depending on how the employer has set them up, but that is separate from any number you get from a third party tool.