Two scores out of 100, and the arithmetic behind both.
Upload your resume and you get an ATS score and an overall score. The ATS score is added up in code from 18 weighted checks totalling 100 points, so the same file always produces the same number. The overall score is a deliberately strict read of the writing. This page shows how each one is arrived at, so the number is something you can argue with.
No resume handy? Skip it and build your story with Vale →
Where the 100 points sit.
Five groups. Formatting carries the most because formatting is where resumes actually get lost, and keyword coverage is a single large check because it is measured as a proportion rather than a pass or fail.
Formatting & parse safety
38 pts6 checks, 38% of the score.
Contact & profile
15 pts5 checks, 15% of the score.
Headings & structure
17 pts4 checks, 17% of the score.
Keyword match
22 ptsOne check, 22% of the score.
Content & length
8 pts2 checks, 8% of the score.
Every individual check and the exact points it carries are published on the ATS resume checker page.
Three things that decide what your score can be.
These are the parts people get caught by, and none of them are visible in a score on its own.
A check that cannot be seen is not counted
A Word or plain-text upload has no visible page, so layout, tables and image checks cannot be observed. Those are set aside and the score is recalculated over the checks that were observable, so a Word file is judged on its content instead of punished for a page nobody could see.
Keyword coverage is a proportion, not a pass
It is the share of the hard keywords your target role expects that your resume already contains. Carrying more than half of them earns more than half of the points, so this check moves smoothly rather than flipping.
Length is judged against your level
Two pages is the ceiling for most people. Three is allowed if the resume reads as senior or leadership. The check knows which of those you are from the file itself, not from a question you had to answer first.
What each band is supposed to mean.
Published because a number with no stated meaning is a number the reader invents a meaning for. The reviewer is instructed to score strictly, which is why a resume behind a genuinely good career often lands in the middle.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 80 and above | Excellent. The reviewer is told to reserve this range for excellent resumes, so it is uncommon. |
| 70 to 79 | Genuinely strong and close to interview-ready. The reviewer is told not to award 70 or more unless that is true. |
| 40 to 59 | Where a resume with real structural problems belongs. The instruction is to score here rather than inflate to 60 or 70 to be encouraging, so this is the ordinary result for a good career described badly. |
| Under 40 | Below the range the calibration describes. Something fundamental is usually wrong: the layout, or a section that is missing entirely. |
Common questions.
What is a good resume score?
Why is my ATS score higher than my overall score?
Will the same resume always get the same score?
Does a high score mean I will get interviews?
Is the score free to see?
Whichever question you came with.
These pages all run the review you just used. They differ in what they explain, so pick the one that matches what you actually want to know.
It all works from one Career Story.
Every tool reads the same memory, so nothing is ever retyped and nothing contradicts.
Get the number, and the reasons.
A score with no explanation is a number to worry about. This one comes with its own working.
No resume handy? Skip it and build your story with Vale →